The refurbishment of the church was a community-wide effort. Photos by Jewel Moore
St. Luke’s, Gaston, finds new life from historical interest
By Christine McTaggart
Usually when a new community—or any initiative designed to bring a community together—is planted, it is done so with deep discernment, planning, resourcing and timing. But sometimes, it happens in another way altogether, from seeds scattered in unexpectedly fertile soil.
St. Luke’s, Gaston, is a historic church located in the five-county Lake Gaston community, approximately 20 minutes north of Roanoke Rapids. It began as a mission in 1836 through the efforts of Edmund Wilkins, a local lawyer and plantation owner. In 1874, Bishop Theodore Lyman made his first visit to the church and referred to it as St. Luke’s Chapel, giving it its official name in diocesan records.
For more than a century, the church stood as the surrounding community changed. The last service of the congregation was held in 1974, though Christmas Eve services became a tradition in the years that followed. Even that ended when the pandemic arrived after the 2019 Christmas Eve service. The doors of St. Luke’s closed and would not open again for almost five years.
THE VINTAGE GALS
A group of local women with an interest in history changed that. The Vintage Gals are an activity group of the larger Lake Gaston Ladies Club, whose interests focus on historical places, people and events around Lake Gaston.
In early 2025, Ann Boyd Smith, a former member of St. Luke’s and one of the Vintage Gals, mentioned St. Luke’s as a possible site for the group to visit. Smith and fellow Vintage Gal Jewel Moore approached the Rev. Sonny Browne, rector of All Saints’, Roanoke Rapids, and vicar of Saviour, Jackson, about doing a presentation for the group when they visited the historic church. He agreed and recommended they explore the state of the church prior to the group’s visit.
Given the doors had been closed for five years, there was work to be done. Spider webs, small animal carcasses and a great deal of dirt greeted the trio. None of it surprised them, but something else did.
“When we opened the door and went in the building,” said Moore, “it did not smell closed up. It didn’t smell musty or moldy or mildewy. Bright light was coming through those beautiful stained-glass windows along the two sides of the church. It was winter, but it wasn’t freezing cold inside. I don’t know how you explain it given how long it was closed up, except that it was a God thing.”
Without hesitation, Smith and Moore volunteered to rally other Vintage Gals to clean it. “I was amazed,” said Browne. “It seemed like it would be daunting for anyone to tackle. There was no water at the church. No electricity. They didn’t hesitate, and they did it.”
“We just took our own water in coolers with our rags and buckets and Murphy Oil Soap,” said Moore. “We did the best we could.”
It was more than enough for the Vintage Gals to visit, and their planned outing included the presentation by Browne, along with a blessing and prayers. Smith shared a 12-page history of the church and building she compiled for the occasion and fielded questions from the visitors. By the time the day was done, the Vintage Gals felt deeply for the church and wanted to do more to preserve it.
CALLING THE COMMUNITY
They decided to organize a workday. Using Facebook to spread the word, they set a date and invited the local community to help. They hoped a few would accept the invitation. Approximately 75 people did, and the work they did went far above and beyond what was expected.
Three trees had fallen into the church’s cemetery, damaging the surrounding fence as they fell. Several men brought chainsaws and removed them. A stranger from Prince George, who was following the activity around the church on Facebook, bought replacement fencing and appeared to do the repairs. Volunteers arrived with weed whackers and handsaws to clear the vines, and leaf blowers to remove leaves and debris.
Curiosity might have brought the cavalcade of volunteers, but something else moved them to do more when they took part in that workday because when the day was done, the community was not.
“People would say, ‘I’ll come back and clean windows,’” said Moore. “‘I’ll come back and vacuum when the electricity is back on.’ So we started a sign-up sheet, and that’s how what came after got started.”
One community member built handrails at the front and side doors. Another led the charge of weeding the flower beds and bushes around the church. Door thresholds were replaced. An owner of a local tree company got in touch about dead trees on the property he’d noticed when driving by, offering to remove them at no cost and donating the free firewood to local residents. The owner of a paving company donated two, 22-ton dump trucks of gravel and the services to spread it and create a driveway. A professional stained-glass window restorer cleaned and reglazed the interior windows at no cost. A powerwashing professional cleaned the exterior of the building. Water and electricity were restored. Smith’s neighbor bought candlesticks, offering plates, altar cloths and door wreaths to replace what was lost to a robbery years before. Slowly but surely, the community in which St. Luke’s stands brought the church back to life with incredible generosity, giving their time, money and talent.
ONE WAS NOT ENOUGH
The Vintage Gals who started it all wanted to find a way to thank the community for the gifts they had so freely given. They returned to Browne, asking if he would lead a special church service of thanksgiving for the community, to which he readily agreed.
“It was supposed to be a one-off just to say thank you and let the folks who’d done so much work see what a service in the church looked like,” said Browne. “I was expecting a small group, but about 67 people showed up, which blew my mind. It was a simple service of Evening Prayer. I thought that would be it, but at the end of the service, people kept asking when the next service was or just saying, ‘I’ll see you next Sunday!’”
Given the interest, Browne continued the conversation and, with the support of congregants of All Saints’, Roanoke Rapids; Saviour, Jackson; and, of course, the original Vintage Gals, it was decided that one evening service per month would be held on the fourth Sunday at 5 p.m. “We’re hoping the fourth Sunday at five will be memorable,” quipped Browne.
And so it has come to be. Every fourth Sunday at 5 p.m., the church doors open, and the community walks through. Browne and lay preacher (and Saviour member) Jimmy Moore take turns leading the service. Those in attendance come from a variety of faith traditions. Curiosity might have brought them to and through the door, but something else keeps them coming back.
“One lady from the mega church nearby posted on Facebook the overwhelming emotional feeling she got the instant she walked into [St. Luke’s],” said Moore. “[She described it as] a very reverent, very peaceful inner feeling. It was very touching.”
[Image: The Rev. Sonny Browne leads a service at the newly refurbished St. Luke’s, Gaston. Photo by Jewel Moore]
As for what the future holds, the parishioners bringing new life to old St. Luke’s are hopeful. In the short term, they want to see the monthly services continue. Long term, they dream of the ongoing community interest and involvement growing into a new congregation.
Between the short and long term, they remain focused on the needs of the church. With water and basic electricity restored, the next goals for the building include new paint, a new roof and, eventually, an HVAC system to address the lack of heat or air conditioning. A committee has been formed to guide the ongoing process and life of the church, including Browne, Smith, Moore, Tony Short and Katie Green of All Saints’, Bill and Sallie Futrell of Saviour, and member representatives of the Lake Gaston Ladies Club and two other area clubs that have expressed interest.
The revival of St. Luke’s has been from the start, and continues to be, an organic growth of collaboration becoming new community. “This is Holy Spirit stuff,” said Browne. “You couldn’t plan or manufacture what’s happened. It’s brought together this cross section of people who might never have otherwise come together in this way. Episcopalians, Lutherans, Methodists, Catholics, the unchurched, all coming together and encountering each other in a unique way and in community with each other, and in finding that, they want to come back.”
KEEP IN TOUCH
Stay up to date on the ongoing revival of St. Luke’s. Follow them on Facebook at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Gaston, NC.
Christine McTaggart is the communications director for the Diocese of North Carolina.
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