About Us
Welcome to the church of Saint Andrew the Apostle. Our campus is situated in the southern Johannesburg suburb of Suideroord.
The congregation has been in existence since 1995 and is a spiritual home to young people, older people and reflects a cross section of South African society.
We use the Alternative Service Book of the Church of England for our liturgical services, with the Book of Common Prayer being our foundation document. Our organist, Ron Gill, provides quality music on our pipe organ.
Our bishop is His Grace, Archbishop Michael Gill of the Traditional Anglican Church in Africa.
At present we have one priest, two deacons, two lay ministers and one Deaconess. We offer a Childrens’ Church for the very young and have a thriving Youth Group that meets on a Friday evening. Our Works of Mercy team ministers to many needy people in the area.
You are warmly invited to attend Holy Communion on a Sunday at 09:00. The weekly pew bulletin has information about other services and activities.
We are traditional but never stuffy!
Who is St Andrew?
A disciple of John the Baptist, Andrew heard him refer to Jesus as the Lamb of God. He immediately told his brother, Simon Peter, he’d found the Messiah.
St Andrew is depicted in icons: “with long unkempt hair, in the manner of the prophet he followed (St. John the Baptist). Andrew holds a small scroll not to indicate he authored any famous works, but to identify him as a preacher of the Gospel, “one who is sent out”, an Apostle.”
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Eusebius in his Church History states that Andrew later went to Scythia. According to tradition he was martyred at Patras, Greece, crucified on an X-shaped cross, which since has become known as St. Andrew’s Cross. He is regarded as being connected with the writing of St. John’s Gospel. According to tradition, he is the founder of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople.
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This year we will celebrate our 27th patronal festival on 24 November.
More about us
Christians are not in the first instance defined by their membership of a particular denomination, congregation or by a statement of faith, like the Heidelberg Catechism. Christians are people who have decided to follow Jesus as their Saviour and Lord.
There are “baby” Christians of all ages who understand just the basics and then there are Mature Christians who clearly live the Gospel life. We are a mixture of both. The greatest danger for Christians is hypocrisy, believing I am superior to everyone else.
Some Christian hypocrites define their faith by visibly abstaining from one or more of the minor human frailties, such as drinking alcohol, smoking tobacco or dancing or by wearing a suit and tie to church but they seldom come across as loving, caring and forgiving. They enjoy sitting in judgement on others.
At St Andrews, we know we are redeemed sinners, but nevertheless in permanent need of God’s love, forgiveness and grace. We strive to welcome other sinners of every stripe and make them feel at home.
Yes, we are unrelenting liturgical traditionalists. But this means the clergy don’t have the freedom to make up a form of service on a Sunday and put themselves, rather than Jesus, at the centre of worship.
We have guest preachers and lay preachers. There are no mere pew warmers, each has a job to do. There are readers, pray-ers, greeters and refreshment servers. We have an extensive social help programme, feeding and caring for those in need. We are a rainbow church where everyone is welcome.
You do not need to apply for membership. You’re accepted, warts and all.
We have safe and secure off-road parking and a hall for refreshments after services. We can seat up to 100 people – post Covid.
We are open Christmas and Easter and during the rest of the year. Come see for yourself.
