We sing our faith...
... because "Those who sing pray twice"

What are we doing when we worship God? Not sitting passively in a pew soaking up information about religion. We are opening ourselves to be shaped by God's Spirit. And we are expressing our heart's joy at how wonderful the Holy One is!

Our worship music is one of the best means to do both -- to let ourselves be formed as trusting followers of Jesus' Way, and to express delight in the wonderfulness of God.

St. Andrew's carries on its heritage of excellent choral music, but is expanding it to include contemporary worship from new composers in the United Church and kindred denominations, with our new Minister of Music, Karen Nell Bennett. St. Andrew's aims for a broad "buffet" that includes different tastes. Our Music Vision expresses our core values about this [see below].

Our worship music groups:

Senior Choir
The Senior Choir, led by Karen Nell Bennett, has a well-deserved reputation for excellence, attracting worshippers and singers alike.

Children singing
Intermittently throughout the year we organize children's music for special services.

Andy's Bigtime Bible Boogie Band
Our very own "house band" joins us on SpiritLift Sundays - the second Sunday of each month - to bring a lively spirit to our morning worship. AB4, as we call them, involve us in worship music being written by contemporary musicians of the United Church and similar denominations.

Other music
St. Andrew's is also blessed to have many talented musicians in the congregation who share their talents with us, not only in worship services, but in concerts and fellowship programs all year long. If you are interested in any of the music programs listed here, we invite you to contact the Church Office at (403)259-4080.

Our music vision Core Values

God is worshipped in our music at St. Andrew's when we touch people's hearts, create a sense of joy, comfort and hope, and ground our music in our Christian faith. Furthermore, our music program seeks to deepen our sense of community within our congregation because we believe that it is in the communal experience of singing our faith that we experience a sense of belonging in God's world. In order to achieve this vision, we commit to:

Focus on our Christian mission

• - To be clearly linked to the total worship experience
• - To challenge us to action
• - To voice our beliefs
• - To attract others

Greater participation

• - To deepen and enrich our congregation's ability to "sing its faith" using a variety of traditional and contemporary music
• - To find ways to invite our own musicians to answer their call to ministry by sharing their gifts of music with the congregation
• - To use appropriate technology and music resource material

Diversity

• - To augment and broaden our music
• - To offer a variety of musical styles, instrumentation and rhythms
• - To use both traditional and non-traditional sources

More music-making

• - To offer a wide range of short-term opportunities for music-making, e.g. one-shot special musical events, jamming sessions, "Try-us-out" rehearsals, etc.
• - To have all ages and skill levels feel at ease in our music-making

High quality

• - To continue presenting our music program with an integrity which is true to the essence of the music style being used
• - To include all ages and skill levels with support towards their musical growth
• - To look to our professional music leadership for guidance and the implementation of this vision

Infants, Children and Youth

We welcome and enjoy infants, children and youth in our worship service. Our infant, children and youth programs provide a safe and welcoming environment to explore, learn and practice their belief in God and Faith.

Nursery
We have a Nursery for children under three years old. If parents wish, you may drop your child off or stay with your child, whether it is to nurse, change diapers, assist with separation, or to enjoy the service together. (A loudspeaker connects this room to the worship service upstairs.)

S.T.E.P.S. Children's Program
(Stories Told Experienced Practiced Shared) Our preschoolers through to Grade 6 are welcome to join our S.T.E.P.S. Program where children are guided in Bible stories and lessons. With activity centers designed with their age group in mind, children strength their understanding of the concepts being taught through Art, Cooking, Movement & Music, Multi-Media, Drama, Science, Games and more! Check out S.T.E.P.S. Corner for what is happening this month. See you at S.T.E.P.S. Place!

Youth
Our Youth Ministry provides a safe and accepting environment for teens to explore, learn and practice their belief in God, their Christian Faith and their Christian lifestyle.

• * Junior Youth (Grades 7 - 9) & Senior Youth (Grades 10 - 12), gather Sunday mornings for a time of spiritual education & worship and following Pathway's Fridays for Youth Only from 9:00 to 11:00 pm for fun and games, fellowship and community building.
• * Following the First Sunday of the Month, Junior Youth stay for lunch and a special programmed event. Plan to stay for the fun!
• * Senior Youth meet another Friday evening a month for a fun evening filled with program, fellowship and of course snacks!

For more information please contact the Youth Minister and/or the Children & Families Minister through the Church Office at (403)259-4080.