Our Ministries

At St. Andrew’s, we believe every member of the body of Christ — the Church — is shaped to serve in ministry. Every member is a minister called to serve the Church, as St. Paul writes to the Ephesians, to “build up the body of Christ.”

What is ministry?

Ministry is using the gifts God has given us to serve him and others with love.

Because we want you to use the gifts God gave you in service to the Church and others in a way that will glorify Christ, one of our purposes at St. Andrew’s is to help you identify your unique shape for ministry, and to equip you for that ministry. To this end, we offer Class 301: Discover your SHAPE for Ministry. In this class, you’ll learn how God shaped you for ministry, and how you can use the Spiritual gifts he gave you, your Heart or passion, your Abilities, Personality and Experiences to serve him in the church and in the world.

Below are a variety of ministries offered at St. Andrew’s. Some serve God in his Church, some serve the people of God, and others serve those beyond our doors whom God is calling us to reach for his kingdom. To get involved in any of these ministries, or to tap into the resources they offer, e-mail us, or call the parish office at 740-548-5112.

Worship Ministries

Music Ministries

Choir

The St. Andrew’s Choir assists in leading congregational worship and offers special anthems to the glory of God each Sunday at the 9:15 a.m. service. Choir practice is held at 7 p.m. on Thursdays.

Handbell Choir

The Handbell Choir participates in special services throughout the year. Rehearsals are held at 6:15 p.m. on Thursdays.

 

Contemporary Worship Team

The St. Andrew’s contemporary worship team, featuring a band and singers, leads worship at the 11:15 a.m. service. Rehearsals are held at 7 p.m. on Wednesdays.

Other Worship Ministries

Acolytes

Since the year 250 AD, acolytes have served as helpers to their priests. An acolyte assists the priest by performing a number of simple but important tasks before, during and at the close of the worship service. Duties include carrying the processional cross and torches, and assisting in preparing the altar for the Eucharist. Girls and boys age 10 and older, as well as adults, may serve as acolytes. They typically serve in teams one Sunday a month.

Altar Guild

Altar Guild members prepare the altar for communion, care for the sacramental vessels and altar linens and otherwise assist in the care of the Sanctuary. Altar Guild members serve in teams of two approximately one Sunday a month. Any person with the dedication and desire to serve the Lord at his altar is welcome.

Layreaders

The priests are assisted at all regular Sunday worship services and at other times as appropriate by a corps of trained lay readers. They participate in the worship service as lectors, psalmists and chalicists, and read the Prayers of the People. Lay readers are under the direct supervision of the priests, and are licensed to perform the duties of this ministry by the bishop.

Ushers

Ushers greet parishioners and help maintain an orderly flow to the worship service. They distribute bulletins, collect the offering and direct people to the altar. They typically serve one Sunday a month.

Technical Services Ministry

The Technical Services Ministry supports our worship services by operating the sound system and other technical equipment, and recording the sermons.

Children's Chapel

Children’s Chapel is offered during the Liturgy of the Word at the 9 a.m. service. Immediately after the reading of the Gospel, children in pre-school through elementary school follow a wooden cross to a classroom off the Gathering Area, where they worship God in a way that is meaningful to them, and which mirrors what the adults are doing in “big church.” Children will hear a sermon, often participatory in nature, before joining together in the Nicene or Apostles Creed, the Prayers of the People, and a general Confession. Children re-join the congregation at “The Peace” for communion.

Nursery

A nursery is provided at the 9 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. services for children 4-years-old and under. Parents are asked to pick up their children at the announcement period so that the children and nursery volunteers are able to join the congregation for Holy Communion. Parents are welcome to take advantage of this service, or to keep their children with them during the liturgy.

Membership Ministries

Greeters

Greeters welcome newcomers each Sunday and strive to make their first experience at
St. Andrew’s as comfortable and as pleasant as possible. They distribute information packets, invite visitors to fill out a visitor’s information card, and otherwise assist in orienting them to the church and the service. Greeters may also introduce newcomers to the clergy and other members of the Parish.

Greeting Card Ministry

This ministry sends birthday and anniversary cards to members of the congregation each month, as well as get-well cards and expressions of sympathy as needed.

