The inception of what is now St. Luke’s Anglican Church, Maysville, Kentucky, began in November, 2005, when a small, courageous band of Christians realized that they could no longer follow the leadership of the Episcopal Church of the USA, nor its Diocese of Lexington, in their re-interpretation of 2,000 years of Christian teaching in a self-proclaimed prophetic way far beyond the mainstream of global Christian practice and belief.
Originally meeting for Morning Prayer services and an occasional Holy Communion service in various members’ homes, the fellowship also visited various regional Anglican parishes and invited Anglican priests from such churches to lead services in Maysville.
After some months of such services, in 2006, the fellowship began to hold Sunday Morning Prayer services and monthly Holy Communion services at Trinity Lutheran Church, Maysville. The Lutherans’ outreach of kindness and hospitality has been awe-inspiring.
Knowing that survival of an Anglican faith community in Maysville and the surrounding area required a full-time priestly presence, in September, 2006, the as-yet unnamed fellowship wrote Nashotah House and Trinity School for Ministry seeking assistance in searching for candidates for a rector.
At that same time, in a God-inspired, parallel search for God’s will, a Trinity Middler seminarian, Robert W. Hudson, having asked for guidance from the Holy Spirit to make His will known to him in a palpable way, saw our letter that very month, and, being moved by the Holy Spirit, reached out to us.
In brief, for the next 18 months, Bob Hudson made numerous visits to Maysville, holding services, leading Bible study classes, providing encouragement to the Maysville fellowship, and counseling members.
With this sustenance, and after much prayer, and strengthened by his working with the Maysville fellowship in many ways, Maysville’s Anglicans, aided by Mr. Hudson, and his home church, All Saints Anglican Church, Jackson, Tennessee, providing assistance and guidance, sought Temporary Emergency Episcopal Oversight of The Rt. Rev. Dr. Gideon Githiga, Thika Diocese, Anglican Church of Kenya.
Choosing to be known as St. Luke’s Anglican Church, the fellowship established an incorporated and fully qualified Anglican congregation that eventually came under the protection, guidance, and leadership of the Rt. Rev. Dr. Bill Atwood, Suffragan Bishop, All Saints’ Cathedral Diocese, Nairobi, Anglican Church of Kenya, and Bishop, International Diocese, ACNA, working out of Carrollton, Texas. St. Luke’s Anglican Church was part of this diocese until it dissolved at the retirement of Bishop Atwood, June 30, 2024. The parish voted unanimously to join the Diocese of the Central States, Reformed Episcopal Church at its annual meeting in 2024. The Bishop Ordinary of the Diocese of the Central States is the Rt. Rev. Peter Manto.
St. Luke’s advocacy and leadership proved pivotal in obtaining approval in the fall of 2007 from Bishop Githiga for Bishop Atwood to ordain Bob to the order of Deacons in Christ’s One, Holy, and Apostolic Church on January 8, 2008, and subsequently his ordination by Bishop Atwood to the priesthood on July 12, 2008, and in the words of St. Luke’s adopted 1928 Book of Common Prayer, institution of the Rev. Robert Wendell Hudson as St. Luke’s Rector.
ACNA – The Anglican Church in North America – uniting some 100,000 Anglicans in 700 parishes in 28 dioceses is a Province-in-formation in the global Anglican Communion initiated by request of the Global Anglican Future Conference in June, 2008, formally recognized by the GAFCON Primates – leaders of Anglican Churches representing 70% of the world’s active Anglicans – on April 16, 2009.
The Reformed Episcopal Church is one of the founding jurisdictions of the Anglican Church in America. The REC itself was founded in 1873, by the Rt. Rev. George David Cummings, assistant bishop of Kentucky, along with several other Episcopal clergymen, who left the denomination due to concerns over its doctrine and discipline. The REC has been a faithful Anglican witness for many years.
While God works in the lives of His people in Maysville, the surrounding area, and the world, He continues to bless us, as members of the Body of believers, with an Anglican presence that faithfully blends the power of His written word, the Bible, the signs of His sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion, and the Great Commission to share the Good News of eternal life with God through the work of Jesus Christ.
Canon Bob Hudson retired on January 31, 2022 and Dr. Christopher Beckham became Priest-in-Charge on February 1, 2022. Prior to becoming the PIC at St. Luke’s, Dr. Beckham served as a parish pastor for over twenty years, in addition to serving as a university professor. In addition to his university degrees, he holds a graduate level certificate in Christian ministry from the Reformed Episcopal Seminary, Blue Bell, PA.
St. Luke’s is moving forward in faith as a family to share God’s Good News. We welcome you to “Come and See” how Jesus is transforming individual lives-through God’s love and forgiveness, no matter where we are on the path of our life journey as followers of Jesus Christ.
This is the hope and the future that is available to everyone through the Holy Spirit. Will you join us?
To God Be The Glory!