On College Avenue in College Park, two blocks from the University of Maryland campus, St. Andrew's Episcopal Church has served as a parish home for well over a century. The church describes itself as a welcoming and affirming congregation, and its location, music program, and slate of outreach ministries together shape much of what it is known for today.
Two Sunday Eucharists, Two Different Feels
Worship at St. Andrew's centers on two Sunday morning services, both of which include Holy Communion.
- 8:00 a.m. - Rite I Eucharist. A quiet, contemplative service with smaller attendance, typically lasting under an hour. The language comes from Rite One of the Book of Common Prayer, in the older English style associated with the King James Bible. Hymns are not usually sung, though the organist provides music throughout.
- 10:30 a.m. - Rite II Family Service with Choir. The larger of the two services, lasting about an hour and ten minutes. It uses the contemporary language of Rite Two and features congregational hymns, choral music from the Parish Choir, and accompaniment on the organ, piano, and other instruments.
Worship bulletins guide visitors through each service, and greeters stationed near the front doors are available to answer questions. Visitors are not singled out and may sit wherever they feel comfortable. Nursery care is available for children from birth through age two on Sunday mornings from 10:00 a.m. to noon.
Weekday Prayer and Contemplative Practice
Morning Prayer is said in the chancel each Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday at 8:00 a.m., with a 9:00 a.m. service on special feast days. The Tuesday-through-Thursday rhythm offers a way for parishioners to mark the middle of the week with the Daily Office. On Wednesdays at 9:30 a.m., a Centering Prayer group gathers for a weekly hour of silent, receptive meditative prayer. The church describes the group as an interdenominational small faith community that practices the Christian Centering Prayer method.
Music as a Signature Ministry
Music has long held a central place in the life of St. Andrew's. The church has been known for the beauty of its choral singing and the majestic sound of its organ for decades, and the Parish Choir, under the direction of organist and choirmaster David Houston, leads music at the 10:30 service each Sunday and at special feast days, Holy Week, and occasional Evensongs. The choir's repertoire ranges from Renaissance motets and grand English anthems to American spirituals and contemporary sacred works, including pieces from composers such as Palestrina, C.H.H. Parry, Alice Parker, and Cecilia McDowall.
The Parish Choir has sung during services at the Washington National Cathedral and traveled to Norwich, England, where it served as choir in residence at the cathedral for a week. The parish also maintains a handbell choir that performs on special services and a children and youth choir that rehearses on Sunday afternoons.
The organ itself carries its own history. The original pipe organ was installed in 1930 and led by Helen Bellman for thirty-five years. A succession of organist-choirmasters followed, including Mark Conrad, whose choir sang Evensong at Washington National Cathedral and served as choir in residence at Westminster Abbey in 1985. In 1987, Frederick Bahr became organist and choirmaster; he was instrumental in installing the present organ, dedicated in September 1990 as part of the church's centennial celebration. Dr. Dale Krider led the music program from 2000 until his retirement in 2015. David Houston assumed the role in 2016 and has continued to expand the program, building partnerships with the University of Maryland School of Music, the National Orchestral Institute, and the Rockville Brass Band, and hosting concerts throughout the year.
Formation for Children, Youth, and the Curious
Children at St. Andrew's grow in faith through KidSpark, the Sunday school program for children in pre-K through fifth grade, offered most Sundays of the school year during the 10:30 service. Children process out shortly after the start of worship and return in time for Holy Communion. For children who prefer to stay in the pew, activity bags are available near the front doors and children's Bibles are located in the pew racks. A "soft space" in the side room to the right of the front doors offers books, soft toys, and rocking chairs for families with the youngest children.
Youth in grades six through twelve gather as a youth group for regular meetings, special events, service projects, and just-for-fun activities. Participation is also intended to prepare older youth for confirmation in high school.
For adults, the parish offers a steady rhythm of classes, book chats, and discussion groups throughout the year, both in person and virtually. Recent studies have included The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Plenty Good Room by Marilyn Thornton, along with studies of the parish's own stained glass clerestory windows depicting the parables of Jesus and the Psalms.
The Humble Walk and the University Connection
St. Andrew's location two blocks from the University of Maryland shapes a significant part of its ministry. The parish welcomes UMD students, faculty, and staff into its worshipping community and collaborates with The Humble Walk, a Lutheran-Episcopal campus ministry serving UMD students. The Humble Walk, led by the Rev. Ray Ranker, meets for a weekly meal and worship on Sundays from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at Hope Lutheran Church on Guilford Drive.
Outreach in the Wider Community
The parish describes its outreach as a direct expression of its faith. Several partnerships and programs define this work:
- Community Meal - Loaves and Fishes. A free, hearty hot lunch served in the Parish Hall on the first Sunday of each month from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Whether someone is experiencing tough times or simply looking for company and a meal, all are invited.