Fellowship

Fellowship is important at St. Andrew’s, allowing for the feeding of the body as well as the spirit as we share our lives together. Activities through the year allow our parish family to come together for fun and fellowship. Sunday morning fellowship in the Gathering Area, parish dinners, and picnics are a few examples. Specific events are announced in the parish newsletter and Sunday bulletin. In addition, we offer a variety of Small Groups that provide opportunities for fellowship and spiritual growth.

Coffee Hour, Dinners & Receptions

Our “Kitchen Saints” organize and serves parish dinners throughout the year, and organize coffee fellowship on Sunday mornings.

Discipleship Ministries

Adult Forum

Adults gather in the Sanctuary on Sunday mornings for a teaching led by Fr. Ron Baird,
Fr. Shane Tucker, or one of our associate priests.

Assimilation Bible Studies

Assimilation Bible Study Groups are designed to help you connect with Christ and others through fellowship, prayer and Bible study, and mutual support. Groups meet on Sundays at the church from 10:15 to 11 a.m.

Women's Bible Study

A women’s Bible study is offered on the first and third Tuesday mornings, from 9:30 to
11 a.m., at the Parish House.

Small Groups

Small Groups are a place where you will practice and develop the spiritual habits that will help you grow into a mature follower of Jesus Christ … a place where you will gather in fellowship with a group of Christian friends who will hold one another accountable to the spiritual goals they’ve developed for their life … a place where you will come to know Christ personally, and learn to hear and follow God’s will for your life.

 

The spiritual habits are no more, and no less, than what is described in Acts 2:42: “And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” Translated to today, those habits are:

  •  Daily Bible study
  •  Daily prayer
  •  Weekly worship
  •  Weekly fellowship with a group of Christians who will hold us accountable to the spiritual goals we’ve developed for our life

 

These groups generally meet weekly or bi-weekly in members’ homes.

 

 

Brotherhood of St. Andrew

The Brotherhood of St. Andrew is a national organization that was started as a prayer and Bible study group in Chicago in 1883. Since that time it has grown to become one of the largest men’s ministries in the Church. Through the years the Brotherhood has been an effective means of communicating Christ’s love and good news to men and youth through its ministry of prayer, study and service. 

The members of the Brotherhood are committed to daily prayer for the Church and for those men who seek a closer relationship with Christ. Here at St. Andrew’s, our chapter focuses on Scripture study as it relates to faith and prayer and Christian living, supporting the men of our Parish in being Christian leaders in the home, at work and in Church.

The Brotherhood of St. Andrew also sponsors a variety of service and outreach ministries. Meetings are held on the first and third Tuesdays of each month at 7:30 p.m. at the Parish House.

The Order of the Daughters of the Holy Cross

The Order of the Daughters of the Holy Cross is a ministry of women who commit themselves to a lifelong program of daily prayer for the Church, New Testament study, service to the Church and others, evangelism and the strengthening of the spiritual life of their parishes.

The St. Andrew’s chapter meets at the Parish House at 6:30 p.m. on the first Monday of each month to share prayer concerns and experiences, support one another in their spiritual life, and study the Scriptures. They also meet for Evening Prayer at 6:30 p.m. at the Parish House on the third Monday of the month. Everyone is welcome!

In addition, the Daughters organize our parish’s involvement in Ronald McDonald House Ministries, and sponsor several other outreach projects through the year.

 

Children's Ministries

Children’s Ministries at St. Andrew’s include both Bible teaching and worship, with the goal of teaching our children and young people how God’s Word revealed in Jesus Christ is relevant to their lives today. By helping them make connections between their faith and daily living, they begin to know more fully that God has a purpose for their life at every age and stage. Classes are offered for toddlers through youth in senior high school, with memorable stories from both the Old and New Testaments and activities designed for varied learning styles and ages.

For children ages 3½-years-old through 5th Grade, we offer Godly Play.Godly Play, a Montessori-based approach to religious education. Godly Play features Bible stories and lessons about the liturgy of the church, which are told using multi-sensory materials, followed by a period of wondering together. Each child is then invited to respond individually to the story through play (or work) with the lesson materials, an art response or another activity.

Youth Ministry

The goal of the St. Andrew’s Youth Ministries is to empower young people in grades
6 through 12 to “transform the world through Christ — one heart at a time.” We do this by promoting spiritual habits, including daily Bible reading and regular attendance at Sunday worship. We encourage fellowship with a group of Christian peers, and finally, we provide opportunities for youth to serve others as Christ’s disciples in the local community.

