Our genesis story begins with children and their formation in the Christian faith and life. Episcopalians in Longmeadow traveled to Springfield to worship, but children met in private homes for church school in 1915. In 1921, in a vacant store on the corner of Longmeadow Street and Edgewood Avenue, the newly formed mission of St. Andrew’s, conducted its first services. Within a year, seventy families called St. Andrew’s home and by 1923 acquired the land for building a new church. Money was raised by subscription among members; a building committee was appointed and an architect hired to build a new church.
In 1945, Hadley Williams, the fifth vicar, became the first rector of St. Andrew’s when it retired the debt for building the church and became a parish of the Diocese. Through the 1940s and 1950s, St. Andrew’s continued to grow in families and program. The parish house was built in two stages, and was completed in 1954. Shortly after the arrival of the Rev. Thomas Schmidt as rector in 1961, the growing parish began building a new church structure to tie together the parish house and the old stone church. This was completed on February 24, 1963.
The Rev. Ward Smith followed Fr. Schmidt as rector from 1968 to 1986, during which time the parish grew and thrived. The chapel was created in what had been the original church building and new stained glass windows were dedicated in the transept and in the chapel. Following Fr. Smith’s retirement, the parish retained The Rev. Bill Murdoch as its fifth rector.
In 1995, the Rev. Lawrence Provenzano was called as the sixth rector of St. Andrew’s Church. His arrival marked a period of healing and growth for the parish. In 1997, a columbarium was built and dedicated. In 2000, the church capital campaign raised more than $1,000,000 for the renovation of the undercroft and main entrance, the installation of a pipe organ, and the support of a Habitat for Humanity house.
In 2007, St. Andrew’s commitment to the human family expanded through the Church Without Walls, a ministry with the homeless and marginalized of Springfield. In March 2009, after 14 years as rector of St. Andrew’s, Fr. Larry was elected bishop of the Diocese of Long Island.
Starting in 2011 under the leadership of The Rev. R. Derrick Fetz, the seventh rector of St. Andrew’s, new ministries have flourished and some have served their purpose and have been retired, parish leadership, both lay and ordained, have been expanded, new formation opportunities have nourished many people, partnerships with area churches and organizations have mushroomed and the parish has grown spiritually and numerically.
Our story continues as new people join us in changing lives to change the world.