In March 1951 a group of ten families who were members of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church met to discuss the possibility of starting a new church somewhere in the northwest part of Des Moines. This area, a cornfield shortly before this time, was becoming one of the fastest growing areas of the city. Land was purchased in June of 1951. The first worship service of this new mission, to be known as St. Andrew’s, was held at the Acanthus Masonic Lodge on September 19, 1951, under the leadership of Vicar Robert W. Kem. The first service in the new church, the white frame building that now houses the St. Andrew’s Pre-school, was held December 9, 1951. That first year the church grew to eighty families, and land was purchased for further expansion.

Groundbreaking for the new church was in May of 1955 and the dedication was held in April 1956. In May 1956 St. Andrew’s became a parish with Fr. Kem assuming the role of Rector. In 1962, groundbreaking was held for the addition of the classroom/office wing of the building. In 1988, an elevator and handicap accessible improvements were made to the physical plant. In 1994, a resurrection garden was designed and constructed by parishioners. Air-conditioning was added to the educational wing in 2001. Also in 2001 work was begun on major restructuring of the worship space to make it more flexible, inviting and contemporary. The majority of that work was completed in 2002.

Fr. Kem retired in 1987 after thirty-seven years of service to St. Andrew’s. Fr. Ray Sturm of Cincinnati was named interim priest. In May of 1988, a celebration of new ministry service was held for Fr. Wayne Smith as new rector of St. Andrew’s. Peggy Harris was ordained Deacon at St. Andrews in April 1996. Later that same year, in September, Rev. Kristy Smith became assisting priest. In March 2002 Fr. Wayne Smith left St. Andrew’s to assume duties as the Bishop of Missouri. Kristy Smith was named to be priest in residence. Our current rector, Sharon Mahood, began her ministry in January of 2004.

Our community is stable, strong, and vibrant. Most of our members are actively involved in one or more ways with the liturgical service, lay ministries, Christian education, or outreach. For the most part, we know what our goals are and are strongly committed to them. However, we are also open-minded and receptive to new ideas. Our next rector will work together with us to achieve our goals and inspire us. We are very appreciative of our current priest and deacon, who have given much to us and who fit our family well. We feel very strongly about retaining their gifts in the future life of our church. We are a parish with abundant gifts in the present and wonderful potential for the future.

St. Andrew's demographics reflect the city of Des Moines and the Episcopal Church nationally. We do have several young families, both traditional and non-traditional, but would like very much to attract more young families and children to ensure our future, as emphasized in responses to our discernment questionnaire. We strive to be a welcoming community to all who come through our doors.

In the last few years we have made some strides toward greater diversity. Our parish is blessed to have several Sudanese refugees and their families attend our services as a result of St. Andrew’s outreach to their community. Our Sudanese members use our church building to conduct their own service on Sundays as well. The parish also includes a few members of other ethnic minorities and some gay and lesbian parishioners. Just as importantly the community expressed, in questionnaire responses, a strong desire and commitment to becoming more diverse. With very few dissenters, our people want to be a welcoming community to young and old, married and single, ethnic minorities, refugees, gay persons and disabled persons alike. Many believe that the parish is much more inclusive in spirit than its current numbers portray and view increasing our diversity as a priority for the future.

Currently, our members come from all over the metropolitan area and several surrounding communities within a 40-mile radius. We would like to retain this reach to surrounding areas, but at the same time attract more newcomers from our immediate church neighborhood. Our hope is that our membership will become a more representative cross-section of the Des Moines metropolitan area, and will begin to better reflect changes that have taken place in the larger community over the past 10-15 years, including large increases in the Hispanic, Bosnian, and Sudanese populations.

Fellowship and a sense of community are of great importance to the St. Andrew's family. When asked what one thing about St. Andrew's should never change, the majority of our members emphasized the friendly, loving people and the feeling of family and home with which our parish is blessed. Most people also suggested more fellowship opportunities, for all ages, as their number one choice for new activities to be offered in the future. Perhaps more than anything else, the people of St. Andrew's appreciate getting together and having fun, sharing good times, supporting one another during difficult times, and watching their children grow up together in a safe, loving, and spiritual space.

Sunday worship centers on the Eucharist. There are those among us who cherish and enjoy the traditional services we offer. But, we have also recognized the benefits of offering alternatives and have enhanced our worship through the use of new and innovative forms of worship. Changes in our music ministry reflect this through the use of more varied styles and instruments.

Our congregation extensively participates in worship services led by the clergy. Lay preachers, lay readers, Eucharistic ministers, acolytes, torch bearers, musicians, choir, ushers, altar guild, a flower chairperson and greeters supplement our regular services. Our hope for the future is a strong commitment from more members to share in the ministry of worship.

Our regularly scheduled services are at 8:00 and 10:15 a.m. on Sundays year around. Christian Education begins at 9:00 a.m. on Sundays during the school year. There are regular Thursday morning Eucharists. The Easter Vigil begins at 6:30 a.m. each year. We do Lessons and Carols during the Christmas season. We offer special worship opportunities during Lent. This year we have had a worship service modeled after the French Taize service each Wednesday evening in Lent.

We provide growth opportunities in prayer and spiritual life through sermons, Christian education, youth groups, youth ministers, our monthly newsletter and the parish prayer list.

The past decade has seen steady advance of lay ministry at St. Andrew’s. Administration of the parish and its activities is a shared responsibility of the ordained and lay people. The vestry assumes a primary role in determination of church policy and maintenance of the physical plant. Our deacon plays a major role in the education of our youth and outreach programs. Our rector and priest in residence take lead roles in liturgical matters and shoulder significant responsibility in the area of adult education. The sharing of responsibilities has enabled a variety of strong lay ministries.

A dedicated group of Christian education teachers leads our program for children and teenagers. A small, active and growing group of lay Eucharistic ministers carry our community to the home bound on Sundays.

A devoted group of lay folk have made it possible for us to assist in sponsoring two refugee families, one with the assistance of Grace Lutheran and Immanuel Methodist, our ecumenical neighbors.

A diverse group of lay preachers provide variety in the voices from the pulpit. A large number of lay lectors and chalice bearers serve at our regular Sunday services. A core group of musicians add to our service. We would like to see growth in this area of lay involvement. We would also like to see increased involvement in our acolyte program.

St. Andrew’s members value outreach participation. Members provide an evening meal at the Catholic Worker House every month. Members have organized and hosted an alternative gift market at St. Andrew’s for several years, which has fostered alternative gift markets at other area churches. In addition, members support local homeless shelters through the provision of Christmas baskets and in other ways throughout the year.

St Andrew's has a strong tradition in stewardship, both financially and in employing the talents of its parishioners. Involvement has been broadly distributed through a variety of activities. A recent fund drive in celebration of the 50th anniversary of St. Andrew's resulted in substantial pledges that helped fund remodeling of the sanctuary and other projects.

The parish is well supported by pledges and is financially sound. Financial support is widespread, not focused on a few key members. St Andrew's has an endowment in the form of a foundation administered by a separate board. The foundation actively promotes planned gift giving and encourages memorial contributions. It has grown steadily over the years. The foundation's goals are focused on long term growth. While the foundation distributes a portion of its income each year to the parish, and the amount of this support will increase as the foundation grows, St. Andrew's is not dependent on it as a source of revenue. The budget and pledges have generally increased over the last five years, but not dramatically or uniformly. The general upward trend is not expected to change. We can do better in our stewardship, but what we have done over the years has met he needs of he church and involved many members of the congregation.

Christian Education at St. Andrew's is for people of all ages. We offer the Godly Play program on Sunday mornings for children aged three through five. Young adults in junior and senior high participate in the Journey to Adulthood program. Components of the program include Rite 13, J2A (Journey to Adulthood), YAC (Young Adults in Church) and a biennial youth pilgrimage to assist in spiritual formation. Children in third grade through high school meet twice a month on Wednesday evenings for activities. Activities may include community service, fellowship or education.

Adults meet for an hour on Sunday mornings prior to the 10:15 worship service. Various topics for formal adult education have included study of other religions, learning about lay Eucharistic ministry, exploration of common faith on a personal level and diversity issues.

St. Andrew’s church is essentially three separate but connected structures. The Church itself is constructed of brick with a white frame steeple. The church’s colonial lines are simple and inviting. The interior of the barrel-vaulted knave was remodeled in 2001. The goal was to reduce barriers between the celebrants and congregation. Railings were removed, a new altar installed and flooring, carpeting, lighting and sound systems were replaced and updated.

The lower level of the church structure proper houses a vesting area, a reception hall (Kem Hall) and commercial kitchen. This area is where we gather to enjoy fellowship after Sunday Services. It is also used for church social functions, other fellowship gatherings and meetings of groups.

The second structure houses the parish offices and education rooms. This wing of the building was recently air-conditioned and houses classrooms, offices and a small chapel. It is used throughout the week for smaller meetings. The church’s rector and secretary keep office hours here.

The third structure was the original church and now houses the St. Andrew’s Pre-School. The well regarded Pre-School provides educational and socialization opportunities to 3, 4 and 5 year olds during the regular school year. Most of the children served are not from the St. Andrew’s parish family. The Pre-School operates independently of the parish under its own board of directors composed of parish members.

St. Andrew’s is not only blessed with members who are g d stewards financially, but are also known for the care and attention we give to our physical plant and grounds. Members contribute on a regular basis to upkeep and improvement of our buildings and grounds.

Des Moines is the capital of the State of Iowa. The city’s population is about 190,000. Polk County’s population including the metropolitan area in adjoining counties approaches one half million. The city is the seat of state government and government is important to the city. Des Moines is the home to more insurance companies than any other city in the nation except Hartford, Connecticut. Meredith Publications, publisher of Better Homes and Gardens, among others, calls our city home. Retail trade and banking are important employers in the city. John Deere, Firestone/Bridgestone and Titan Tire are major industrial employers.

Des Moines is a transportation hub. It is located at the intersection of Interstate highways 35 and 80. Amtrak passenger service is available at Osceola, Iowa, forty miles south. The Des Moines International Airport is served by seven major airlines that provide non-stop service to their hubs around the nation.

Education is important in the State of Iowa The state’s schools consistently rank in the top five in the nation in all major rankings. There are six public school districts in the metropolitan area. All provide comprehensive curricula and excellent education to their students. There are several private schools, both elementary and secondary in the area. Des Moines is home to both Drake University and Grandview College. The Des Moines Area Community College has campuses in Des Moines and West Des Moines as well as the main campus in nearby Ankeny. Iowa State University, our state’s land grant college, is 30 miles north in Ames, Iowa.

The arts are well represented in the city. The Des Moines Art Center possesses a well-regarded collection and hosts frequently changing touring exhibitions. The Des Moines Symphony, an accomplished orchestra, not only offers classic performances throughout the year, but also concerts for kids, outdoor performances and holiday pops. In addition, Des Moines offers a lively eclectic music scene with opportunities to hear well-known artists, as well as other less well -known but rising performers. Many of these shows are available at affordable prices or may offer free admission, including the Jazz in July program, which offers a free jazz performance somewhere in the Metro area each day in July.

The Science Center will soon move to larger quarters and features hands-on exhibits directed at a younger audience. The zoo is small but has been recently enlarged. The Des Moines Playhouse is a long-established and highly regarded community theater. There are several smaller theater groups as well.

Sports fans enjoy the Iowa Cubs - the Chicago Cubs’ top farm club, the Des Moines buccaneers minor league hockey team, and our professional soccer team, the Des Moines Menace.

The city’s climate is typical of the upper mid-west and offers the diversity associated with four seasons. A large network of city, county and state parks is available. Newly renovated Gray’s lake has proved to be very popular with area residents, as is the Saylorville Lake north of the city. Des Moines and surrounding communities have been working hard at expanding the local bike trail system. It is expected that a major connection of two long trails will be made at Gray’s Lake in 2004 resulting in approximately fifty miles of connected trails running from Big Creek Lake north of Des Moines to Warren County south of Des Moines. Year ‘round recreational opportunities abound and are available at moderate prices.

The cost of living in Des Moines’s is reasonable. Housing costs are rising, but remain very favorable in comparison with cities of similar size across the nation.

12-31-02 All Baptized Persons 327

12-31-02 Communicants in Good Standing 233

Average Sunday Attendance 115

Number of Sunday Eucharists 104

Number of Weekday Eucharists 114