St. Andrew’s Youth Ministry revolves around three Cs — Craziness, Content, & Connection.

Youth gather twice a month to connect with one another and explore relevant, Bible-based content that brings the faith alive for them, and they come together for a bit of craziness at events and activities throughout the year.

 

Pastoral Care Ministries

Hospital Visitors

Members of St. Andrew’s who have been called to a ministry of hospital visitation assist the clergy with hospital calls, as well as visits to people who are ill at home. When you or a loved one are hospitalized and desire a visit, please contact one of our clergy or the parish office. If you leave a voice mail message, please include:

  • your name
  • the name of the person hospitalized, and a brief description of their illness or injury
  •  the name of the hospital to which they have been admitted
  •  a contact telephone number

Hospital visitors will:

  • offer the Sacrament of Holy Unction, which includes prayers and anointing with oil for healing
  • contact the clergy, and maintain communication with them to assure that they are notified promptly in emergency situations should you need the services of a priest
Lay Eucharistic Visitors
Lay Eucharistic Visitors are commissioned by the priests and licensed by the Bishop to take communion from the Sunday morning Eucharist to people who are shut-in or ill. This allows these members of our Parish who are unable to join us physically on Sundays to remain “one body in Christ” with us spiritually.
Prayer Chain

The Prayer Chain offers parishioners an opportunity to request prayer or offer thanksgivings, which will be passed down the chain by phone and/or email to the members. You may make requests for yourself or anyone anywhere. All requests are treated confidentially.

To request prayer, click here.

Requests have varied from physical or spiritual healing to needs ranging from employment to the sale of a house.

This ministry is coordinated by the Daughters of the Holy Cross (DOHC).

Prayer Teams

Prayer teams are available to pray with and for parishioners during communion at the
9 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. Sunday worship services. At 9 a.m. they are stationed to the left of the altar near the band equipment; at 11:15 a.m. they are stationed to the right of the altar, near the piano.

You may seek prayer for personal cares and concerns, concerns for others or offer thanksgivings for God’s blessings. The prayer team will also offer the sacrament of Holy Unction — the anointing with oil, laying on of hands and prayers for healing — upon request. All prayers are confidential.

If you wish to pray with a prayer team, receive Holy Unction, or both, simply go to them after you have received communion. If a line develops, other intercessors will come to minister to you. All prayer concerns are treated confidentially.

Prayer Shawl Ministry

This ministry knits and crochets prayer shawls for people who are ill or otherwise in need of comfort.

Grief Recovery Booklets

The booklet, “A Journey Through Grief,” is available to those in the congregation who suffer the loss of a loved one. To receive a copy, please contact the Parish Office at 740-548-5112 or mail@standrewspolaris.org.

Renewal Ministries

Renewal Ministries at St. Andrew’s provide unique opportunities for personal and community growth, and opportunities to share what has been received with others.

Cursillo, Via de Cristo and Cum Christo

These are highly structured three-day weekends for Christians designed to strengthen and renew their faith. The weekends are a time with Christ that enhances and makes real one’s relationship with him, and offer a specific method for living a fully Christian life.

These weekends begins on a Thursday evening and end on the following Sunday. During the three days, those attending live and study together and there is much singing, laughter, prayer and worship. Through these activities, and in the Holy Eucharist, participants gain a deeper awareness of their faith and the response that comes from such awareness. Each person’s experience of a renewal weekend is as individual as they are.

Group Reunions & Ultreyas

Renewal weekends present a “method” for living a fully Christian life, and to that end provides two follow-up activities — Group Reunion and Ultreya. Group Reunion is a gathering of from two to six friends for the purpose of support, prayer and shared accountability. Ultreya is a gathering of the groups for celebration of community, and sharing joys and problems. Group reunions are arranged solely at the convenience of the individual participants. Locally, Ultreya is now a joint venture of the Cursillo and Via de Christo movements. Everyone is welcome at Ultreya, regardless of whether they have attended a weekend.

Outreach Ministries

The mission of the St. Andrew’s Outreach Ministry Team is “to treat our neighbors with respect and humanity while responding to their needs, bringing them one step closer to Christ.” — 

Local Outreach

Common Ground Free Store Ministries

Common Ground Free Store Ministries of Delaware is a partnership between churches, businesses, civic organizations and caring citizens. This ministry believes God’s mercy doesn’t come with a price tag.

