UPDATE on Partners:
New Dollars/New Partners Success Story
St. Luke’s Episcopal Church has borne witness
to the rise, decline, and revival of Scranton,
Pennsylvania. Founded in 1851, this congregation
grew along with the city as the emergence of coal,
iron, and railroads led to dramatic growth in
the late 19th century. By 1865, the congregation
outgrew its original building, which was torn
down and replaced. The current building is a
Victorian Gothic design complete with pointed
windows, arches, and buttresses. Completed in
1871, it has served the parish ever since.
Scranton’s economic fortunes declined when
the post-World War II rise of oil and natural gas
decimated the city’s coal-related industries.
But in recent years, the city’s economy has
rebounded with reinvestments in historic
buildings and landmarks. Though St. Luke’s is
just one example of this wider trend, its story
mirrors the experience of the city at large.
Instead of mourning the past, the congregation
is drawing on its heritage as an opportunity for
community development and a springboard for
future growth. St. Luke’s has done so on both the
institutional and individual levels, partnering
with local institutions and building strong
relationships with donors.
New Dollars/New Partners graduate St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in
In 2007, the vestry (lay governing board) of
Scranton, PA, learned valuable fundraising lessons and how to think
creatively in forming new partnerships to better serve its community.
St. Luke’s gave its rector, the Reverend Peter
D’Angio, a clear charge: open the church up
important part of the local government’s efforts to
to the community. He notes that this was a complete
revitalize Scranton.
change in the congregation’s orientation. “We were
located in the heart of downtown, but hadn’t been very
St. Luke’s contacted the event organizers and offered its
open for the previous decade and a half. The church
space for the next First Friday. When that time came,
had become very inwardly-focused.” So he quickly set
the congregation opened its doors to the general public,
to work looking for potential partners, reaching out
providing space for musicians to play and artists to
to local businesses and institutions. One of the first
display their work. Working with First Friday gave the
partnerships St. Luke’s pursued was with Scranton’s
congregation a valuable experience in outreach. The
“First Friday,” a monthly event in which restaurants
church leadership would later channel this energy into
and art galleries stay open late to attract large crowds
securing partnerships with community institutions,
and create street traffic. The program has been an
local government, and nearby congregations.
5 • Sacred Places • www.sacredplaces.org • Winter 2013