St. Andrew's Episcopal Church sits on Sydenstricker Road in Burke, Virginia, in the southeast corner of Fairfax County. Most of its members live in Burke, Springfield, and Fairfax Station, with others commuting from Fairfax, Woodbridge, and Alexandria. The parish describes itself as a Christian community dedicated to worship and proclaiming God's love, to growing spiritually, and to serving others through outreach, prayer, education, and fellowship. Its mission statement adds a single, clear welcome: "We welcome all - no matter who you are, where you find yourself in life, your thoughts about God or the Church - to join us."
The church belongs to the Diocese of Virginia, a community of more than 80,000 baptized members served by 425 clergy in 182 congregations across 38 counties and several cities of central, northern, and northwestern Virginia. The diocese is also home to Virginia Theological Seminary, the largest Anglican seminary in the world. Through the diocese, St. Andrew's is part of The Episcopal Church and, through it, of the Anglican Communion, looking to the Archbishop of Canterbury for spiritual unity with nearly 80 million Anglicans in over 165 countries.
From a Cafeteria to a Nave, with Help from Two Racehorses
St. Andrew's was organized as a mission of St. Christopher's, Springfield, in November 1972. For its first two years the parish had no permanent clergy. Mission services were led by clergy and lay readers from St. Christopher's, a local Army chaplain named Alan Brown, and faculty from Virginia Theological Seminary, notably the Rev. Reginald Fuller.
The first worship service was held at Burke Elementary School on December 3, 1972. Forty-five people attended. The name "St. Andrew's" was chosen because that first Sunday fell closest to November 30, the feast day of Saint Andrew. Worship continued at Burke Elementary through 1974. In October 1974 the Rev. Randall Prior became St. Andrew's first full-time vicar, and the congregation grew quickly. Services moved to Orange Hunt Elementary School in December 1974.
The early years left their mark in the building still in use. The altar in the Prior Chapel was built and constructed by one of the early members, Lee Overson, originally for use at Orange Hunt School, and it also served as a storage unit for the nascent church during the week.
Two famous racehorses played an unexpected role in the construction of the present church. Secretariat, the 1973 Triple Crown winner, and Riva Ridge, who missed the Triple Crown by a single race in 1972, were owned by Christopher Chenery, whose stable near Ashland, Virginia, was at St. James-the-Less Episcopal Church. A bequest from Chenery, combined with the racing success of the two horses, allowed St. James to lend $100,000 to the Diocesan Mission Society. That loan helped fund the initial construction phase of the Sydenstricker Road property. Bishop John A. Baden broke ground on January 21, 1978. Construction of the new nave and education wing began in December 1983 and was completed in March 1985. The St. Andrew's Episcopal Preschool welcomed its first youngsters to the new classrooms in September of that year.
Randall Prior served St. Andrew's for 37 years before retiring in 2010. The Rev. Gary Goldacker served as interim rector while the parish conducted its first search for a new leader. The Rev. Tim Heflin became the second rector in September 2012 and served until April 2019, when he was called back to Louisiana. The Rev. Rosemari Sullivan arrived as interim in July 2019 and was joined by Deacon Stephen Crippen in August. After her term ended in early 2020, the Rev. Ed Miller arrived as the next interim rector in April 2020. The Rev. William L. Packard was called as Priest-in-Charge on July 5, 2020. At the Annual Meeting on February 13, 2022, the Vestry called Packard to become St. Andrew's third Rector. He was officially installed on May 15, 2022.
The Rector, Associate Rector, Deacon, and Minister of Music
The Rev. Will Packard came to St. Andrew's from St. David's in Ashburn, Virginia, with a focus on youth formation, worship, and pastoral care. A graduate of Sewanee: The University of the South and of Virginia Theological Seminary, he previously worked for the Diocese of Virginia as clerk to the Rt. Rev. Peter James Lee and in downtown D.C. for The Pew Charitable Trusts. He and his wife Paige and their two daughters, Emma and Libby, live in Burke.
Maria serves as Associate Rector with a focus on children, youth, and families. A graduate of the University of Virginia in Studio Art and Religious Studies, she first sensed a call to priesthood while serving as a counselor at Shrine Mont Summer Camps. She later explored that call through the Episcopal Service Corps in St. Louis and went on to Berkeley Divinity School at Yale. Before coming to St. Andrew's she served for two years as Assistant Rector at St. Anne's Episcopal Church in Reston, where she helped cultivate a vibrant children and youth program, a dynamic adult formation team, and a deeply relational food pantry ministry.
