The Rev. James Hill Jr. will officially be installed as the pastor of St. Luke’s United Church of Christ in Imperial as the church enters the final month of its 140th anniversary.
The installation service will be held at 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 1, at the church, 6610 St. Luke’s Church Road.
“My installation has taken a little bit longer because I don’t come from a UCC background,” said Hill, who has been the church’s pastor since August 2023. “I have been going through the process of having my ordination recognized by the United Church of Christ. This is the final step in that process.”
Hill, 48, of south St. Louis County said he has been a pastor for 25 years after being ordained as a Baptist pastor.
He said he was in the Baptist ministry for about 14 years before serving as the pastor of a Congregational church in Branford, Conn., for nine years.
Hill said he and his wife, Tara, were raised in Missouri, and the two have a son, Isaiah, 13.
He said he interested in serving at St. Luke’s because it was a homecoming for his family and because he feels the United Church of Christ is welcoming.
“We have embraced the Congregational church tradition during our time in Connecticut,” Hill said. “We were looking to serve a church similar to where we were. Most of the Congregational churches are part of the United Church of Christ. We had been making a journey toward the United Church of Christ for quite a long time.
“The United Church of Christ, to me, is more inclusive and welcoming of people of all stripes. We were looking for a denominational home and church home that was very welcoming and inclusive of all people.”
Warren Stuckmeyer, the church council president, said Hill has brought stability to the church that began looking for a permanent pastor in 2021.
He also said Hill quickly proved his willingness to be there for the church’s 308 members.
“I don’t think (Hill) was even on the payroll and the first thing he had was a funeral,” said Stuckmeyer, who is 59 and was baptized at St. Luke’s. “The way he handled the situation was very impressive for the membership of the church. He has proven to be dedicated to the church and its members.”
Hill said he has always served at historic churches and has embraced learning about St. Luke’s and Jefferson County’s history.
“I am getting to know the area of Imperial and Barnhart,” he said. “I am falling in love with the farming communities and the long history of families. In our church, probably as important as the long history of the church, is the long history of the families in our church. We have families in our church who go back nearly to the founding of the church. That is something that is very special.”
Church history
St. Luke’s has always been in the Glaze Creek area.
It started in 1884 as the St. Luke’s Evangelical Congregation chartered by the Evangelical Synod of North America.
The first church was built on the site of a log church that was constructed in 1863 but burned in 1878.
St. Luke’s original church opened in June 1884, and it closed in 1928 when the current church was constructed.
The church also underwent two denominational mergers during its history.
In 1934, the Evangelical Synod merged with the Reformed Church in the United States to create the Evangelical and Reformed denominations.
In 1957, the Evangelical and Reformed denominations merged with the General Council of the Congregational Chistian Churches to become the United Church of Christ.
While there have been plenty of other changes throughout St. Luke’s history, a constant has been a core group of families that have continued to worship at the church.
“The congregation is generational,” Stuckmeyer said. “That keeps it stable. We have a strong congregation that is willing to work and do things.”
Hill said he seems to learn each week about a new family with a long history at St. Luke’s, adding that the long heritage makes the church special.
“Our people see it as a responsibility to continue the heritage of the church and to hold up their end of what it means to the church in our community and to care for our people in our community as our ancestors did before us,” Hill said.
Traditions
St. Luke’s is best known in the area for its annual chicken dinners.
The first dinner was served in October 1963 and it continues on the last Sunday of October every year.
Hill and Stuckmeyer said the church sold all 500 chicken dinners it prepared this year.
“We have people from our community and outside our church come over,” Hill said. “That is a big deal. That is a heritage that we continue.”
The church also has staged a portrayal of “The Last Supper” since April 1966. The portrayal originally was held on Maundy Thursday, but in 1995, the event was moved to Good Friday.
St. Luke’s has another October tradition – apple butter making.
The tradition began in 1949 with the first apple butter being made in the backyard of a Women’s Guild member. The apple butter started being made in the church in 1951, and the tradition continues today.
“There is an ancestry that keeps the church going,” Stuckmeyer said. “There are enough members who keep the traditions and keep the church from failing.”
Future
The church has recently been adding more members, Stuckmeyer said, adding that since Hill arrived, at least 10 new members have been inducted.
Stuckmeyer said having Sunday worships available to watch on YouTube may have attracted people to St. Luke’s.
“That may be reaching out to people who listen to his (Hill’s) sermons, and they may come here to see how the experience is,” Stuckmeyer said.
Hill said there is an excitement at the church, which did not hold an 140th anniversary event, and he believes there is a bright future for St. Luke’s.
“My feeling is that we have a lot of people in our church who believe our church has just now rebounded from the effects of the (COVID-19) pandemic,” he said. “We feel like as a people, that we are back to who are called to be, and that is an exciting thing.”