A Brief History
St.
Andrew’s, a predominantly white
congregation was founded in 1829. St. Matthew’s,
a predominantly black congregation, was founded
in 1846. The two had a long history of shared
experiences and ministry, beginning with
worship as two different churches in the
same building.
Both churches had a strong commitment to social justice. St. Andrew’s provided meals and shelter for the homeless. St. Matthew’s founded Wilmington’s first job-training center and a program that guarantees college admission and tuition to 48 middle school students from Wilmington’s east side. Together they established a ministry for the homeless called Sojourner’s Place.
In 1991, St. Andrew’s approached St. Matthew’s about “doing things together.” This began with joint services on Palm Sunday. Conversations between the two rectors moved to conversations between the vestries, and, in 1993, St. Matthew’s informed St. Andrew’s that its members were open to more in-depth conversation about forming a New Covenant Community. All agreed such a step must bring both witness and strength to Wilmington. They created a new entity “grounded in Christian fellowship, racial diversity, and advocacy for justice.” The new entity was admitted to the diocese as a parish in 1996. Ten years later, in 2006, we celebrated our 10th anniversary with a banquet, a walk back to the old St. Matthew's, and with many other festivities and services.
Today
the combined congregation worships in the
church St. Andrew’s built in
1840 to replace an earlier structure
destroyed by fire. Although some alterations
have been made, and parish and church school
facilities added, the original building has
not been greatly modified architecturally.
Its tiny churchyard is the only remaining
burial spot in center city Wilmington.
This brief history appeared in the 1999 calendar
published
by the National Episcopal Historians and Archivists.
If you have a question or comment, please contact us.
The
Episcopal Church of Saints Andrew and Matthew
719 North Shipley Street, Wilmington,
DE 19801
Voice: (302) 656-6628
copyright 2002-2008 The Episcopal Church of Saints Andrew and Matthew