Our Story
THE BEGINNING. We didn’t know it at the time, but when six of us started getting together weekly in the Spring of 2006, we were the beginning of Saint Andrew’s Christian Church. We talked and talked and talked about just one question: “what is church?” We all called ourselves Christians and yet, what we realized was that we all shared a huge amount of uncertainty about how to answer that question.
There were already plenty of churches out there. And yet, for many different reasons, here we were, in search of a sanctuary of our own. For many, our experience of church had left us wanting. We all knew that church could be more than it had been, but we didn’t know what this new sanctuary would look like. One thing we felt certain of: why pour money into a building when our church could be everywhere, spiritually and physically.
OUR METHOD. We started by slowly reading through the book of Matthew from the Bible, and, after practically every story, ended our time by asking, “what does this story say about church; about what church is; about what church is supposed to be?”
Our times led to some good discussions—and maybe even some good answers. But more than any particular answer, what we were feeling compelled by was a need for something different in our spiritual lives. “What we need,” we all felt, “is a place, a church, where we can have these sorts of honest conversations with God—and to be able to invite others into the dialogue.”
MORE QUESTIONS. Six months later, we retreated into the mountains of
One of the key conclusions from this weekend was the idea that our church would be about asking the big questions of life and faith. In other words, our church wouldn’t be driven by any particular idea or set of ideas—but rather by the quest itself; the question would be the key component to our small group discussion times and even to our worship services. A hard question enables you to go much further than an easy answer will permit.
GROWTH. Through the end of 2006 and the beginning of 2007, our little group began to grow: our core group of 6 became 8, and then 12, and then 15. And our Thursday night discussion group became 3 groups, meeting in places like Muddy Waters, Waterfront Park, and Burlington Bay to talk about life and faith. And we also added a monthly service thanks to the wonderful people at
A NEW PHASE. In the Fall of 2007, we are moving into a new phase in the life of our church. On September 16, we celebrated our fall kick-off and began gathering for worship on a weekly basis. The kick-off provided a great opportunity to share St. Andrew's with guests and many of the people who visited at that time are now an important part of our community.
A NEW VISION. During the fall of 2008, we began a process that will lead us toward a 7-year-plan for St. Andrew's. This process is still in the works, but one thing has continued to be clear: we want a holistic experience of faith, an experience of the gospel that brings us closer to what God intended for each one of us at creation, and we're willing to try some different things (including a church garden and yearly banquet for the homeless) to get there.
We’re thrilled if you choose to worship with us. We invite you to join us in this journey, where we’re still wrestling with the question, “what is church?” The only difference is, we like to think we’re not just talking about our answers anymore – we’re living them.
