The First 300

St. Luke United Methodist Church

The first recorded meeting of area Methodists was in 1778, just as our nation was gaining its independence. That prayer service was held in the James Mansion House in Rosemont. A Class Meeting, in 1780, led to the founding of the log church in Radnor, known as “Methodist Hill.” A few other infant congregations shared pastors who served the “circuit.” The 1876 Centennial and the Pennsylvania Railroad’s expansion of settlement in the area led the Methodists to build a more convenient house of worship in Bryn Mawr. Dedicated in 1879, the building cost $8,700. Originally called Bryn Mawr Chapel, the church was given the name St. Luke, beloved physician of the Bible and to honor the noted family of local physicians, the Andersons. In 1962, the “new” St. Luke sanctuary was consecrated. The church continues, after 200 years, to minister to the spiritual needs and fellowship of its people and the surrounding communities.

The first St. Luke, built in 1879.
Aerial view of St. Luke’s and its grounds, The original church, now a chapel, is seen below the 1962 church.