A BRIEF HISTORY OF ST. ANDREW'S

The Reverend Richard M. Turk became the fourth rector of St. Andrew's on May 11, 1986. Father Turk brought with him an enthusiastic optimism which soon permeated the parish. Projects that had languished were accomplished. Air conditioning in the parish hall was replaced and a handicapped access ramp was built. The chapel was covered with vinyl siding, a sprinkling system was installed, and parking facilities were improved.
Best of all, the congregation seemed to take on new life. More young families with small children started coming to church so that the nursery had to be enlarged. Sunday School attendance picked up for both children and adults. At the 10:30 service, the chapel was soon filled. An assistant priest became a necessity. The Reverend James Farwell began his ministry June 26, 1989, but left to serve a church in the Miami area on July 1, 1990. The Reverend Dena S. Bearl came to St. Andrew's July 1, 1992.
As Father Turk shared his vision of ministry at St. Andrew's, he said, "I officially began my ministry as Rector of St. Andrew's in May of 1986. Here I found a people who were dedicated to the historical faith of the Church and who also wanted to grow and expand their ministry. I saw myself as both pastor and enabler: I wanted to minister to each and every parishioner and I wanted to lead the parish in the direction that God wanted it to move. During the first six months, I spent time studying the "heart" of the parish: I offered the best preaching that I could give, I concentrated on making the Liturgy both dignified and dynamic, I spent time learning the needs and the wants of the parish; and all during this time, my prayer was that the Holy Spirit would show us the Father's will for St. Andrew's.
I was also excited about the school. St. Andrew's Episcopal Day School, under the creative leadership of Ms. Brenda Miller, School Principal, had grown to become the best primary school in Jacksonville. Our school not only offered quality education in a Christian atmosphere, but we also led the children to learn the teachings of the Lord Jesus. I realized that the school could be a prime source of evangelism, not for the Episcopal Church only, but most especially for the Lord Jesus Christ, and so I did my best to know the staff, faculty and children and to minister to them.
As the months passed, it became more and more apparent to me and to many others, that God was calling us to be a "family church." I discerned this as God's will for us because approximately 80% of our parish growth was in families with children, and as the months passed, there were more and more children among us. As time passed, it became more and more obvious to me that St. Andrew's Parish was seen by all as a place where families were welcomed and encouraged to attend. When I speak of "families", I mean not only the standard type of family, but also single-parent families and one-person families. I attempted to develop programs that spoke to the needs of families."
Families do grow and so, with our parish family rapidly growing, St. Andrew's grew to the point where we needed to expand the sanctuary. At her death in December 1990, Lee Repaz, a long time member and active participant in almost every phase of parish life, left St. Andrew's $250,000. plus the proceeds from the sale of her house. The expansion committee was reactivated under the chairmanship of Dick Morrison, a charter member, and plans for enlarging the overflowing chapel were once more given high priority.
Architect Ken Smith, E. C. Kenyon Construction Company, and the Church Expansion Committee, consisting of Father Turk, Mother Dena, Dick Morrison, Jean Ramey, Paul Stout, Teddy Moore and Helmut Hertle, gave us a beautiful plan for expanding the chapel. Working together, the parish family made this design a concrete reality. The final worship service in the chapel was held on Groundbreaking Sunday, September 19, 1993.
For the next six months, we worshipped in the Parish Hall as the renovation proceeded. As Father Turk said, it was "both a difficult time and a creative time for us". Countless parishioners and friends pledged to the Building Fund, met with various committees, and assisted with the actual work. We welcomed Easter Sunday, April 3, 1994, with three services in our newly renovated sanctuary. What a glorious Easter morning!
On June 5, 1994, St. Andrew's parishioners and friends gathered for the Dedication and Blessing of the newest St. Andrew's. The new bell tower, given by Joann Tredennick and her family, with the old St. Andrew's bell and the Prayer Garden given by the Petway Family in memory of their daughter, Mandi, were also blessed by the Right Reverend Stephen H. Jecko, recently installed as the Seventh Bishop of Florida.
After the expansion of the sanctuary was completed, countless new families joined St. Andrew's. After Mother Dena left to become a Canon of St. John's Cathedral in July 1994, we were joined by the Reverend Gail Helgeson as Associate Rector from December 1994 until February 1996. We were also blessed with the assistance of The Reverend Larry Wilkes, a Navy Chaplain who moved into the neighborhood, and of The Reverend Davette L. Turk of Fresh Ministries.
Expansion in other areas included the extensive kitchen modernization, the St. Andrew's Endowment Fund, established in January 1998, and St. Andrew's Memorial Garden. The new Multipurpose Resource Building including gym, music room and an outdoor amphitheater, dedicated on December 3, 2000, was for use by both the parish and the Day School.