St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Jamestown, NY, dedicated their newly remodeled undercroft yesterday with a service and reception. The renovation was done with the intent to make the space more inviting and pleasant for community use. “Often groups use a church basement and it feels like a basement, but our goal was to create a community center that would provide the ennobling and enriching physical environment you might expect from a church,” said Rev. Luke Fodor, priest at St. Luke’s. The renovation is the second stage of a three stage project, with the first stage being the construction of a parking lot, and the third being improvement of drainage to prevent water damage around the church. St. Luke’s began raising funds in September 2016, with a goal of one million, which they have almost reached. The basement had last been renovated in the 1950s, with only maintenance being done to it since. Now, with the renovation, the basement has conveniences like air conditioning and WiFi. St. Luke’s used primarily local companies for the construction. The space is used by several community groups, including a mental health support group and girl scout troops.
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This growing, vibrant congregation with a large number of younger adults and children, located in a small city in Western New York that has been economically depressed for years, demonstrates that it is possible to grow a parish in less than ideal circumstances with an energetic and outwardly focused Rector and supportive Vestry and people. Congrats to the Rev. Luke Foder and the people of St Luke’s Jamestown.