Deacon Susie Harding was assigned to St. Andrew's by the Rt. Rev. E. Mark Stephenson, Bishop of Virginia, in December 2024, and was commissioned as an Archdeacon of the Diocese of Virginia. She was formed in the first cohort of St. Phoebe School for Deacons and serves as an adult leader for the Triangle of Hope Youth Pilgrimage and as a member of the Ministry of Racial Justice and Healing. In the Episcopal Church, deacons are called to a special ministry of servanthood under the bishop, representing Christ and the Church by serving the poor, the sick, and the marginalized.
Alan Moser accepted a call as Minister of Music, Organist, and Choirmaster effective September 1, 2025. A pianist, organist, and vocalist, Moser concluded more than a dozen years as Director of Music at St. James' Episcopal Church at Mount Vernon. A retired U.S. Navy captain, he holds a degree in organ performance from Northern Virginia Community College and a Master of Music in Church Music from Shenandoah University, and is pursuing a Doctorate in Pastoral Music at the Perkins School of Theology of Southern Methodist University. He and his wife live in Springfield, Virginia.
Worship Across Four Days
The worship of God lies at the very heart of parish life and ministry at St. Andrew's. The focus of every gathering is the Holy Eucharist, also known as Communion, when the congregation remembers the final meal Jesus shared with his disciples on the night before he died. All services use the practices and theology of the Book of Common Prayer.
Sunday brings two celebrations. At 8:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist: Rite I is a spoken service with traditional language and communion. At 10:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist: Rite II is a family-friendly service with music, contemporary language, and communion. Greeters and ushers are on hand to answer questions and direct families to childcare.
Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. brings a spoken Holy Eucharist: Rite II with contemporary language and communion in the Chapel, followed at 10:30 a.m. by Bible Study in the Conference Room.
Saturday evenings at 6:00 p.m. rotate through five different forms. The 1st and 5th Saturdays are Evening Prayer, a more contemplative liturgy. The 2nd and 4th Saturdays are Holy Eucharist: Rite II, a spoken service with contemporary language and communion. The 3rd Saturday is Taizé, a meditative service of short prayers, readings, and repetitive music under candlelight.
Most Sundays, members gather for coffee in the Parish Hall after each service and stay for an Adult Forum at 11:30 a.m. that explores current events, scripture, and church life. Bible Study also meets at 9:00 a.m. on Sunday mornings in the Conference Room, between the two services.
Spirituals, Handel, Jazz, and Tallis
Music is an essential part of the worship and fellowship life of St. Andrew's. The Adult Choir leads music for the 10:00 a.m. Sunday service and on great holy days, singing a repertoire that ranges from spirituals to Handel to jazz to Tallis. Their season includes seasonal evensongs and collaborations with local musicians in concert. Rehearsals happen on Thursdays from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. and Sunday mornings before the 10:00 a.m. service.
During the summer, the Summer Choir opens the doors to anyone who would like to try the experience of singing with the Adult Choir without a weeknight rehearsal. Sunday morning rehearsals at 9:00 a.m. are followed by the service. Summer also welcomes instrumentalists, and in past seasons the parish has had violinists, saxophone players, harpists, and singers all offer their gifts in worship.
The Youth Choir is currently on break, with plans to re-establish the program. In the meantime, every third Saturday the Taizé Group sings simple chants under candlelight, accompanied by silence and prayer, to focus the mind and soothe the spirit.
Friends of Music and the Arts
FoMA - Friends of Music and the Arts at St. Andrew's - is the parish's outreach mission to the wider community. Each season FoMA offers a series of musical events free to the public, opening the worship space with its excellent acoustic design, adjustable lighting, and stained glass to the cultural life of Burke and the surrounding area. Past performers have included Patrick Lundy and the Ministers of Music, the Da Capo Chamber Players, guitarist Rupert Boyd, and organist Simon Jacobs. FoMA also supports local mission partners with benefit concerts and occasionally funds music for revivals and workshops. Contributions are tax-deductible, with donors recognized in event programs for a year. Sponsorship tiers run from Friend (up to $49) to Benefactor ($3,000 and up).
