Why St. Andrew’s?

We are the Episcopal Branch of the Jesus Movement in the heart of Spokane. Here, you will find a church that…

 PROCLAIMS THE LOVING, LIBERATING, LIFE-GIVING GOD

We believe - as holy scripture teaches - that, “God is love” (1 John 4:8) and that “nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:39) Our lives are a precious gift from God, who made all that is, who calls us into relationship and communion, who we gather to praise and thank each week, and whose fundamental nature is unfathomable love, mercy, grace, and “peace that passes all understanding.” (Philippians 4:7)

WELCOMES THE STRANGER AND OUTCAST

Each person who walks through our bright red doors is welcomed, respected, and treated as a friend. Jesus practiced radical hospitality, and as Christians, we are charged to be “ministers of reconciliation.” (2 Corinthians 5:18) This means all people are welcome at St. Andrew’s, regardless of race, gender, sexuality, income, culture, or any other marker of status or identity. Holy scripture declares that, “all are one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:28)

STRIVES TO FOLLOW CHRIST’S EXAMPLE

Christians call Jesus “Emmanuel,” which means, “God among us,” or “God with us.”  When God walked among us in the person of Jesus, he showed us a transformative way of life: the Way of Jesus, which we call the Way of Love. In fact, early Christian communities called themselves “People of the Way.” Jesus said it clearly: “By this, everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:35) This is how we seek to live.  As Christ’s disciples in our time, we come to church each week to learn how to apply Christ’s example and message to our own daily lives, as individuals and as a community.

EXPRESSES BEAUTIFUL, ANCIENT WORSHIP

St. Andrew’s is a beautiful place, and on any given Sunday you may experience flowers, candles, colored vestments, stained glass windows, hymns, organ music and ornate symbols.  Why?  Because now more than ever, the world needs beauty.  On Sunday mornings, we follow scripture’s invitation to, “make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!” (Psalm 100:1-2). Beautiful, inspiring worship expresses our awe of God.  Timeless rituals and practices connect us with our spiritual ancestors.  Liturgy expressed and experienced “in the beauty of holiness” (Psalm 96:9) grounds us, nourishes our spirits, deepens our devotion, and allows us to set aside the hustle bustle and distractions of modern life to become attuned to that which is truly sacred and eternal. Our sacramental emphasis on reverence in worship is balanced with a warm accessibility because liturgy means “the work of the people.” Our worship always remains a living expression of our gratitude and praise toward God.

WALKS HUMBLY

We know that many Christians throughout time (ourselves included) have often failed to “walk humbly,” as the scripture instructs. (Micha 6:8) Yet, we strive to approach our faith with a genuine desire to learn, and an appreciation that we may not always hold every answer. (1 Corinthians 13:12) We proclaim and embrace the mystery of faith.  We believe in living the questions.  Despite our openness, our devotion to God runs deep.  We are committed to the transformative way of life we find in Jesus, who we promise to follow as our Lord and savior.

SERVES OUR NEIGHBORS

Jesus commanded us to love our neighbors as ourselves. (Matthew 22:39) From sharing meals with the hungry, to comforting the families of prisoners, we are passionate about putting our faith into action.  Service and justice are not afterthoughts at St. Andrew’s; they are at the heart of our mission and calling as a community, because a living faith requires loving action. (James 2:26)  Each week we pray, “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth…” because we long to participate in God’s work of transforming the world - as former Presiding Bishop Michael Curry puts it - “from the nightmare it often is, into the dream that God intends.”  Thus, we continually seek to become a congregation which is a beacon of kindness and hope in central Spokane.

