Welcome

Welcome to St Luke’s –
the Parish Church of St Luke the Evangelist
on Burton Stone Lane, York.

April 2021

We are very pleased that we are now able to meet for worship on a Sunday once again, although due to ongoing COVID restrictions numbers are limited and we have to ask you to book a place in advance.

There is now a service in church at 10.00am each Sunday and another at 5.15pm – look out for information on our Facebook page and via Grapevine Lite for more information about these services.

For those unable to attend in person we are producing an online video service each month.

Whilst there are restrictions on what we can do, it is wonderful that we can start meeting in church again and we all look forward to a point in the future when things are back to normal.

Booking forms for these and all other Sunday services are available on request from info@stlukesyork.org.

With COVID cases still in York and the need to be careful, numbers will be limited and we will be socially distanced. You are asked to wear a mask and use hand sanitiser.

At services, Communion will be in the form of the bread alone. At the end of the service, the priest or person presiding will not stand outside the church. This is because we need to avoid mingling and you are asked to remain in your seats at the end of the service until your row is asked to leave by a warden or sidesperson. This again is to ensure a safe, distanced exit for everyone.

For times of private prayer, booking is not required, but if you arrive and the church is full, you will be asked to wait. To avoid people waiting outside and to reduce the risks of infection to everyone, you are asked not to spend the entire session in the church. Again, masks and hand sanitiser will be needed.

Our Church Council (PCC) is keeping the situation under review and paying attention to government advice and the latest infection rates, and we’ll let you know of any changes here and on St Luke’s Facebook page.

If you need any additional help or assistance please get in touch using info@stlukesyork.org.

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We serve a parish of about 5,500 souls about a mile north of York Minster; standing on the corner of the Lane and Shipton Street, St Luke’s has been home to warm, welcoming and worshipping Christian community for over a hundred years.

We meet to worship God every Sunday and at some time on most weekdays too; St Luke’s sees weddings, Christenings and funerals throughout the year, and our Church Hall is a busy hub for church and community social events.

During term-time we offer a Parent and Toddler Drop-in every Monday and Wednesday morning, and a range of children’s and young people’s activities mostly on a Friday evening. We welcome new members to choirs for young people and the young-at-heart, and for senior citizens our Tuesday Club meets every week.

St Luke’s is commited to grow in Christlikeness, influence and numbers; to welcome all, to work to safeguard God’s creation, and to promote justice in the world.

See you soon…

Who’s Who?

Vicar of St Luke’s (we’re praying for our next one)

The Revd Jackie Doyle-Brett left St Luke’s in February 2021 to be Priest-in-Charge of Derwent Ings, a group of villages south of York; we are already praying for her successor – though it will be a while before we know who it is.
 

The Revd Dr Nick Sykes (Curate)

Nick is a doctor working in the National Health Service and at the University of York alongside his work in St Luke’s; married with three children, Nick was ordained in 2019.

The Revd Liz Carrington (Deacon)

Liz was ordained Deacon in 2009 after nearly five years as a Reader. A member of St Luke’s for many years, Liz was International Development Adviser to the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy until her retirement in 2010.
 

Lynn Comer (Reader)

Lynn became a Reader in the 1990s and is a long-standing member of St Luke’s. She is married to Mark with a son and a grandson, and is Director of the York School of Ministry for the Diocese of York.

Colette Longbottom (Churchwarden)

Colette’s life is a whirl of learning French and the guitar while cooking, baking, reading, helping husband John with the allotment, walking in the countryside and being a mother and grandmother. It’s just as well she’s retired from a career in local government.

David Titterington-Cook (Churchwarden)

David is a Lancastrian who crossed the Pennines to live in York over a decade ago. Married to Neil with one son, David’s career has been varied but he now works happily in Stonegate. He gladly admits his guiltiest pleasure is a love of 1980s music.

About Us

  • We believe in one God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

  • We are a Christian family of people who worship and serve God in the Burton Stone Lane area of York.

  • We are a praying community, committed to caring for each other and those in our community, and sharing God’s love with everyone.

  • As a registered Inclusive Church, we welcome everyone regardless of physical ability, mental health, gender, race, sexuality or economic advantage.
  • We are committed to serving our local community; we run ‘Joyful Connections‘ (a weekly Community Café), and work with local schools and businesses.
  • As an Eco Church we aim to live simply, responsibly and sustainably in order to care for God’s creation.
  • As part of our commitment to justice we are a Fairtrade Church and sell a range of fairly traded goods at our ‘Joyful Connections‘ Café and sometimes after our Sunday morning worship.
  • We celebrate the creative arts using music and drama in our worship and at other events during the year.
  • We support each other on our faith journey with opportunities for growing, learning, listening and quiet meditative prayer.

Weddings

We’d love you to get married at St Luke’s.

Although the outside of St Luke’s doesn’t win many prizes, step inside and you’ll be surprised by the bright airy and spacious body of the church and the beautiful chancel area around the altar – the backdrop to many wedding photos.

When you get married at St Luke’s, most of the service takes place at the chancel step, just in front of where family and friends will be sitting.

You’re welcome to marry here if either of you live or grew up in St Luke’s parish, or if you worship regularly at St Luke’s, or if your parents live or lived here, or if they are or were members of St Luke’s – in fact there are lots of ways people can be able to get married here.

You can get in touch and we’d be delighted to show you round and talk about how your wedding would take place in St Luke’s.

We’ll arrange to meet up, give you the information you need, help you with the form-filling stuff and spend some time making the service personal to you both.

  • If you live in the parish but are having a church wedding somewhere else, you will still need to have your banns read in St Luke’s as well as in the church where you are marrying. We have to do this at least three weeks before your wedding so make sure you don’t leave it too late! Contact us any time about this and we will arrange it for you.
  • You can find out much more about marrying in the Church of England, including about fees, online at Your Church Wedding.

Christenings – or Baptisms

We love baptisms and Christenings (they’re the same thing) at St Luke’s.

Whether you’re nine minutes, nine months or ninety years old, God welcomes you into the family of Jesus Christ and so do we (we’ve baptised people at all those ages and quite a lot in between too).

Being baptised is being welcomed into the family of God and the Church, and it can happen at any age – some people’s grownups decide for them, and other people decide for themselves once they’re old enough.

Once you’re baptised you can go on to receive Holy Communion and to be Confirmed; talk to us about this and about how we prepare people to take these steps.

If you have a connection with St Luke’s or if you live in the parish we’d love to hear from you – come along to any service, or any of our regular weekly activities, or get in touch any way you like, and we’ll get you all the information you need.