A Three-Manual Pipe Organ in a Parish Built for Acoustics
St. Andrew's is home to a three-manual, 46-rank DiGennaro-Hart pipe organ completed in August 2011. The instrument is built around Reuter #1355, acquired from St. John's Episcopal Church, Norwood Parish, in Silver Spring, Maryland, where it had been removed during a nave renovation. Organ builder Michael Hart and tonal designer Lawrence Trupiano of Mann & Trupiano in Brooklyn, New York, significantly revised the Reuter specification by eliminating ranks that did not fit their concept, relocating others, and adding new ranks and a handful of digital voices. Reed restorer Samuel Hughes cleaned, restored, and revoiced the reeds, having previously done the same work on the immense Wanamaker organ in Philadelphia.
The layout was ingeniously designed to fit a large parish organ into the least amount of space while preserving seating in the nave. The instrument includes divisions for Swell, Great, Choir, and Pedal, with extensive couplers and a wide palette of stops ranging from a 32-foot Violone in the Pedal to a Cymbelstern in the Choir.
Stained Glass That Tells the Story of Salvation
Stained glass windows by long-time parishioner and artist Elizabeth Mears surround worshippers in the Nave and in the Prior Chapel. The final window was dedicated on June 14, 1994. The overall theme is the salvation history of the church, with each window carrying its own subject while being thematically linked by non-representational images. There is no painting on the glass, so the light entering the Nave is unobstructed. The committee for the project - Elizabeth Mears, the Rev. Randall Prior, Martha Turner, and Donna Osthaus - intended the windows to teach the story of salvation to children and to create a feeling of uplift and celebration. The glass is handblown and imported from Germany, France, and England.
In descending order, the north windows in the Nave depict the Resurrection, the Law and the Prophets, the Exodus, and the Creation. The east windows depict the Holy Spirit and the Life of the Church, the Passion, the Sacraments, and the Nativity. The two windows in the Prior Chapel are the Holy Cross and the Holy Spirit.
From Nursery to High School
St. Andrew's Christian Education program provides opportunities for children to learn, laugh, play, build friendships, and share in the love and fellowship of the faith and the church.
The Nursery and Pre-K class is staffed by a paid caregiver with experience in early childcare who has undergone a diocesan-required background check, assisted by a rotating roster of parent and teen volunteers. Parents sign children in upon arrival and indicate who will pick them up; sign-out is required at all times. The class is available year-round on Sunday mornings from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and, during the school year, remains available until 12:15 p.m.
Children's Chapel meets during the service. Children are invited to the altar to hear the Gospel reading, then process to the Parish Hall for prayers, songs, and a story or lesson about that day's Gospel.
Sunday School for K-2nd graders offers a Godly Play lesson, a music lesson from the organist-choirmaster, an introduction to the Episcopal faith, and an activity or craft. 3rd-5th graders use the Re-Form curriculum, with introductions to the Lord's Prayer, the Apostles' Creed, the Ten Commandments, the Sacraments, the Book of Common Prayer, and the feasts, fasts, and festivities of the church year. Both classes meet during the school year from 11:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.
Youth Ministry aspires to be a Christian Covenant Community in which young people may safely explore how they are called to follow Jesus. The main formation occurs on Sunday mornings between 11:30 and 12:15. Middle schoolers (6th-8th grade) follow Spark's Re:Form curriculum in an interactive media format. High schoolers (9th-12th grade) engage with a Faith and Film curriculum, using popular clips to explore questions of faith in daily life and the larger world. Confirmation class begins in 7th grade and uses the Confirm not Conform curriculum. Acolytes assist the clergy at Sunday services and special liturgies, lighting and extinguishing candles, carrying the processional cross and banners, and helping prepare the altar for Communion.
Throughout the year the parish also offers Vacation Bible School. Each week-long morning program, from 9:00 a.m. to noon, invites children to participate in Bible-learning activities, catchy songs, healthy snacks, and teamwork-building games.
Adult Forum, Sacred Ground, and Faith 250
Adults at St. Andrew's are invited into a rich program of formation. The Adult Forum meets on Sundays at 11:20 a.m. following the 10:00 a.m. service. Recent forums have included a Lenten series preparing parishioners for Baptism, Confirmation, Reaffirmation, and Reception, with sessions on the Book of Common Prayer, Church History 101, Prayer, the Sacraments, the Ministry of the Baptized, and the Service of Confirmation.
