Parish History

St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church began as a mission of the Church of the Advent in 1902. After a tornado destroyed its sanctuary on Maundy Thursday in 1913, the parish constructed its present building, dedicated in 1920. Although the church flourished, it never had the financial resources available to larger and more affluent Episcopal parishes in Birmingham.

The parish began to cultivate an Anglo-Catholic identity during the 1940s. In 1950, the Communion service replaced Morning Prayer as the principal Sunday liturgy. This generated controversy and opposition in the diocese, but provided a distinctive identity that may have enabled the parish to survive after many white middle class residents moved from Southside to the suburb during the 1960s and 1970s.

Meanwhile, the parish became engaged in social activism, which remains one of its principal characteristics. Many parishioners and two rectors participated in the Civil Rights Movement, and the parish promoted programs to assist mentally challenged adults and feed the hungry. A cauldron of soup prepared by a rector one day during the 1970s for homeless persons evolved into Community Kitchens, which serves meals every day of the year. In 2020, the parish opened St. Andy’s Pantry, which provides food for hundreds of persons every other week.

The parish was ahead of its time in encouraging women to have leadership roles and in welcoming LGBTQ persons. In 2015, the parish began conducting same-gender weddings, and in 2018 it became the first parish in the diocese to have an openly gay rector, who also was African American. In 2021, it welcomed its first full-time woman priest, as interim rector. As UAB grew, the parish increasingly became involved in campus ministries and provided space for Trinity Commons, a residential facility for students, which opened in 2007.

The parish has successfully addressed the challenges of maintaining an aging campus despite limited financial resources. In 1988, it built a large parish hall for offices, classrooms, dining, and conferences. Parishioners raised more than a million dollars for sanctuary renovations which were completed in 2005. More recently, the parish refurbished its organ, which has enhanced the high quality of music for which St. Andrew’s long has been renowned.

The parish recently has benefited from the continuing revitalization of its neighborhood, which includes diverse types of housing, small businesses, UAB, and numerous health-care facilities.