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Looking for a Church Home? Get your questions answered here. |
| How can I tell if the United Church is the denomination for me? | We welcome newcomers but we know it can be difficult to
decide on the church that is best for you and your family. To start, you need to feel that the United Church is the right denomination for you. As part of your research, click on the icon at the  left, go to the United Church's website and browse a little and think a little. Then talk to others who are already members of a United Church and discover why they joined. You might be surprised at the variety of answers you get. Members come to this denomination for a great many reasons and feel accepted here for just who they are. That's a good foundation for spiritual growth. Does that sound like what you're looking for? |
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| Is FSA the right United Church for me? | The United Church represents the largest Protestant denomination in Canada but that doesn't mean that all the churches in our family have an identical approach to worship. Our tag line, "Where liberal theology meets the best of tradition," is meant to give you an idea of what to expect in terms of theology if you come to First-St. Andrew's: our theology is "progressive," open, inclusive and we worship in a gothic-style church-building with classical music . We believe this thinking is also reflected in our mission statement: "First-St. Andrew's United Church: an inclusive Christian family encouraging spiritual growth through Worship, friendship, learning and action."Liberal, or progressive Christianity, is a movement that values the questions of faith, the biblical scholarship of people like Marcus Borg, John Dominic Crossan, and John Shelby Spong, and respect for other faith traditions. If you want more information about the theology influencing on FSA, check out these websites: |
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| So, who's your minister? | The Rev. Dr. Kate Crawford is our Minister. She does most of the preaching on Sunday mornings. The Rev Tom Hiscock is also with us, temporarily on a half-time basis, while we sort out our future staffing needs. While he periodically preaches at Sunday service, he is also responsible for our Christian Education program. Exceptional music is what we're known for. This happens by design. We are one of the few United Church's in Canada to have a full time Director of Music. Paul Merritt ably leads us in all that we do in that respect. Trust us, you'll be impressed at the quality of our senior choir, handbells and string ensemble to say nothing of the special musical guests which inspire us week after week. We also have two children's choirs (see below) |
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| Where can I find you? |
Are you directionally challenged? Look for the yellow brick church with the imposing copper-clad spire. If you are from out of town and need more explicit directions to find the church, we suggest that you link to this Google Map. We certainly don't want any lost sheep! |
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| What's it like inside? | To the right is a view toward the chancel (from where the minister conducts the service) taken from the back of the church. Beautiful If you were to stand in the chancel, as our ministers do each Sunday,below and to the left is the view you would have. Here's where you can have some fun. Would you like to experience the feeling that you are actually standing in the church balcony and taking a sweeping 360-degree panoramic look at the church? Your wish is our command! Link here and follow the instructions. You'll see the whole church decked out in all its Christmas finery. |
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| Have you thought about people with physical limitations? | We have tried our best to eliminate barriers that might be a problem for those who want to join us. FSA is fully wheelchair and scooter accessible. Assistive hearing devices are available from the ushers. Also, just click on the link for details about the coming Sunday service (on the right) to get the next date when the service will be signed for the hearing-impaired. Besides street parking, there is parking directly behind the church and, on Sunday mornings, you can park in the lots behind the two office buildings (converted old homes) just north of the church as well, so you don't have to travel far to get in our door. | ||
| Tell me about your services | There's one Sunday service at 10:30 am. You don't have to dress up but most people wear what has come to be termed business attire. In the summertime we "go informal" and shorts and sandals are worn by many. | ||
| Is there a chance to mix and mingle after church? | During the regular year after service we gather downstairs in Proudfoot Hall for our "Coffee and Converstion" time where we get to meet and greet each other over coffee and fruit drinks for the kids. On special occasions there are special treats like cake and occasionally a little lunch. In the summer we go out on the front lawn for lemonade. | ||
| How can I get in on the "buzz" at FSA? | First of all, come on out and buzz right along with us. FSA people have a lot of talent and pizzazz. If you're a little shy at first, you can quickly sense what's happening currently by linking to FSA's quarterly newsletter, called Tidings. It's the "heartbeat" of what's "at the heart." You can also listen in on a few of our recent services by going to the "WORSHIP ARCHIVE" button at the top of the page. It's the next best thing to being there! |
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| Is there more to your church than a Sunday morning service? | You bet! Did you notice all the action under the heading "Church Life" on the right hand side of this page? There's something for everybody. The fastest way to feel a part of FSA is to get involved on one of our committees or a working groups such as the UCW. Look over to the right side of our pages and you will see a menu called "Committees of Council." Take a look at the information there and see if your special gifts and talents are represented. It's a great way to make new friends and get involved in worthwhile and rewarding activity at the same time. | ||
| What have you got that will get my children excited about church? |
The children in the montage to the left were part of our annual "Spirit Games" which are held in June. There arealso two choirs for youngsters, the Joyfuls and the Junior Joyfuls and they sing regularly at our Sunday services ... cherubs!! Your children are welcome to join up even if you're not a member. |
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| Why such an unusual moniker? |
We owe a lot to that sombre gentleman on the left, Rev Proudfoot. Get the whole story. |
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No problem! We're conveniently located at the corner of Waterloo and Queens Avenue right in the heart of downtown 
stained-glass windows surround us as we worship. As you can see, the church is designed with a centre aisle leading to the front of the church. Many a bride has made a grand sweep up this aisle to meet her groom! 
You will see that we have a balcony. You can sit up there and get a grand view of the whole church. FSA is a little different from many churches in that the organ is in the balcony (did you notice all those vertical pipes?) and the choir sings from up there also. The result is that when you sit downstairs there is a wonderful feeling of being bathed in music that wafts down from above. Some say it's the closest thing to being in heaven that they'll ever experience.
For instance, what on earth are these zany women on the right doing? That's for us to know and you to find out!
Check out the "CHILDREN/YOUTH" button on the menu at the top of this page. We have a staffed nursery for each Sunday morning service and Sunday School runs during the service. A Yourth Program is available during the service and there are special Youth events in addition.
We wondered when you'd get around to asking. You may have thought that we were "first" in a chain of St. Andrew's churches that were established across Canada over a hundred years ago: the startup location of a successful franchise, so to speak. Good guess but not so. 