2304 2rd Ave Street Kearney, Nebraska 68847, United States
Loving, Liberating and Life-giving.
Grant, O God, that your holy and life-giving Spirit may so move every human heart, that barriers which divide us may crumble,
Our Rector
Father Christopher Szarke became the rector of St. Luke's in September 2025. During our first year together, he has worked with the vestry and parishioners to strengthen pastoral care, firmly live into being a welcoming faith community, expanding worship experiences, articulate our call to stewardship of God's resources in the parish and beyond the church walls, reestablished the finance committee, recreating administrative needs and processes, including creating parish bylaws for the first time since November 2001. Under his leadership, the parish e-newsletter, The Red Door, was created and is shared weekly and we have had vestry retreats in the fall and spring. His commitment to spiritual development drives his energy in discerning with others about the best faith formation needs for our current time.
His previous ministries include rector positions in Utah and Maine; serving as a hospital and nursing home chaplain in Minnesota, California, and New York; and two decades working for nonprofit organizations. His passions in parish ministry include worship and preaching, pastoral care, faith formation, fellowship, and connections between the parish and the larger community. As rector at his previous parish, he regularly met with people discerning their call to lay and ordained ministry and prepared lay parishioners to serve as Eucharistic visitors, licensed lay worship leaders, and licensed lay preachers. He focuses on how to continue to support the development of ministries of the lay people, deacons, and retired priests at St. Luke's.
He has been active in his previous dioceses with diocesan leadership, including the Commission on Ministry, Standing Committee, Bishop Search Committee, facilitating the courses in Theology and Ethics and Pastoral Care at the Tuttle School for Discipleship and Ministry, serving as Deputy to General Convention in 2022 and 2024, and being the camp chaplain several times at the Utah and Maine diocesan youth camps. He served as a cabin counselor at Camp Canterbury this past summer and is a candidate for the Standing Committee.
He completed 609 miles of walking pilgrimages in 2023: 55 miles on the Jesus Trail from Nazareth to Capernaum, 389 miles on St. Olavsleden across Sweden to Trondheim, Norway, and 165 miles on the Camino de Santiago from Porto, Portugal to Santigo, Spain. His next pilgrimage will be walking 155 miles from Assisi to Rome, Italy.
Former Presiding Bishop Michael Curry and Father Christopher at St George's Cathedral, Jerusalem.
Father Christopher comes from a large family, mostly living in the Midwest, being the firstborn of seven, uncle to 22 nieces and nephews, great-uncle to 12, and enjoys being within a day's drive of them again. He loves being in the Midwest again and feels particularly blessed to be in Kearney.
Father Christopher's spiritual path includes having been a novice with both the Benedictine and Franciscan orders before entering the Anglican Studies Program at Candler School of Theology, Emory University, in Atlanta and completing his Master of Divinity Degree. He completed his certificate at Hesychius School of Spiritual Direction in Tucson, Arizona, in the spring of 2026. His previous education included spiritual direction training at the Spiritual Renewal Center in Syracuse, New York, and a Master of Arts from the Institute in Culture and Creation Spirituality at Holy Names College in Oakland, California, where his professors included Matthew Fox, Sister Jose Hobday, Jeremy Taylor and many others.
He completed 609 miles of walking pilgrimages in 2023: 55 miles on the Jesus Trail from Nazareth to Capernaum, 389 miles on St. Olavsleden across Sweden to Trondheim, Norway, and 165 miles on the Camino de Santiago from Porto, Portugal to Santigo, Spain. His next pilgrimage will be walking 155 miles from Assisi to Rome, Italy.
Father Christopher comes from a large family, mostly living in the Midwest, being the firstborn of seven, uncle to 22 nieces and nephews, great-uncle to 12, and enjoys being within a day's drive of them again. He loves being in the Midwest again and feels particularly blessed to be in Kearney.
Welcome to St. Luke's Episcopal Church Church
Join us Any Sunday, 8 AM or 10:30 AM
The 10:30 a.m. service is live-streamed on the parish YouTube channel: St. Luke's Episcopal Church Kearney.
Life at St Luke's
SUNDAY SERVICES
Sunday Worship Times
Communion for all believers always celebrated.
8:00 AM In the serene silence of the
Chapel of the Good Shepherd
10:30 AM In the nave of Saint Luke's
with processional, hymn singing,
and the ministries of the
Band, Choir, Organ and a Children's Sermon.
This service is also live-streamed
for online viewing
Services can be found on YouTube.
Search Saint Lukes Episcopal Church, Kearney for video services.
MAP-EMAIL-PHONE
SAINT LUKE'S EPISCOPAL CHURCH,
KEARNEY, NE
We are on the corners of
2nd Avenue between 23rd and 24th Streets
Note the black Cross on the Map Above
Entrances on both 24th Street and the alley to the west are handicap accessible,
(though the alley door is heavy.)
The entrance to the church on 23rd Street is not handicap accessible because of the stairs.
Every Member is Encouraged to Be a Leader in Worship
Worship at Saint Lukes is truly
"the work of the people."
On average 30 lay people are engaged in serving as ushers, greeters, acolytes, ministers of the chalice, playing in the band or on the organ, singing in the choir, editing the live stream, reading the scriptures, leading the prayers, setting the altar, baking the bead, and managing the sound board,
The three clergy provide liturgical leadership and the message for the day.
There is a place of leadership in worship
for everyone who desires to serve at Saint Luke's,
TUESDAY NOON PRAYER
If you have prayer requests,
please email them to : kearneyreddoorchurch@gmail.com
and your Tuesday Prayer group
will lift them up to God.
When you attend the service,
you may fill out the prayer card in your bulletin and place it in the offering plate.
If you would like the person prayed for to receive a card indicating that, "Prayers were said for you today in the Chapel of the Good Shepherd at Saint Luke's," please include that person's address on the prayer card.
If you want to join us in prayer for the sick and troubled, call 308-236-5821.
About Us - A Community Committed to Care and to Love
Glorious Worship
We welcome everyone. We welcome you.
Every service is prayerfully planned and prepared by the clergy and musicians to highlight the message of the Gospel reading, and the Old Testament, New Testament, and the Psalms. These readings are complimentary and therefore put together in the lectionary. We listen to hear what the Spirit is sayi
We welcome everyone. We welcome you.
Every service is prayerfully planned and prepared by the clergy and musicians to highlight the message of the Gospel reading, and the Old Testament, New Testament, and the Psalms. These readings are complimentary and therefore put together in the lectionary. We listen to hear what the Spirit is saying through these texts to the church and the world today.
In addition to our efforts to communicate these texts, every effort is also made to hallow the space, creating that spiritual atmosphere that draws us into the Presence of God, the only true interpreter of scripture.
At least thirty different members assume roles in the leadership of the services and the preparation of our worship space every week, All these energies collect us into the place of Holy Communion. and provide a rich tapestry in this symphony to and with God that is called Worship.
Majestic Pipe Organ
Nearly every Sunday Morning the powerful music of the pipe organ, played skillfully and passionately by Dr. Marilyn Musick, fills the church with sacred music. Public organ recitals are a regular feature of our outreach.
Communion for All
Holy Communion is the sacrament that Christians receive following baptism.
All are welcome to approach the altar for Holy Communion or a blessing. Eucharistic Ministers bring Holy Communion to those in the pews who, due to mobility needs, cannot easily come forward. Please inform an usher of this need.
Resources