Sacred Ground is a film- and readings-based dialogue series on race, grounded in faith. The 10-part series is built around an online curriculum of documentary films and readings focused on Indigenous, Black, Latino, and Asian/Pacific American histories as they intersect with European American histories, weaving in threads of family story, economic class, and political and regional identity. Small groups walk through chapters of America's history of race and racism together.
Lent Soup Suppers gather the parish on Sunday evenings during Lent for a shared meal and "Testimonies of Faith," when parishioners and others share a story of faith with the congregation.
Faith 250 brings St. Andrew's together with approximately thirteen different communities of faith in the area to examine the "Scriptures of our country" in a faithful, communal way, with gatherings rotating among the host congregations.
Bible Study meets on Wednesday mornings from 10:30 to 11:45 a.m. and on Sunday mornings at 9:00 a.m., the latter based on that morning's scripture readings. A Foundations Class prepares adults for Confirmation, Reception, or simply a closer look at the history and spiritual life of the church.
From Burke to Honduras and the Holy Land
St. Andrew's commitment to service reaches beyond the boundaries of its own church family. The parish describes its outreach as providing food for the hungry, housing for the homeless, school supplies for children, and fostering goodwill among people of different faiths and beliefs in the farthest corners of the globe.
In Honduras, St. Andrew's supports El Hogar Ministries, which operates three schools: the Home of Love and Hope elementary school in Tegucigalpa; St. Mary's Technical Institute in the Amarateca Valley, where teenagers train in carpentry, electricity, and welding; and the El Hogar high school for girls in Santa Lucia. The parish sponsors a child in the school with an annual financial donation and has, in the past, sent short-term mission trips to Tegucigalpa.
Across the Atlantic, St. Andrew's supports four programs in the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem through the American Friends of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem (AFEDJ). The diocese serves approximately 7,000 members under the Right Reverend Suheil Dawani, Bishop of Jerusalem, with schools, hospitals, and churches in Palestine, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria. St. Andrew's provides scholarship support to the Arab Evangelical Episcopal School in Ramallah and has re-initiated its long-time support for a senior living center in Bir Zeit. The parish also supports Episcopal Relief and Development, which has responded on the ground to tornadoes in Oklahoma and Hurricane Sandy in New Jersey and New York.
FACETS, ECHO, ESOL, and a Week of Hypothermia Shelter
Closer to home, St. Andrew's is a founding partner of several Fairfax-area ministries. Teams of about 68 parishioners share the work of shopping, setting up, cooking, and delivering 100-125 meals on the first and fourth Saturdays of each month for FACETS, which serves homeless individuals in motels or on the streets. Each December, the FACETS Giving Tree invites parish families to fill the holiday "wish lists" of FACETS clients.
ECHO - Ecumenical Community Helping Others - operates with an all-volunteer staff to help those in the Burke-Springfield community struggling with long-term poverty or an overwhelming emergency. St. Andrew's collects clothing and household items, donates school supplies, conducts an annual food drive, and prepares Thanksgiving baskets. The preschool holds a special Christmas collection for ECHO's Holiday Shop.
English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) meets on Tuesday mornings from 9:30 to 11:00 a.m. in the Parish Hall, following the Fairfax County Public Schools calendar for holidays and weather closings. There is a one-time registration fee of ten dollars. Beginning, intermediate, and advanced classes draw a diverse student body from Asia, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and South and Central America.
Each winter the parish hosts a Hypothermia Prevention Program, welcoming approximately 50 guests each night for a week of food, fellowship, and shelter.
The Lay Ministries of a Working Parish
The day-to-day life of St. Andrew's depends on a long roster of lay ministries. The Altar Guild prepares everything needed at the altar for the celebration of Eucharist, baptism, weddings, and funerals. The Flower Guild arranges altar flowers (given as memorials or thanksgivings and printed in the service bulletins) and decorates the church for Christmas and Easter. The Prayer Guild prays for those on the intercessory list and for every member of the congregation.
