St. Andrew Church—Building a Welcoming Community in Portland's King Neighborhood

Many of us have seen St. Andrew Church on Northeast Alberta Street at 8th—its tall spires and ornate door details announce a welcoming call to all in the neighborhood and beyond. Its mission is to serve as a "visible presence of Christ in our culturally and racially diverse neighborhood"; how the parishioners actually accomplish this is through serious and committed work "with the poor, the powerless, and the oppressed for the liberation of all; to seek justice, compassion, and peace in our lives, community and world."

Programs at St. Andrew

Outreach programs at St. Andrew serve over 7000 people a year. As a neighbor with friends who attend this church, I've seen and experienced their mission at work—through various events and activities, services and programs offered to the community, and not just for the parishioners. Their tenant, the Nativity School, not only provides a middle school curriculum to low income kids of all faiths but offers weekly tutoring to 12 to 20 participants from the nearby King School, one of the poorest around. (80% of King School students are recipients of the free/reduced lunch program; 100% of those at the Nativity School receive free lunches.) The tutoring program is truly helping to close the achievement gap in academics, most notably seen between the 5th and 6th grades.

Then, there's the emergency services center that provides neighbors with all sorts of aid including fresh produce programs with Oregon Food Bank like Harvest Share and Community Basket. A whopping 95% of those served through emergency services are not parishioners, which totally reinforces the positive, local impact of this program that clearly reaches beyond church walls.

St. Andrew Legal Clinic provides access to quality legal services to low income families. Open since 1979, this special group not only counsels in the area of family law but hosts community events like the annual and beloved Race For Justice. This lively 5k walk/run attracts hundreds of participants, encourages team spirit, raises thousands of dollars for the center, and even ends with a great post-race pizza party.

There are plenty of annual fundraisers and events at St. Andrew, and also many community groups connected with the parish, groups that focus on spiritual growth and learning, social justice issues, and even the environment. When I first moved to town, I joined the small but lively group devoted to learning about and reducing our carbon footprint in two months' time. The group was fun, interested in change, and welcoming of newbies, even those of us not affiliated with the congregation.

What I particular commend about St. Andrew is that the parish reaches out to people from all walks of life. At mass you'll find young families and older couples; gay and lesbian partners, and people of color. It's an all-inclusive group. More than half of the 765+ congregation is Hispanic, and in the 1990s the community established masses in both Spanish and Mayan, which continue today. The very make-up of St. Andrew parishioners creates a unique asset within our community.

Watershed Moments

The St. Andrew community has named its many pivotal, challenging events from an established and interesting history as being Watershed Moments. Soon after its founding over 100 years ago, the church, school, hall, and convent were constructed. The current church building dates back to 1929, while the community center was constructed in 1962. After a fire in 1920, the school was expanded and rebuilt; another fire in 1975 initiated a campaign to rebuild the community center. This committed community now faces another critical point in its existence.

Enter the Capital Campaign

Because the church is so community-centric, it has outgrown its current facilities, in particular, the community center, and needs critical repairs and updates including ADA compliance and potential LEED certification. Its recent Capital Campaign is now 92% secure in its total funding to not only construct a new community services center from which the neighborhood safety net programs are run but also to make building improvements including a new kitchen, bathrooms, youth education facilities, improved landscaping, and an eco-roof. Aside from the roof, there are other green initiative features that will be implemented in the project design (and preparation): natural light and ventilation, stormwater management, and even a "save the plants" project culminating in a party to transplant all mature plants before construction begins.

Capital Campaign Coordinator Lisa Hatten explains: "We are building new space so we can better serve our community, and serve more efficiently, with dignity, and with an extended reach." With an operating budget of $2.38 million, over $800,000 came directly from parishioners. A very small group from St. Andrew's Hispanic community raised over $50,000 in cash, showing dedication to this priority in their lives. Other funding has been graciously awarded by Meyer Memorial Trust, with a $175,000 grant, Sisters of Holy Names, a City of Portland grant to fund the eco-roof, and $500,000 from a private family foundation. Hatten beams: "From the start of our campaign, anytime we needed a boost, it appeared." That boost also came in the form of hard work and dedication from the parishioners, 45 ambassadors engaged in home visits, and a committed steering committee of eight. A groundbreaking ceremony for the project is scheduled for Sunday, September 20 after morning mass at 11 a.m. Construction begins Monday morning with DiLoreto Architecture, LLC and Walsh Construction as general contractor.

The addition to both the church community and the neighborhood is exciting, to say the least. As St. Andrew improves its delivery of services and provides appropriate facilities to accommodate growth, it not only fulfills its mission but builds and strengthens its community. Our community.

[Correction: The tutoring program is actually a parish program not related to the Nativity School.]