Saint Luke the Evangelist Antiochian Orthodox Church

Our Purpose

To worship God the Father and His Only-Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, and His Holy Spirit, in the Faith and Tradition of the Holy Orthodox Catholic and Apostolic Church.

To bear witness in deed and in word to Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and to the Holy Orthodox Christian Faith, to people of all races, heritage, or religious opinion who will hear the truth.

To worship under the canonical authority and archpastoral direction of the Primate of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America, and his designated bishops, priests, and deacons.

To establish a worshipping Orthodox Christian community in the four-county area of southeast Cuyahoga,
southwest Geauga, northwest Portage, and northeast Summit counties, Ohio.

To serve each other and our local community with Christian love and dedication according to the commandments of the Lord Jesus Christ and as much as lies within our ability, to reach out to the whole world in his Name.

About St. Luke the Evangelist

On October 18 in the Holy Orthodox Church we commemorate the holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke. Luke was born in Antioch. In his youth, he excelled in his studies of Greek philosophy, medicine and art and became a physician. During the ministry of the Lord Jesus on earth, Luke came to Jerusalem where he saw the Savior face to face, heard His saving teaching and was witness to His miraculous works.

Luke was numbered among the Seventy Apostles and was sent to preach throughout the world. With Cleopas, he saw the resurrected Lord on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24). After the descent of the Holy Spirit, Luke returned to Antioch and there became a fellow worker of the Apostle Paul and traveled to Rome with him, converting Jews and pagans to the Christian Faith. He wrote three icons of the Most-holy Theotokos—one of which is protected by the nuns of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Convent of Our Lady of Saydnaya in Syria. He also wrote icons of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul. Hence, Luke is considered to be the founder of Christian iconography.

In addition to his Gospel written in AD 60, Luke wrote the Acts of the Apostles and dedicated both works to Theophilus, the governor of Achaia. Luke was 84 years old when the wicked idolaters tortured him for the sake of Christ and hanged him from an olive tree in the town of Thebes, in Boethia.

—from the Synaxarion

About our Pastor

I graduated with a Masters of Divinity from Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in 2006 and a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from the University of Central Arkansas in 1989.

I was ordained to the priesthood by His Grace Bishop BASIL on Sunday, July 10, 2005 (Feast of St. Joseph of Damascus) at St. George Antiochian Orthodox Christian Cathedral in Worcester, MA. Prior to that, I was ordained to the Diaconate by His Eminence Metropolitan PHILIP on Sunday, December 5, 2004 (Feast of St. Sava) at The Church of St. John of Damascus in Dedham, MA.

Prior to attending seminary, I worked for the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas for over eight years, first in grant administration, then in information technology, as a certified public manager (CPM). I was baptized as an adult in a mainline Protestant denomination in 1989 and was Chrismated into the Orthodox Church in 1998. I have been married to Kh. Rachel for over ten years and we have two boys: Benjamin and Abraham.

A Brief History of Our Mission

St. Luke the Evangelist Mission began in 2002 under the guidance of Archpriest Elias Meena to provide an Orthodox Christian witness to the east side of the greater Cleveland metropolitan area. There are over two dozen Orthodox parishes in the region, but most of them are located either in central Cleveland or on the West side. The mission’s initial efforts under Fr. Meena included founding a community in the greater Solon area, the purchase of property for a permanent location, and the preparation of architectural plans for a church temple and hall.

Sadly, Fr. Meena’s untimely death in the summer of 2005 significantly curtailed the momentum of St. Luke’s. After Fr. Meena’s repose, the mission was served by two more priests on a part-time basis.

In November 2008, Fr. Matthew Thurman was sent to St. Luke’s as its first full-time priest. Since his arrival, the mission has undertaken an active effort to develop its community life. The mission has a regular adult Bible study, established Church School program, and several fellowship and outreach opportunities for members and inquirers.