In the summer of 2008, after 263 years of Christian service on the site, the congregation of St Luke's United Church in Bedford, England, was forced to acknowledge that it no longer had the resources necessary to continue. On Sunday, 5 October 2008, the doors of St Luke's were closed for the final time, bringing to an end a significant part of Bedford's distinguished place in the history of reasoned dissent.As well as drawing together the Presbyterian, Moravian, Congregational and Reformed heritage of St Luke's, this is a celebration of the church's own history, chronicling the contribution it made locally to religious and civic life, and the achievements of those who played a part in its work.David Bunney grew up and went to school in Bedford. After graduating in German, he taught Modern Languages before ordination in the United Reformed Church. He served churches in Cambridgeshire, Berkshire and Suffolk and was the last Minister at Bedford St Luke's. Now retired, he lives in Hungerford, Berkshire.