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Church profile 2007

St. Andrew’s mission, through Christ,

is to provide a spiritual community where all are welcome to worship,

learn about God’s Grace, and be nourished for service to others.

OUR HISTORY

St. Andrew’s is a vibrant growing community set in a progressive suburb east of Columbus, Ohio. Many of the original founders are still active at St. Andrew’s, and the contributions of those who have passed on live long after them.

The idea for a mission church in Pickerington blossomed in the mind of Tim Carberry,

Rector of St. Alban’s Episcopal Church, Bexley, Ohio, as he was driving through Violet Township on a pleasant spring day in April, 1985. The rural beauty of the area, its potential for growth, and the paucity of Episcopal churches in the area inspired him to bring his idea back to St. Alban’s to his men’s group, the “Brotherhood of St. Andrew.” St. Andrew’s was born in 1985 with Conrad Selnick, St. Alban’s Assistant Rector, as our first priest, later followed by Stephen Williamson and Karen Burnard.

In our early years, the St. Andrew’s congregation met in borrowed space in Epiphany Lutheran Church. When the congregation purchased a small house in the neighborhood, we worshipped in the family room, other rooms became offices, and church school was held in the basement. A few years later, an open, sunlit, spacious worship space and narthex were built. A dedicated parishioner contributed the organ. Another devoted parishioner and retired Episcopal priest, Jack Bowers, constructed the altar, baptismal font and ambo from warm, golden oak, purchased or supplied from other Episcopal churches in the Southern Diocese.

Father Jack’s plan for the new pieces was to recycle several beautifully carved plaques from a huge walk-up pulpit (given to us by the Church of the Redeemer in Cincinnati) to fit the fairly simple style of our worship space. Because he was interested in ancient Celtic history and its influence on the modern church, he also used those traditions to design our new furniture. Fr. Jack explains that our altar mimics big stone tombs found in the British Isles: two huge stones standing on edge topped with a larger flat stone on top sloping from front to back. This tomb design formed a portal into the spiritual realm, a “thin space” between two worlds, just as our altar is an entrance into the spiritual world of the Eucharist.

He used two of the carved panels from the old pulpit, refinished to an oak color that matches the rest of our furniture, on the portal entrance on our altar.

At the center of the altar, Fr. Jack set a finished stone inscribed with five crosses symbolizing the five wounds of Christ. The stone is removable so we can carry the altar outside or to another part of the church as needed – just as ancient Bishops carried their altars in leather satchels through the countryside.

The second piece, the ambo, built in the same style as the altar and decorated with two more of the Redeemer panels, is used for both a lectern (for reading the scripture) and a pulpit (for the delivery of the homily).

Our baptismal font matches the other pieces. The beautiful glass bowl was made in Venice, Italy, specifically for our font. The font stands at the rear of the central aisle, except during baptismal services, when it is moved into the chancel.

The new building and our outreach activities increased our visibility and attracted members from Pickerington, the surrounding communities, and Columbus. Over the years, church education for adults and children has been enthusiastically pursued in various formats.

St. Andrew’s intends to expand its horizons for the congregation and the community. We remain a mission church but look forward to soon becoming an independent member of the Episcopal community.

OUR DIOCESE

The Diocese of Southern Ohio consists of 82 congregations ranging in size from five to over 1300 members. The Diocese covers roughly the southern half of the state of Ohio: from just north of Columbus to the Ohio River and from West Virginia to the Indiana border.

The Diocese of Southern Ohio has a long history of ministry focusing particularly on congregational development, education, social action, and community outreach. The Rt. Rev. Thomas Breidenthal was consecrated the ninth Bishop of Southern Ohio on April 28, 2007. The Rt. Rev. Kenneth Price, Jr. is the Bishop Suffragan. Bishop Price has been Bishop Suffragan for twelve years.

The primary diocesan offices are located in downtown Cincinnati next to Christ Church Cathedral. Bishop Price and some staff have offices at the Bishop’s Center located in Trinity Church, Columbus.

The Diocese owns and operates the 1250-acre Procter Camp and Conference Center located outside of London, Ohio. For the Center’s facilities and programs, see hhtp://www.proctercenter.org/

Diocese: www.episcopal-dso.org

 

Offices: Diocesan House Bishop’s Center

412 Sycamore St. 125 E. Broad St.

Cincinnati, OH 45202-4179 Columbus, OH 43215-3649

513-421-0311 614-461-8429

800-582-1712

St. Andrew’s Reflects America

We’re about equally men and women. About half of us are under fifty years old, the other half are over, which makes our congregation a bit younger than average for Episcopalians nationally. Among us, we have more than fifty children living at home. About half are younger than twelve and half are older. More than a third of us live in single-adult households – including five with children.

We’re suburban. Our church is in Pickerington, but only ten of our fifty-four households are actually within the Pickerington city limits. The largest group lives in surrounding Violet Township, twenty-two are scattered throughout the southeastern part of the Columbus area, some are in other Fairfield County communities or in Licking County.

We’re solidly middle-class. If we’re not retired, most of us work full-time, including those with small children at home. Half of us have household incomes close to the national average ($50,000 to $100,000) and one quarter are below that range, and one-quarter are above.

We’re a diverse group. When asked to describe their ethnic or national background in their own word, only 70% of those who responded said they were of European origin. Others reported a variety of backgrounds, cultures, and countries.

