The 'Friendly Church on the Corner' Needs Your Help

/
stluke1.jpg
The church’s beautiful stained-glass windows are in dire need of restoration.

The church’s beautiful stained-glass windows are in dire need of restoration.

For more than a century, St. Luke AME has been a leader in the cause of social justice within and beyond our city’s African-American community. Celebrated writer Langston Hughes worshipped there, along with many members of our Black community, and it’s listed on the National, State and Lawrence Registers of Historic Places.

But today, St. Luke AME, built in 1910 at 9th and New York streets, needs your help. Many of its red brick walls and original windows are in disrepair. A first phase of rehab was completed 10 years ago. Now it’s time to make exterior repairs and to complete an accessibility project begun last year. 

Two major grants have ensured that the church’s two large stained glass windows, and the walls in which they sit, will be restored this fall. The congregation is working to fund completion of the accessibility project. But there is still more work to be done.

 Lawrence Preservation Alliance is leading an effort to gather community help to contribute toward work on other exterior walls and windows in critical need of repair. To start, LPA is donating all membership funds we receive through the end of 2020 to the rehab effort at St. Luke AME. 

Please be a St. Luke AME Friend. Click here to sign up for membership. Or send your check to Lawrence Preservation Alliance, PO Box 1073, Lawrence, KS, 66044. All donors who are not current members will receive a free one-year membership in LPA. 

The church’s exterior brickwork is overdue for repair.

The church’s exterior brickwork is overdue for repair.

Thanks to a generous matching grant provided by Jeff and Mary Weinberg, the first $10,000 in gifts will be matched.. One hundred percent of your donation will go to the St. Luke AME Second Century Fund at the Douglas County Community Foundation. 

In addition, LPA is proud to partner with The Raven Book Store to host a fundraiser in support of the St. Luke AME Church building. When you shop online at The Raven on October 22nd and 23rd, 5% of your purchase price goes to ensure that this architectural landmark is restored for generations to come. So get shopping!

 St. Luke AME has served our Lawrence community for more than a century. Now is the time for this community to return that support. IT’S UP TO US.