RESPECTS A DIVERSITY OF CONSCIENCE

For centuries, Episcopalians (or Anglicans) have walked the Via Media, or “middle way” between Roman Catholicism and Protestantism. We seek the comprehensive truth that can often be found in the balance between extreme positions, guided and inspired by Scripture, Tradition, and Reason.  While Christians may not always agree on every aspect of “common doctrine,” we can always gather together under the same roof to share “common prayer” to the same God - the creator, redeemer, and sustainer of us all. This principle of common worship despite sometimes diverse understandings is foundational to the Book of Common Prayer, and central to our identity as Episcopalians. St. Andrew’s is “a house of prayer for all people.” (Isaiah 56:7)

BELIEVES IN THE POWER OF FORGIVENESS

We believe sin is the state of living out of alignment with God’s intention for us, or being centered in our own selfish impulses rather that in God’s will.  In sin, we become alienated from God and our relationship with him and with the world becomes distorted.  Confession means being honest about the ways we have failed to align our lives and actions with our deepest spiritual values, as individuals, as a community, as a church, and as a society.  We are all sinners, and at St. Andrew’s we seek forgiveness for the ways we have fallen short, without casting judgement upon others.  Jesus said, “judge not, lest ye be judged.” (Matthew 7:1)

RECONCILES RELIGION AND SCIENCE

We believe that our God-given ability to think critically and solve problems, when used for the good of humanity, is a gift. We agree with the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., who said, “Science investigates, religion interprets.  Science gives man knowledge which is power; religion gives man wisdom which is control… The two are not rivals, they are complementary.”

UPHOLDS THE DIGNITY OF EVERY PERSON

We promise at baptism to “seek and serve Christ in all persons.” (Book of Common Prayer, p. 305) We believe every human being is created in the image of God, is “fearfully and wonderfully made,” and is therefore of equal dignity in his eyes. (Genesis 1:27; Psalm 139:14) As such, we affirm the full participation of women and our LGBTQ+ brothers and sisters in the life of the church, including in holy orders and sacraments such as baptism, Holy Communion, and marriage. The Episcopal Church opened ordination to female priests over 50 years ago, recognizing that women held leadership roles in the early church, and Christ himself entrusted a woman to be the “apostle to the apostles.” (see John 20:17-18) At St. Andrew’s, we were blessed by the ministry of the Rev. Margaret Fisher, who served as our priest from 2011 to 2017.  Today, we are fortunate to count the Rt. Rev. Gretchen Rehberg - a former volunteer EMT and firefighter - as our region’s spiritual leader, and the Most Rev. Sarah Mullally - a former nurse - as the Archbishop of Canterbury.

CARES FOR CREATION

We believe God created the cosmos, the earth and everything in it, and “saw that it was very good.” (Genesis 1:31) As human beings, our faith calls us to be stewards of the earth. (see Genesis 2:15) We are obligated to care for and protect that which God has created and entrusted to us.  As Psalm 24 reminds us, “the earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it.”  At St. Andrew’s, we are inspired by the beauty, wonder, and magnificence of God’s creation in nature. We hold an annual outdoor worship service to honor the glory we see present in God’s creation.

CHERISHES OUR RICH HISTORY & JOURNEY

St. Andrew’s has been a part of north Spokane since June of 1927 and has touched thousands of lives in this community through worship, teaching, service, pastoral care, hospitality, and fellowship.  We belong to The Episcopal Church, organized in America in 1789, which developed from the Church of England. We are a congregation of the worldwide Anglican Communion, the third largest Christian communion in the world after the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox branches - present in over 165 countries - and an expression of the “one holy catholic and apostolic Church” instituted by Jesus Christ, as our Prayer Book puts it (BCP Pg. 310). The Greek word “episcopal” means led by bishops. Through succession from Christ’s Apostles, Episcopal (or Anglican) bishops across the world trace their lines of spiritual authority from the early Church Fathers through the laying on of hands, and the continuation of the ministry and fellowship of the Church.  We face many difficult challenges today.  But we draw strength from the sure knowledge that our Christian faith and Episcopal “way” have been forged, preserved, and renewed over thousands of years and dozens of generations, guided by the Holy Spirit - always on a journey to seek God, serve God’s people, and share the light and love of Christ with all we meet.

Learn more about what we believe here.

We hope you will join us.