Saint Andrew's Episcopal Church sits along Saint Andrews Lane in Glenmoore, a quiet crossroads community in northern Chester County, Pennsylvania. The white clapboard church with its colonial Greek Revival lines, box pews, and a tall illuminated lantern visible from the road has stood on this spot since the early 1830s, opened, shuttered, and reopened again across nearly two centuries. Today it is a small but active Episcopal parish that aims to be what its members call "a beacon in the community," growing in Christ's love through prayer, worship, and service to neighbors near and far.
A Phoenix Among Churches
The parish's history is one of the most distinctive things about it. Neighbors met at the house of Jacob Ludwig in November 1832 to talk about forming a new church. Some wanted a union congregation of Lutherans, Baptists, and other Christians; others wanted an Episcopal one. Under the influence of the Rev. Levi Bull, an Episcopalian evangelist, an Episcopal congregation took shape. Within a year, the new body had received a gift of land, raised enough to build, called a rector, and opened the present Saint Andrew's Church, named in honor of an earlier church of unknown denomination that had stood on the same ground.
The first rector, the Rev. Cyrus Jacobs, brother-in-law and ally of Bull, baptized 37 adults and seven infants in his first year. After Jacobs returned to Virginia in 1836 the parish declined. Saint Andrew's shared rectors with neighboring Episcopal churches on and off, then closed at the outbreak of the Civil War when its rector resigned to serve the Confederacy. It reopened in 1866, closed again, and was periodically reopened under borrowed clergy until 1920, when it was closed once more, the corporation was dissolved, and the property passed to the Diocese of Pennsylvania.
Protected by its isolation and a small endowment, the building survived. In 1950 a group of area residents petitioned the bishop to reopen Saint Andrew's. Only four of them were Episcopalians, but 15 families pledged $100 apiece, and with the help of the Rev. Croswell McBee, retired rector of St. David's Church in Radnor, and the support of Owen J. Roberts, retired Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court, the parish was reincorporated and restored. The original windows, box pews, oil lamps, Caribbean tray ceiling, and theater-style sloping floor were intact, and the church was filled again with worship and fellowship.
The Rev. Kenneth C. Werner arrived in 1953 and served more than thirty years, growing the congregation from four communicants to 210 by 1956, expanding the physical plant twice, building a new rectory, and organizing an active youth group. The Rev. Dr. Joseph T. Rivers followed in 1985, expanded the use of the new prayer book, introduced the new hymnal, increased the frequency of Eucharistic celebration, and added children's sermons. The Rev. Elsa Hale Mintz arrived in 1995, and in 2010 the original sanctuary was expanded to seat roughly 220, preserving the 175-year-old box pews and the Colonial Greek Revival character while adding an expanded narthex, a wide side hallway, an updated electrical and sound system, and the tall illuminated lantern now visible by neighbors at night.
The Rev. Tommy Thompson came from St. Thomas Whitemarsh in 2016 and led the parish through the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic before departing in late 2020. The Rev. Ben Capps arrived in February 2021 from the Church of the Good Samaritan to serve as interim Priest-in-Charge. In January 2022, after an extended period of self-reflection and priority setting, the vestry formally called Rev'd Ben to be Rector. As the parish itself writes, Saint Andrew's has been "something of a Phoenix among churches," strengthened and shuttered, resurrected and renewed.
Sunday Worship, Rite I and Rite II
Saint Andrew's holds two Sunday services each week. At 8:00 a.m. the parish offers a simple, quiet service without music or childcare, using the older language of Rite I from the Book of Common Prayer. At 10:00 a.m. the principal service gathers the whole congregation: a family communion with the choir, Sunday school for children, and nursery care for infants and toddlers, all in the more contemporary language of Rite II. Children leave the sanctuary partway through the 10:00 service for their classes and return in time to receive communion with their families.
Worship is described as simple and traditional, anchored in the Anglican and Episcopal choral tradition. The rector has written that the Sunday that forms a congregation most profoundly is "almost never the one you could have predicted," a good argument for being present on the ordinary ones.