We Are Also Distinctive

We’re well-educated. More than three-quarters of us hold a college degree, far above the national average of 27%, and apparently well above the national average for Episcopalians.

Members of St. Andrew’s often speak of St. Andrew’s as disproportionately made up of new members, recently arrived in the Columbus area, and often new Episcopalians. In fact, sixty-five of our members have been at the church for more than five years. More than half of our adult members have lived in the Columbus area for more than twenty-five years, and seventy three report they have been Episcopalians “a long time,” apparently a greater proportion than Episcopalians nationally.

For those who report a past religious affiliation, the most were Roman Catholics. The rest are primarily from a range of other mainline Protestant churches.

Why We Love St. Andrew’s

We value St. Andrew’s because of our welcoming community and openness to all kinds of diversity. Preserving that environment will be the most important task of our new vicar.

We feel a part of St. Andrew’s because we are committed to our future. St. Andrew’s needs us. In an unsettled time, we learned that the stability and future of the church

depends on the laity as well as on a priest.

Many of us are committed to St. Andrew’s as art of our Episcopal heritage. Others are delighted to have found a church where they can feel at home. We all feel connected by the liturgy and worship.

OUR GOALS

A new vicar should be able to connect with our congregation – we are relatively young, mainly professional, educated and interested in the world, and a mixture of old and new Episcopalians.

Our challenge is to increase membership and pledge income in order to prosper. We need and energetic vicar who will be actively involved in our community and in outreach to meet our goal of growth.

We want to broaden involvement in the church, enlarge the circle of leadership, and encourage a sense of ownership among members so none will feel left out or excluded. To that end, we seek a vicar who will work well with lay leaders, empowering them to take responsibility for St. Andrew’s.

Improvements in education for adults and children are vital. More and better training for church school teachers will make our children’s programs more substantive. Teenage members would like to be involved in enhanced programming, a band, or other events especially for them. They say they want a new vicar who is both “hip” and “nice.”

We have some differences about our services and music. Some want more traditional or “higher” services and music, others wish for more contemporary approached in our liturgy. Our new vicar should embrace those different tastes.

A new vicar can help St. Andrew’s in many ways, but does not have to work alone. Our members say they will increase their volunteering, ramp up participation in lay ministries, commit to education programs, and do “whatever it takes” for St. Andrew’s to prosper. We’re looking for a vicar who can work with us.

OUR OUTREACH AND MINISTRIES

Outreach ministries include serving meals to the hungry at an urban Episcopal church, providing food to the local food pantries, supporting Ronald McDonald house, a knitting ministry for spiritual comfort and warmth, and a program to provide food, transportation and emergency help to our own members, among others. We also support missions in the Dominican Republic and the Samaritan’s Fund for third-world children. We are currently sending homemade cookies to our service men and women in Iraq.

Ministries include participating in services in various roles, a choir, altar guild, adult education, bread baking, and church school. St. Andrew’s is known across the Diocese for the quality of our Christmas cookie sale and our frequent potlucks. We have an annual “mitten tree: and a drive to collect clean used coats which are distributed in Fairfield county.

Several of our members are actively involved with Diocesan commission or committees and in Columbus Deanery work. Diocesan youth programs are becoming popular with some of our teenagers, who are encouraging their peers to join them in these activities.

Our church building is used for a variety of community activities. Fairfield Academy used one room for an “alternative school” during the school year. Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, and Brownie groups and an AA group meet weekly.

OUR COMMUNITY

St. Andrew’s is located in Pickerington, Ohio, a suburb of the capital city, Columbus, www.standrewspickerington.org. The total population of Pickerington is 13,066 with an estimated median housing value of $164,700. Pickerington is a relatively young community with an age distribution by population: 1 to 24: 36%, 24-45: 33%, 46-63: 22%, and 64 and older: 8%. Pickerington is one of the fastest growing communities in the State of Ohio and maintains high standards for development and a desirable quality of life for residents. Contact the Pickerington Area Chamber of Commerce at 614-837-1958 or www.pickeringtonchamber.com.

Education

The City of Pickerington is served by the Pickerington Local School District. This past school year, Pickerington Schools achieved an “Excellent” rating by the Ohio Department of Education which the State of Ohio labels an “A” grade. Administrative offices can be reached at 614-833-2110 or http://Pickerington.k12.oh.us/schoolsList.

Higher Education

Ohio University’s Pickerington Center is proud to be a permanent member of this community. The mission of Ohio University’s Regional Higher Education is outreach and access. To that end, Ohio University selected Pickerington as the site to facilitate the increasing needs for convenient higher education. At Ohio University’s Pickerington Center you can earn an Associate’s, Bachelor’s, or Master’s Degree.

Recreation

Pickerington Ponds is part of Metro Parks, which operates 14 parks in seven central Ohio counties. There are always programs for the public at the Pickerington Ponds metro park. For more information, visit www.metroparks.net.

The Pickerington Youth Athletic Association (PYAA) operates several sporting activities for Pickerington-area children. For more information call 614-834-1669 or visit www.pyaa.org or www.pickeringtonkids.com.

Surrounding Area

Pickerington is less than 20 miles from downtown Columbus and the Columbus International Airport. Columbus has a population of 711,470, making it the largest city in Ohio and the 15th largest in the United States. Visit http://home.Columbus.gov.

Contact Information

Those interested in learning more about this position or becoming a candidate, contact: