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St. Andrew's was organized as a parochial mission of St. Christopher's, Springfield in November 1972. During the first two years, our church did not have a permanent clergy. A variety of leaders, including clergy and lay readers from St. Christopher's, a local Army chaplain named Alan Brown, and faculty from the Virginia Theological Seminary, notably the Rev. Reginald Fuller, led the mission services.
The first worship service was held at Burke Elementary School on December 3, 1972. At that first mission service, 45 people attended. The name "St. Andrew's" was selected because this first service was held on the Sunday closest to November 30, the feast day honoring Saint Andrew. Worship continued at Burke Elementary through 1974. In October of that year, the Rev. Randall Prior became St. Andrew's first full-time vicar. Accompanied by his wife, Scootie, and two young sons, Christopher and Pierce, Randall had previously been assistant to the rector of St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in Richmond. Daughter Margaret was born after the Priors came to St. Andrew's. Under Randall's early watch, the congregation experienced a period of rapid growth, church building and expansion, and an ever-growing outreach to the Burke and Springfield communities.
Services were moved to Orange Hunt Elementary School in December 1974. The creativity and dedication of the early church members can still be seen in the altar of our current chapel. Created and constructed by one of the early church members, Lee Overson, for use in the services at Orange Hunt School, the altar also served as a storage unit for the nascent church during the week. St. Andrew's became a church under the supervision of Suffragen Bishop John A. Baden in January of 1975. While it might seem to be an unusual equine connection, two famous racehorses played a role in getting our present church built. These two racehorses were Secretariat who was the 1973 Triple Crown winner and arguably the greatest racehorse in the history of American thoroughbred racing, and Riva Ridge who missed the Triple Crown by a single race in 1972. St. James-the-Less Church in Ashland, Virginia lent $100,000 to the Diocesan Mission Society, thanks partly to the track records of the two horses. The loan was made possible by a bequest to St. James from Christopher Chenery whose stable near Ashland owned both horses.
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Our First Vicar and Rector
The Rev. Randall L. Prior served St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church for 36 years and retired on November 30, 2010.
Randall's ministry at St. Andrew's made an unforgettable impact on the parish, and the larger Diocese of Virginia. He came to St. Andrew’s in October 1974 as Vicar, and acquired the title of Rector in 1990 when, thanks in large part to his strong leadership, St. Andrew's acquired parish status. During his tenure at St. Andrew's, Randall’s influence was also felt by countless others outside the parish. He served on a variety of diocesan committees, including the Sexual Misconduct Response Team and the Commission on Congregational Missions for the Diocese of Virginia. He also served the Diocese as Dean of Region VII on four different occasions. Helping others, especially the neediest and the poorest in our society, was a constant theme in Randall’s ministry at St. Andrew's. Passionate about pastoral counseling, Randall put his doctorate in marriage and family ministry to good use in his pastoral care to parishioners and to others in need. For many years, when St. Andrew’s was a smaller parish, he worked part time as a pastoral counselor. Currently, he is an adjunct faculty member in pastoral theology at the Virginia Theological Seminary. He also is continuing his work in pastoral counseling in a group practice setting. Randall’s last service with us was on October 24, 2010. We celebrated Holy Eucharist and had a “Service for Leave Taking and the Ending of a Pastoral Relationship.” We held a farewell reception for Randall and Scootie in the Parish Hall following the service. The Priors will always be with us in our hearts as their faith journey continues to unfold.
Time of Transition
In the wake of Rev. Prior's departure, St. Andrew's has entered into a new phase of discernment and transition. Over the next several months our congregation will come together for self examination and discernment as we move forward. Guiding us through this time of introspection and change is the Rev. Gary Goldacker who accepted the call to serve as our rector during this interim period. Gary has spent more than forty years in ordained ministry, fourteen of which have been solely devoted to interim ministry. We look forward to his assistance as we embark upon a new stage in our pilgrimage as a godly church. |
Parish Leadership: Dates of Service
| Vicar and Rectors |
| Vicar, 1974-1990. |
Rev. Randall L. Prior |
| Rector, 1990-2010. |
Rev. Randall L. Prior |
| Interim Rector, 2011- |
Rev. Gary Goldacker |
| Assistant Rectors |
| 1983-1985 |
Rev. Martha Horne |
| 1985-1987 |
Rev. Norma L. Blackwell |
| 1988-1991 |
Rev. Daniel Robayo |
| 1992-1995 |
Rev. Percy Grant |
| 1995-1998 |
Rev. Bruce S. Bevans |
| 1999-2002 |
Rev. Daniel Robayo |
| 2003-2005 |
Rev. Robyn Neville |
| 2006-2008 |
Rev. Lisa Goforth |
| 2009-present |
Rev. Jeanie Martinez |
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Wardens
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| Year |
Senior Warden |
Junior Warden |
| 1974-75 |
Lee Overson |
Jerry Sessions |
| 1976 |
Roberta Fugate |
Fred Beck |
| 1977 |
Al Watson |
Jack Van Niman |
| 1978 |
Jack Van Niman |
George Greenway |
| 1979 |
Roy Meredith |
Lee Overson |
| 1980 |
Lee Overson |
Bill Adams |
| 1981 |
Bill Adams |
Lee Overson |
| 1982 |
Phil Purdom |
Don Taggart |
| 1983 |
Charles Simmons |
Marshall Lundberg |
| 1984 |
Bill Adams |
Dick Helmuth |
| 1985 |
Dick Helmuth |
David Jessel |
| 1986 |
David Jessel |
Dick Lee |
| 1987 |
Dick Lee |
Dick Klix |
| 1988 |
Dick Klix |
Jim Reese, Don Taggart, Mike Walsh |
| 1989 |
Don Taggart |
Mike Walsh |
| 1990 |
Bill Adams |
Dick McIninch |
| 1991 |
Donna Osthaus |
Herb Mensch |
| 1992 |
Dick McIninch |
Tom Pettit |
| 1993 |
Derek Wimmer |
Bill Adams |
| 1994 |
Bill Adams |
Tom Pettit |
| 1995 |
Donna Osthaus |
Bill Adams |
| 1996 |
Don Taggart |
Donna Osthaus |
| 1997 |
Dick Klix |
Mike Harper |
| 1998 |
Herb Mensch |
Melinda Morgan |
| 1999 |
Doug Connell |
Herb Mensch |
| 2000 |
Cindy Holsclaw |
Edyth Wheeer |
| 2001 |
Jack Lecuyer |
Chris Conrad |
| 2002 |
Chris Conrad |
Alice Roerig |
| 2003 |
Alice Roerig |
Libby Fike |
| 2004 |
Libby Fike |
Tom Pettit |
| 2005 |
Tom Pettit |
Bill Adams |
| 2006 |
Bill Adams |
Tom Pettit |
| 2007 |
John Jaskot |
Bill Adams |
| 2008 |
Mark Foster |
Nancy Tillinghast |
| 2009 |
Nancy Tillinghast |
Amy Dutton |
| 2010 |
Linda Leong |
Kim Black |
| 2011 |
Sandy Gumbert |
Tom Pettit |
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