St. Luke's Mission Center

The St. Luke’s Mission Center is a nonprofit organization in the District of Columbia that administers and funds a variety of initiatives around hunger and homelessness services on behalf of the Metropolitan Memorial United Methodist Parish.

Our Parish

Metropolitan Memorial United Methodist Parish is a multi-site church in NW Washington DC. In addition to St. Luke’s Mission Center in Glover Park at 3655 Calvert St. NW, there is Wesley United Methodist in Chevy Chase at 5312 Connecticut Ave. NW and Metropolitan Memorial United Methodist at 3401 Nebraska Ave. NW across from American University. Our shared vision is that of extending radical hospitality, pursuing justice, and transforming lives.

History of St. Luke’s

Originally the St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, the congregation has an incredible history in responding to the needs of the community—being the first church in Ward 3 to build a transitional shelter for homeless men. In 2009, St. Luke’s UMC merged with Metropolitan Memorial, and the serving ministries team worked to establish it as a Mission Center of the parish, developing partnerships with the community, establishing a steering committee, and applying for 501(c)3 status. It has been an exciting time of expanding existing ministries while forming new initiatives.

Our Programs

• Transitional Shelter for men, celebrating its 20^th anniversary in 2011; works in partnership with the AIM Hire program of the Community Council for the Homeless at Friendship Place under a vocational rehabilitation model. This has meant that the shelter is now open 24 hours a day, year round for seven men, and has cut in half the turn-around time of consumers transitioning into their own housing.
• Hypothermia Shelter, the only city-run hypothermia shelter for men in the upper NW area.
• Campus Kitchen Washington DC, utilizes the center's state-of-the-art commercial grade kitchen in a program of food resourcing, prep and leadership development in partnership with American University, Georgetown University, and area churches
• Community Garden
• Shalom Place, 24-bed hostel that provides reasonably priced lodging to student and volunteer groups while serving in the D.C. area.

Our Partnerships

In addition to the resources and leadership of the three church communities in our parish, we are working closely with Community Council for the Homeless at Friendship Place—who also rent office space for their administration staff at the Center. Our Campus Kitchen Project is a part of the national project of DC Central Kitchen, and we are looking to expand that partnership and our kitchen’s use. Other area churches, such as the National Cathedral and the Russian Orthodox Cathedral, partner with us in the Campus Kitchen Project and special initiatives such as Winter Warmth (soup, clothing, blanket, and boot drive for the homeless community during the cold months).