Saint Luke's Lutheran Church is as old as Lutheranism in Allegany County, Maryland. Christ Lutheran Church was founded in 1794, and Saint Luke's is one of the three present-day congregations which trace their roots to that original Lutheran body. St. Luke's was incorporated on February 12, 1848, and marked its 150th anniversary with year-long celebrations in 1998. The Town Clock Church on Bedford St. was dedicated on March 17, 1850. That church was so named because the City of Cumberland offered a town clock to the first church to completed by either the German Catholics or the German Lutherans. The Lutherans won, largely because the women of the church held torches so that the men could work by night. The German language was used in Saint Luke's worship services until 1920.
On June 5, 1927, the St. Luke's congregation moved to a new home at the corner of Bedford and Columbia Streets. That Gothic structure served as both a sanctuary and an educational building.
On Reformation Eve, October 30, 1957, the congregation voted to relocate to the present site on Frederick St. The ground-breaking ceremonies on June 1, 1958 marked the 110th anniversary of the corner-stone laying of the original Town Clock Church. One year and one month later, on July 5, 1959, the corner-stone was laid. This handsome contemporary church was dedicated on May 1, 1960.
Saint Luke's Lutheran Church is a member of the Deleware-Maryland Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
The present church represents an investment of $625,000. The cross reaches 90 feet high and weighs two and a half tons. The church fronts 200 feet on Frederick St. with the sanctuary being 115 feet deep. The architect, T. Norman Mansell from Philadelphia, applied two basic aschitectural principles to the building: 1) There are no steps into the large assembly areas, and 2) During the daytime the entire building is naturally lighted. From the outside of the building the chancel end of the church brings to mind a boat. Also the structural arches in the nave of the church, if inverted, form the shape of a boat. This we see that our church building virtually breathes the message of the bible. The front wall of the church tells the inspiring story of our Lord's Resurrection, Ascension and eternal reign, using the semmingly endless series of crosses within the circles to proclaim that Christ shall reign forever.
The Saint Lukean Reredos:
The magnificent Saint Lukean reredos is made up of over 7,000
pieces of hand-cut facted glass in the chancel wall of our church. Divided into
seven sections, representing the seven days, each seciton is 21 feet high and
three and a half wide. Most of the glass making up this beautiful worship center
was imported from France.