The Free Store is a warm and welcoming place, run by volunteers, where everything — from clothing, shoes, diapers, and personal care items to small appliances, household goods, linens, books and toys — is available to all in need, regardless of their situation. In addition, Common Ground provide a meal to its shoppers every time the store is open.

There are no income requirements, no questions and no scrutiny — only the support of people who care. The Free Store is a place where everyone is on “common ground.”

In addition to volunteering our time and providing meals at the Common Ground Free Store, St. Andrew’s participates in the Free Store’s annual fundraiser, and donates the loose offering collected in church on third Sundays to Common Grounds.

Located at 193 East Central Avenue in Delaware, Ohio, the store is open on Tuesdays from 6 to 9 p.m., Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Thursdays from 6 to 9 p.m., and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Food Ministry

Our growing food ministry has meals ready for distribution to those who need them, both within our parish and in our community.

The Food Ministry began as a partnership with Carrabba’s Italian Grill on Lyra Drive off Polaris Parkway, Columbus, and is expanding to include other local restaurants. Each week, we pick up leftovers from these restaurants and re-package them into individual meals. These meals are ideal for people living alone, going through a time of financial hardship, recovering from surgery or illness, or who have had a death in their family. 

In addition to providing food for members of our parish, our Food Ministry is working with local schools and organizations that serve people in need, including the Common Ground Free Store; the Military Veterans Resources Center; Unity House of Columbus; and an Olentangy elementary school.

The loose offering collected in church on fifth Sundays is designated for the Food Ministry, and donations are always welcome. If you’d like to contribute, consider donating the following food items to help make up complete meals, or containers to package meals in for delivery. Items may be placed in the bin in the Narthex marked “Food Ministry.”

  • Food Containers
  • Food Sanitary Gloves
  • Frozen Vegetables 
  • Boxes of Pasta
  • Dinner Rolls (already made and ready to freeze)
  • Crackers (to accompany soups)

To request a meal for yourself or others, email us, or call the parish office at 740-548-5112, ext. 1.

Hats, Scarves & Prayer Shawls

Our Knitting Ministry has grown beyond prayers shawls for folks who are ill, or otherwise in need of comfort, to include knitted hats and scarves for children and adults. Hats and scarves are donated to elementary schools; veterans organizations; Unity House of Columbus, which provides individuals recovering from alcohol and other drug addiction with a safe, sober living environment; and multiple other organizations. 

Email us, or call the parish office at 740-548-5112, ext. 1, to volunteer if you already know how to knit or crochet and would like to contribute your skills, or if you’d like to learn how to loom.

Ohio Benefits Bank

St. Andrew’s is pleased to be an Ohio Benefits Bank site. This program helps Ohioans in need to stretch their household budgets, and since 2006 has helped more than 829,000 Ohioans gain access to tax credits and potential work supports worth more than $1.59 billion!

Harvest Festival

The Harvest Festival, held each fall, is our largest community outreach event of the year, as we celebrate the bounty of God’s harvest and welcome our community to St. Andrew’s for a day of music, food, fun, and shopping at our Rummage Sale and Vendors Market. 

This event not only raises funds for parish ministries such as our Youth Ministries, it also gives us an opportunity to share the love of Christ with members of our community. One festival attender posted this on our Facebook page: “The Harvest Festival was wonderful. Thanks for spreading God’s message to the community through fun and fellowship.” 

St. Andrew's Discretionary Fund

The St. Andrew’s Discretionary Fund is a fund managed by the rector and used to assist those, both inside and outside of the Parish, who have needs. Donations are collected on the first Sunday of the month during the offertory at Sunday services.

Stand for Truth

St. Andrew’s supports Stand for Truth, a ministry that is reaching thousands of students in public middle and senior high schools across the country with the Gospel message.

Stand for Truth is led by Joel Penton, a graduate of The Ohio State University who played five years of football for the Buckeyes. He was a member of three Big Ten championship teams, a member of the National Championship team, and a four-time Academic All-Big Ten selection.

