(1968-present)
Woodside Methodist Church served the cause of Christ at the corner of Woodside and McLellan Streets in Bay City. The first building was erected around 1878. Rev. Glenn Atchinson was appointed to Woodside Church in 1965 to lead the congregation through a building program to relocate to 206 Scheurmann Street in Essexville.
In 1967, Woodside Methodist Church had already broken ground and was under construction when the Conference approached the Van Buren congregation to merge with Woodside. On the first Sunday of January 1968, the churches united in the Woodside building as St. Luke’s. We worshipped together from January to May, and after the new facility was completed, we moved to 206 Scheurmann Street.
In June 1987, a group of members from Madison Avenue Methodist Church joined us after their church closed. In 1992, we broke ground for an expansion to St. Luke’s, and the first service in the new building was held on February 21, 1993. In June 2007, members from Thoburn UMC joined us after their church closed. In January 2024, members from Grace East UMC (formerly Fremont Avenue United Methodist Church) joined us after their church closed.
In 2018, St. Luke’s United Methodist Church celebrated 50 years of existence in Essexville. Our church building, born in a cabbage patch, has welcomed disciples and served the surrounding community in many ways, thanks to the hard work and dedication of its members.