Eucharistic Ministers serve at the altar, assisting clergy with the wine during Communion and, when needed, reading scripture. Eucharistic Visitors take Communion following the service to the homebound or those in hospital. Lectors continue the ancient tradition of public scripture reading. Sunday Greeters provide a welcome to guests, newcomers, and parishioners. The Visitation Team delivers a bag of bread and a welcome packet to recent visitors. The Support Committee delivers home-cooked meals to parishioners or newcomers in need. Ushers hand out bulletins, welcome guests, and point the way to classrooms.
The Grounds Ministry tends several garden and woodland areas, including the Memorial Garden behind the church - where parishioners and their immediate family members are interred - the Richardson Memorial, the altar and path in the woods, the church entrance, and the beds in front of the church and around the Old Keene Mill Road sign. The property was expanded by two acres purchased in 2014, with a parish-wide discernment process to determine how the new land might serve both the parish and the broader community.
The Preschool on Sydenstricker Road
St. Andrew's Episcopal Preschool opened in September 1985 in the new classrooms of the completed education wing. Tami Phillips became preschool director in fall 2019, having served as Discovery Room Teacher for seven years before that. The preschool is administered by the Rector in consultation with a board of ten members drawn from the Vestry, parishioners, parents, and the wider community, meeting quarterly. The preschool operates as a ministry of St. Andrew's to the community, with separate tuition and a Board that determines its budget and fees.
Weddings, Baptisms, Funerals, and the Faithful Departed
Baptism is the ancient sacrament by which one becomes a Christian and a member of the larger, universal Church. Baptism is offered throughout the year on specific Sundays, as arranged by the clergy, and all parents desiring baptism for a child must meet with one of the clergy beforehand.
Weddings follow the Book of Common Prayer. A wedding at St. Andrew's is celebrated as a holy union in which vows are made before God and the gathered community, and the grace and blessing of God is received to help fulfill them. Marriage is one of the Church's sacraments.
Reconciliation, or Confession, is the sacrament in which forgiveness is personalized for a parishioner who acknowledges sinfulness, is penitent, and seeks the specific absolution of God as mediated through the Church.
The funeral or service for the dead is an Easter liturgy. Three forms are offered: a funeral with the body present (either in a coffin or as ashes in an urn), usually held within a few days of death; a graveside service, often following the funeral directly; and a memorial service without the mortal remains present. All are based on the funeral service in the Book of Common Prayer and are planned with one of the clergy.
Stewardship, the Endowment, and the Capital Campaign
St. Andrew's understanding of giving rests on a simple notion: all that members have is a gift from God, and what they give is a way of returning what they never truly owned. Members are invited to pledge a tithe of their income or commit to a program of increased giving that leads to the tithe. Each year the final formulation of the annual budget is delayed until after the fall stewardship program, ensuring that stewardship reflects the congregation's commitment to advancing the ministry of the church rather than merely funding a preconceived budget.
The 2008-2010 "Ministry for Tomorrow" capital campaign raised $1.6 million to renovate the Nave, Narthex, and Chapel; install the new pipe organ; and establish a fund to purchase two acres of property adjacent to the church. The parish purchased that property in 2014.
The Endowment Fund, established by the Vestry, generates income for capital needs, outreach ministries and grants, education and worship ministries, seed money for new ministries, and special projects. Distributions are designed for the long-term support of the parish and will not replace operating funds. Gifts of cash, publicly traded securities, and (with Vestry approval) real and personal property may be made to the fund, which is managed by the Trustees of the Funds in accordance with uniform legal and financial principles.
Planning a First Visit
First-time visitors to St. Andrew's will find greeters and ushers ready to answer questions and direct families to childcare. As you enter the campus, most of the parking is in the rear of the property, behind the church. The parish office is open Monday through Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and the building itself is alive throughout the week - with Tuesday morning ESOL classes in the Parish Hall, Thursday evening choir rehearsals in the Nave, weekday AA meetings in the Conference Room and MPR, and Saturday evening worship rotating between the Chapel and the Nave.
Services are livestreamed on YouTube, and Sunday morning sermons, parish announcements, and formation offerings are detailed in the Weekly NET newsletter, sent out each Wednesday. The church calendar is available as a subscription through Google Calendar, iCalendar, Outlook, and an .ics export.
For more information, the parish can be reached at 6509 Sydenstricker Road, Burke, Virginia 22015; by telephone at (703) 455-2500; and by email at admin@standrews.net.