Our History

It began with the children, for before there was a church there was a Sunday School. Longmeadow children met in private homes back in 1915. (A Time to Remember, by Eola A. Hungerford, 1971). In 1921, in a vacant store on the corner of Longmeadow Street and Edgewood Avenue, the newly formed mission of St. Andrew's conducted its first services. Within one year, seventy families called St. Andrew's home and by 1923 acquired the land for building a new church. Money was raised by subscription among members; a building committee was appointed and an architect was hired to build a new church, which it was hoped would not exceed the cost of $30,000. 
There were four vicars of the mission church prior to the fifth vicar, Hadley Williams, who in 1945 became the first rector, as St. Andrew's became a parish of the Diocese, having retired all debt related to the building of the church. Through the 1940s and 1950s, St. Andrew's continued to grow in families and program. The parish house was built in two stages, and was completed in 1954. In 1961, shortly after the arrival of the Rev. Thomas Schmidt as rector, the parish began the process of building a new church structure to tie together the parish house and the old stone church which the parish was outgrowing. On February 24, 1963, the parish celebrated the completion of the new church. Since that time, the church, chapel and parish house have under-gone extensive renovations, including the addition of a columbarium that was dedicated on November 30, 1997.

Special Historical Note:  On March 21, 2009, St. Andrew's rector, the Rev. Larry Provenzano, was elected Bishop Coadjutor of the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island.  His ordination and consecration took place on September 19, 2009.  Many of the parish went to the Tilles Center at the C.W. Post University on Long Island for the festive and holy event.  Photos of the ceremony may be found by clicking here.