In his senior year, Joel received the prestigious Wuerffel Trophy, also known as the “Humanitarian Heisman.” The Trophy is a national award that recognizes the one college football player in the entire country who best combines exemplary community service with athletic and academic achievement. After graduating from OSU, Joel turned down an opportunity to play in the NFL to begin a career in full-time speaking.

Since that time, Joel has earned a reputation as one of the nation’s leading youth motivational speakers. Joel has shared his school assembly programs with nearly a million students nationwide. He follows up his character-based messages at middle school and high school assemblies with an evening concert, where he and his Stand for Truth team have the opportunity to share the Gospel.

Click here to learn more about Stand for Truth’s life-changing school assembly programs.

Kairos and Epiphany

 St. Andrew’s participates in Kairos (Greek for “God’s time”), a program for prison residents designed to help them come to know and accept Christ. The program also provides them with resident and outside support communities to enable them to live fully Christian lives.

Kairos adapts the Cursillo weekend and method to the prison environment, to bring those inside into the love and community of Christ. Participants must have attended one of the “street” weekends (that’s what anything outside a prison is called inside the prison) to participate, and promise to be Christian community at monthly gatherings in the prisons for one year. Community is also shared through cookie baking, letter writing and banner and placemat making.

A number of members of St. Andrew’s serve on teams for Kairos weekends. Presently, Kairos is in place at Lebanon Correctional Institution and the Ohio Reformatory for Women in Marysville.

Epiphany is a three-day renewal event for incarcerated juveniles.

Other Outreach Ministries
  • Ronald McDonald House at Nationwide Children’s Hospital.
  • School Supply Drive for Delaware schools.
  • Annual Easter Egg Hunt for the parish and the community.
  • 4th of July Bottle Brigade, which provide water to spectators along the Orange Township Independence Day parade. 
  • Sponsorship of Cub Scout Pack 139, which we host at the church
  • Host of lessons for Suzuki Music of Columbus.
Personal Ministries of Service

In addition to organized outreach ministries, members of St. Andrew’s reach out to their community in a number of other ways, including serving as literacy tutors, caring for Alzheimer’s patients, volunteering at local hospitals, visiting the elderly, working with young people, volunteering at local animal shelters, and more.

Domestic & International Outreach

Anglican Relief and Development Fund

The Anglican Relief and Development Fund (ARDF) is a ministry of the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) that provides disaster and emergency relief at home and abroad, and aids those in need in developing countries.

Working together, we demonstrate the love of Christ and spread the Gospel by helping the poor and needy through leaders working in their own communities.

A partnership with ARDF is more that just giving money. It’s demonstrating Christ’s faithfulness by empowering local leaders to solve the problems they identify as priorities in their own communities. Because of ARDF’s deep connection with leaders in the Global Anglican Church, it is relational at its core, and forges powerful partnerships that are transforming our world.

ARDF is perfectly situated for maximum impact with donors’ money. Through relationships with local churches on the ground, ARDF empowers local leaders to carry out the work of the development project. This results in efficient and effective use of resources to truly carry out the change that we all want to see in the world.

Matthew 25 Initiative

The Matthew 25 Initiative is a ministry of the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) started with a vision from ACNA Archbishop Foley Beach and his desire to use a generous grant from an anonymous donor to help churches reach the poor and needy in their communities. Since 2015, the Matthew 25 Initiative has helped to fund 75 new projects and ministries.

Operation Christmas Child

Operation Christmas Child is a ministry of Samaritan’s Purse. For the past 25 years, Operation Christmas Child has been collecting shoeboxes filled with gifts and delivering them to children in need around the world. Each box is an opportunity for a boy or girl to experience the love of God in a tangible way and to hear the Gospel.

Missionary Aid

St. Andrew’s supports several missionary families who are taking the love of Christ to unreached people groups in East Asia; on mission to love and serve Muslims in the Middle East as an extension of God’s great love for all; and planting churches in Indonesia 

In addition, we have supported two of our members on mission trips to share the Gospel and serve in El Salvador and New Mexico.

In El Salvador, one of our members served at the Soyapango Children’s Center and the Children’s Center at The Volcano in San Salvador, and delivered much-needed school supplies, personal care items and vitamins collected by St. Andrew’s and other churches.

In New Mexico, another member served at the McCurdy School in Espanola, which provides services to the poor in the community in the area of mental health counseling, education for children, and at a local soup kitchen, and delivered much-needed supplies.