St. Luke's Anglican Church (Kearney, Ont.) was built in 1901 on land donated by Bert French, the son of Canon W. H. French. The church was consecrated by Bishop Thorneloe on December 10, 1901. The first incumbent was Rev. A. H. Allman and the first wardens were Ed Malkin and Robert Rankin, who were chosen in 1900, the same year the congregation was organized. It should also be noted that the Kearney congregation was part of the Emsdale parish.
The stonework on the church was done by John Locke of Novar and the altar was made in Burks Falls by the Knight Brothers Co. Original lighting for the church was supplied by Mr. and Mrs. J. Shaw by running a gas pipe from their home next door. The first Sunday school was organized by Florence Emes in 1901. The first wedding held at St. Luke's Anglican was between Miss Melita Mann, later a famous Canadian artist, and Robert Aitken.
In 1957 the church received a new furnace and was re-roofed. In 1964 a joint Women's Auxiliary was formed between St. Luke's (Kearney, Ont.) and St. Mary's Anglican Church (Sand Lake, Ont.). Also in 1964, a youth group from St. Peter's, Erindale spent a summer weekend painting St. Luke's in Kearney.
St. Luke's Anglican Church celebrated it's 80th birthday in December of 1981. By 2006 St. Luke's was sold and the congregation moved to St. Mark's Anglican Church (Emsdale, Ont.).
Incumbents: Rev. A. H. Allman (1901-1905), Rev. Canon W. H. French (1906-1912), laymen (1912-1913), Rev. J. Norman (1913-1917), Rev. C. Miles (1917-1920), Rev. A. G. Smith (1920-1921), Rev. J. C. Blow (1922-1925), vacant (1926), Rev. Fr. R. Palmer, S. S. J. E (1927-1928), Rev. Fr. W. C. Turney, S. S. J. E (1928), Rev. Maj. E. Wrightson (1928-1934), Rev. R. K. Bamber (1934-1938), Rev. Canon C. C. Simpson (1938-1944), Rev. A. P. Scott (1945-1946), Rev. E. C. Bowyer (1946-1948), Rev. A. E. Haldenby (1948-1951), Rev. R. J. S. Inshaw (1951-1953), Rev. G. M. Madge (1953), Rev. J. J. Robins (1953-1955), Rev. H. W. Garbutt (1956-1980), Rev. B. R. Brazill (1981-?)
Sources:
- "Emsdale Mission", The Algoma Missionary News 12, no. 6 (1900): 43. Algoma University Archives, 2009-081_001_005_1900June.
- "Emsdale Mission", The Algoma Missionary News 14, no. 1 (1902): 7. Algoma University Archives, 2009-081_001_006_1902Jan.
- "Report of the Executive Committee", 1959, Journal of Proceedings of the Nineteenth Session of the Synod, Algoma University Archives, 2009-078_002_017.
- "Kearney Church Painted By Erindale Youth Group", The Algoma Anglican 8, no. 9 (1964): 1A. Algoma University Archives, 2013-086_001_002_1964October.
- "Anglican Church Women observed anniversary of St. Luke's Church, Kearney", The Algoma Anglican 27, no. 4 (1982): 8. Algoma University Archives, 2013-086_001_013_1982Feb.
- Kearney 100 Years, http://images.ourontario.ca/almaguin/82408/data?n= [accessed 2015 July 7]