Family Ministries for Every Age
Family ministry is the heart of the parish's intergenerational life. Sunday school meets during the 10:00 service in the Lower Hall for children from Pre-K through fifth grade, opening each week with prayer, a Bible story, and an activity or craft before rejoining their families for communion. The Nursery Room, staffed by a paid attendant, is available for children six months to three years during the 10:00 service so that parents can worship without worry.
A Youth Group for students in grades 6 through 12 gathers once or twice a month for discussion groups and fellowship activities. In a recent year the group worked through a Teen Zine by Storymakers that explores the full range of human feelings as gifts from God and considers how the Holy Spirit can guide young people through chaotic seasons of life.
Confirmation classes are offered in the Werner Room each fall in preparation for the Bishop's visit. Youth in grades 9 through 12 meet on the 1st and 3rd Sundays at 11:15 a.m.; adults meet on the 2nd and 4th Sundays at the same hour. Both age groups walk through the catechism and the meaning of a public affirmation of baptismal vows.
The family ministry program also extends beyond the building. Children and youth participate in a community garden on the church grounds; each spring they help plant cold-weather crops, and the produce grown through the summer is donated to the Coventry Food Pantry. Each fall the parish gathers for a community garden cleanup before the beds rest for the winter.
A Choir at the Center of Worship
Music is a pillar of Saint Andrew's identity. The adult choir, led by the Director of Music Audrey Drennen, rehearses on Thursday evenings at 7:00 p.m. and sings at the 10:00 service. The parish describes the music program as rooted in the Anglican and Episcopal choral tradition, welcoming to volunteer singers of all backgrounds, and intentionally simple and traditional in style. As the parish moves through the seasons of the church year, the choir carries the worship from Advent evensongs through All Saints' Evensong, Michaelmas, and the great festal Sundays. The parish is currently seeking a part-time Organist and Choirmaster to help carry the music program into its next season.
Learning Together as Adults
Throughout the year Saint Andrew's offers adults a variety of formation opportunities. Courses and Bible studies have ranged from the basics of the Christian faith to deeper topical forums, and each year the parish offers an Episcopal 101 class for those learning the particulars of Anglican and Episcopal life. A monthly Book Club brings readers together to discuss a chosen title, and the parish has hosted evening book reviews with wine and cheese for members and friends.
Outreach in Chester County and Beyond
Outreach at Saint Andrew's is the work of a committee of parishioners who allocate the church's financial support to local, regional, and international organizations that address human needs, and who coordinate collections of food and goods and opportunities for hands-on volunteering.
Among the organizations Saint Andrew's supports are the Atkinson Center and The Bridge Academy in Coatesville, the Coventry Food Pantry, the Domestic Violence Center of Chester County, the Episcopal Church of the Trinity - Thistle Hills, Episcopal Relief & Development, Good Samaritan Services, the Phoenixville Free Clinic, St. James School, and the Seamen's Institute in Philadelphia. Beyond the region, the parish maintains a long-standing companion relationship with parishes in Guatemala, supporting them financially and in kind with an emphasis on education and clean water.
Fellowship and the Parish Calendar
Fellowship at Saint Andrew's is intentionally social. Coffee hours follow both Sunday services, with a small treat provided by volunteers; in warmer months the gathering moves outdoors. The fall brings a Parish Picnic on the grounds after a single combined service, an evening Mystery Dinner Theater fundraiser with a four-course catered meal, an Open Mic Night in the Upper Hall with a full backline available for performers, and a Family Bonfire on the grounds. Parishioners of all ages take part, and the parish is often looking for volunteers to help with food, set-up, and clean-up.
Visiting Saint Andrew's
Saint Andrew's Episcopal Church is located at 7 Saint Andrews Lane, Glenmoore, Pennsylvania, in the rolling farmland of northern Chester County. The Sunday schedule is intentionally simple: 8:00 a.m. Rite I without music or childcare, and 10:00 a.m. Rite II with choir, Sunday school, and nursery. The rector and Director of Family Ministries are glad to hear from visitors, and giving is available online for those who wish to support the parish's mission of growing in Christ's love and shining His light into the world through prayer, worship, and service to all.