- The Blessing Box. A small pantry at the entry to the St. Andrew's parking lot stocked with non-perishable food items, available for donation or for those who need food assistance.
- Jubilee Commission. The commission identifies local and global needs, advises leadership on how to allocate designated funds for development, relief, and community support, and maintains a resource list of local organizations offering help. Each year the commission sets a focus; the current priority is communities impacted by federal workforce reductions, policy changes, and migrant deportation efforts.
- Absalom Jones Day. St. Andrew's joins the Episcopal Diocese of Washington and the Union of Black Episcopalians in honoring Absalom Jones, the first African American Episcopal priest, with a festal worship celebration that includes a special offering for the Bishop John T. Walker School for Boys in Washington, D.C.
- Creation Care Ministry. Members of the parish support one another in living sustainably at home and at church, enjoying the wonders of God's creation, and sharing the message of protecting the natural world.
- Congregations United for Compassion and Empowerment (CUCE). St. Andrew's is one of more than twenty congregations supporting CUCE, which among other services runs the PG Plaza Day Center for individuals experiencing homelessness. The Day Center is open Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1:00 to 6:00 p.m. and offers a hot meal, showers, laundry, and addiction-recovery support.
- Episcopal Relief and Development. The parish supports ERD, which partners with local organizations around the world to support communities in need and respond to disasters.
Additional mission partners include the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem, Seabury Resources for Aging, Bread for the World, and Langley Park-McCormick Elementary School.
What Episcopalians Believe
St. Andrew's offers a clear statement of belief rooted in the Christian tradition. Members follow Jesus and gather regularly to worship, pray, learn, care for others, pursue justice, and steward creation. The sacraments of baptism and communion are central, and in baptism the church welcomes infants, children, and adults. In communion (also called Holy Communion, Holy Eucharist, the Mass, or the Lord's Supper), the parish experiences what it describes as the loving, redeeming, and transforming presence of Jesus.
The parish is part of the Episcopal Church, a denomination of more than 1.5 million members in approximately 6,500 congregations across the United States, the Caribbean, and Central America, and through it of the Anglican Communion, a worldwide family of about 85 million Christians in more than 165 countries. The parish affirms that all people are welcome regardless of age, gender, race, ethnicity, family status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other label. All couples, regardless of sexual orientation and gender, may be married at St. Andrew's, provided one person in the couple is a baptized Christian and the ceremony is Christian in nature.
Weddings, Baptisms, and Funerals
Couples interested in being married at St. Andrew's are asked to contact the church at least six months in advance. A funeral planning guide is available to help families through the arrangements, and the parish describes funerals and memorial services as both a time to mourn and a celebration of resurrection and the promise of eternal life. Baptisms of infants and children are typically administered on four Sundays each year: Baptism of the Lord Sunday (January), Easter, Pentecost, and All Saints Sunday. Adults seeking baptism enter a catechumenate that generally runs from September through June, with baptism administered at Easter. The Episcopal Church recognizes baptisms performed in other Christian churches, and once baptized, a person is not baptized again.
Stewardship and Giving
The 2026 pledge theme at St. Andrew's is "Together met, together bound," drawn from the hymn I Come with Joy to Meet My Lord. The phrase captures the parish's identity as a people of faith gathered by Christ in love and sent out to serve as signs of that love in the world. Giving options include one-time and recurring gifts through an online giving platform, with designated funds for the annual pledge, general offerings, the rector's discretionary fund, a building endowment, the Bellman Music Fund, altar flowers, and a longstanding tradition of birthday and anniversary offerings supporting two children in a developing nation.
Visitors, Parking, and Accessibility
The church sits at 4512 College Avenue in College Park. Parking is available in the church parking lot, accessible from Yale Avenue on the west side or Princeton Avenue on the east side. During special services or large events the lot may fill; when that happens, free additional parking is available on Sundays in the parking garage above Ledo's Pizza on Knox Road at Yale Avenue, two blocks from the church. The building is accessible via a ramp from the Yale Avenue parking lot, and a lift provides access to events in the parish hall, including coffee hour after the 10:30 service.
The church office is open Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., and by appointment. Sunday services are livestreamed on YouTube for those unable to attend in person.
The People Who Lead
The parish is led by the Rev. Michael P. Barham, Rector, and the Rev. Lesley W. Krauland, Deacon. David Houston serves as Associate for Music and Liturgy. Leslie Reinhardt serves as Parish Administrator.
Becoming Part of the Parish
Membership is not required to participate in worship or other activities. The first step toward membership is to spend time getting to know the congregation, the Episcopal Church, and the Christian faith by worshipping and participating in parish events. When someone becomes a member, they promise to follow Jesus and to support the life and ministry of the congregation with their presence, prayers, service, and giving. The congregation, in turn, promises to welcome and support the new member as they seek to grow in faith.