Council Corner - February 26 Meeting Update

Council Corner:

Updates from the Regular Church Council Meeting - February 23, 2026

Informational Items:

Best Practices for Responding to Requests for Cash from Strangers
Members and staff are strongly discouraged from providing cash to strangers who request assistance while on St. Lucas UCC property. When approached, we encourage directing individuals to community resources that are better equipped to offer support.

Recommended alternatives include:
Sharing the Community Resources for Food & Utility Assistance list from the St. Louis Area Resource Directory (www.startherestl.org). For your convenience, copies are available outside the Sanctuary.
Directing individuals to the Little Free Pantry for immediate food assistance.

Additionally, the possibility of laminating and affixing the Food & Utility Assistance resource list to the Little Free Pantry is being explored to improve accessibility.

Event Planning Workflow Reccomendations
Work is underway to develop clearer guidelines for individuals or groups interested in hosting events at St. Lucas UCC. Please contact Tracy Mulderig with comments or suggestions.

Actions Taken:

Approved $2,114 from the Memorial Fund, as recomended, to repair the lighting system for the sign along Denny Road.

Approved revised language for a new three-way Covenant among retired ministers previously employed by St. Lucas UCC returning as members, the St. Lucas UCC Congregation, and the St. Louis Association.

Developed in accordance with the United Church of Christ's 2024 Manual on Ministry and guidance from the St. Louis Association, the covenant articulates shared expectations for participation in the life of the church.
General covenant terms are available here: Covenants of Mutual Accountability

Approved a plan for gathering information and input regarding the Mayberry Bequest and future overall expenditures, which was distributed in a special e-blast and in the March 1st bulletin.

Approved a one-year renewal of the Parsonage lease under the current terms.

Updates from the Special Church Council Meeting - March 1, 2026

Actions Taken:

Approved a new 3-year contract with MS Lawncare for the main St. Lucas property, the athletic fields, the Parsonage, and the Sexton's house.

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Who Was Rev. Kruse?

By Denee Bowers • August 27, 2026

He was our longest-serving pastor (43 years!). He started serving St. Lucas at the beginning of its second year and really got things rolling. Samuel A. Kruse (1858 - 1944) was born in Nashville, IL, to immigrants from areas now known as Germany. His father was a German Evangelical pastor who had studied at the educational institution in Marthasville that is now known as Eden Seminary in Webster Groves. After Samuel Kruse’s primary education at a school around Des Peres, MO, he attended Elmhurst College and then followed in his father’s footsteps and studied at Eden Seminary for four years. After his ordination in 1880, he was assigned to pastor a frontier community in southeastern Nebraska. During those two years, he made a trip home to marry Amalia Mueller, the daughter of Rev. Andreas Mueller, the pastor of Carondelet Church in South St. Louis. Rev. Kruse was happy to accept the call to St. Lucas in 1882, and the young couple returned to an area closer to their families.