Our History

In 1957 the Mississippi Conference of the United Methodist Church felt a new church was needed in the Joyner Neighborhood. Fifty-seven members from Tupelo First United Methodist Church volunteered to be "charter members" of the new church. The organizational meeting in May of that same year was held in the Joyner Home. In June the charter membership was closed with 137 members. The church met in Church Street School and Rockwell Youth Center until the sanctuary was built in the present location. The first service was on Easter Sunday 1957. The pews hadn't arrived so the congregations sat on boards help up by concrete blocks.

The first pastor of St. Luke UMC was Rev. Duncan Clark. In 1991 a new sanctuary was built to meet the demands of the growing congregation, and the old sanctuary was converted into a fellowship hall. The Family Life Center, where our gym is located, was completed soon after that.

In April 28, 2014 a F-3 tornado came through Joyner neighborhood and did extensive damage to the sanctuary and most of the campus. Shortly after, St. Luke embarked on a rebuilding, expansion and renovation project that lasted two and a half years. During that time, our congregation stayed connected and active. They met in the Family Life Center for worship.

In 2016, St. Luke was able to complete the renovation on their property. Today they continue to gather together for worship, Bible studies, and service opportunities.