A Proud History of St. Andrew’s
St Andrew’s Church in Hanover has a rich and long history dating back to the mid 1800s. The Congregation was first organized in 1861 and erected the first church building in 1873. The second and current, church building was constructed in 1904. After St. Andrew’s turned down the question of church union in 1925, the Church became a 2-point charge with Knox Presbyterian Church, Ayton, a close partnership which it has enjoyed for 80 years.
More recently, an important milestone occurred in 1991 when Rev. Alice Wilson accepted a call to the Hanover-Ayton pastoral charge. Rev. Alice was St. Andrew’s first female Minister and would come to be the Church’s longest serving Minister.
In 1994 the Church took on a major project with the construction of a new entrance to the church building, including the installation of an elevator providing wheelchair accessibility to all levels of the Church. A new nursery was constructed immediately adjacent to the sanctuary in 2003. This facility allows families with young children to address the needs of their family and still be a part of the service and congregation.
In 2004 major alterations were made to the front of the sanctuary making this space more open and versatile. Not only have these changes provided more space for special services such as communions, weddings and baptisms, they have also made it possible to incorporate small plays, children’s presentations, and concerts into the church service without any inconvenience.
One of the most significant milestones in the recent history of St. Andrew’s, Hanover was the closing of its sister church, Knox Presbyterian Church, Ayton. This closing took place on April 30th, 2005. On this date St. Andrew’s took on the responsibilities associated with being a one-point charge. The acceptance of this new status was made much easier by the fact that most of the Knox congregation joined the St Andrew’s congregation which has benefited as a result.
In June 2015 we were very pleased to welcome the Rev. Bonnie Sutherland as our new minister.
St. Andrew’s is a strong and vibrant church. The Church has confidence in itself and its place in the community. There is an average of 80-90 members who regularly attend worship service on Sunday.
One of this Church’s strengths and reasons for feeling confident is that St. Andrew’s is an open and friendly church where everyone is made to feel that they are a part of the Church family. There is a strong lay leadership as illustrated by an active Session and Board of Managers. Congregational duties are well organized, goals are set and met, and the entire congregation is involved in the major planning and decision making initiatives.
Children are considered an important part of the congregation and as such are involved in all aspects of church life. The Sunday School continues to be a vital and well run organization of which the congregation is proud.
We are excited about what the future has in store for us at St. Andrew’s and we hope that if you are reading this information and would like to become involved with our congregation that you will make yourself known to us. We hope to continue our outreach within Hanover, and shine forth God’s love and compassion to all God’s people both within the community and around the world.