A brief perspective of 'place' and 'history'

Peter Ruffles

Peter drew attention to the appropriateness of the day's occasion to Hertford Castle. The Castle has always seen St Andrew's as its connected church. The Castle was a royal place and there were bridges linking Castle and S.Andrew's. St Andrew's patron to this day is Her Majesty the Queen in her capacity as Duke of Lancaster.(All Saints has The Marquess Townshend.)
He then traced the histories of the church halls, spanning 120 years, and the equivalent drives in their time which priest and people had energised in order to develop the church's community work. He referred to the Christian Worship expressing a traditional Christian Faith. That tradition of serving care in the community transcending 'religion' in the ways which each succeeding age has been able to do as better social, medical, spiritual understanding has developed. Motivated by Christian faith and Worship, St Andrew's has historically reached out to Hertford people.

Peter described two earlier huge efforts. There had been no 'hall' before 1891 Then, the huge enterprise for the Parish was to provide a place for what the Victorian's called 'entertainments'. After a three day Bazaar on Christs Hospital Playing Fields culminating in an adventurous Balloon journey from the field, enough money was raised to build St Nicholas Hall and acquire the Verger's House (Both now Beckwith's antiques) The hall, preceding others in the town, became a whole town meeting and teaching place for young and old.

By the end of the 1960's upkeep of a listed building and a huge hall, had become a challenge. Then came the push for the present hall in the churchyard. It was paid for virtually by the sale price (£9,000) of the dilapidated and rotting St Nicholas Hall, but it was right for what the church then saw as its mission. The parish population had drifted to Sele Farm. The town centre population to other perimeters. The Hall (called a Vestry Extension), clean and light and adaptable, would serve the 'plant' needs at 'base' Other ministry would 'go to the people' without 'plant' where the people were. 'Entertainment' from the Victorian era, was not what we did in the 1970's when Peter was first Church Warden. The emphasis was on Sunday School, church teaching generally and socially,Mother's Union, Youth Clubs with a strong church association. This was a successful era, and many questing people from the community came to grow in a faith, through companionship.

Now, the spirit calls us to embrace more widely and to shelter many more. Health, well-being, spiritual development are better understood and the way the church can provide is clearer to us. So the vision of The St Andrew's Centre is born.

Extending the 'place' perspective, importantly, peter referred to our links with the StAndrew Street Traders and the many ways (beyond mere Shopping Therapy) in which we are connected. The St Andrew's Centre can complement the trade in the street (as well as compliment it).

Peter ended by just drawing again the management structure to people's attention. he mentioned the value of being overseen by a Trust which could conceivably continue to function beyond 'church' independently. He described Viv Thornton the first Operations and Development manager linked to both PCC and to Trustees, the current Churchwarden, as a key figure in future months to whom people could now relate.

Peter

Peter Ruffles, 27/06/2011

Hello and welcome to St Andrew's. If you are new, we have a page for you to get to know us and learn more about planning a visit.
Click here to see more.

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Planning your Visit

A Warm Hello

No one belongs here more than you.

We look forward to meeting you! Here's some information so that if you're planning a visit you know beforehand what to expect on a Sunday morning. We have other pages telling you more About Us, our approach to Faith and our Online services.

Where and When

We meet at the Church Building (details below) for our main Sunday Service starting at 10.30am. For your first visit, we recommend arriving 10-15 minutes early to ensure you find a parking space and can settle in before the service begins. When you arrive, you should be greeted by someone on our Welcome Team.

Plan your journey:
While, unfortunately, St Andrew's does not have its own carpark, there is a council-run pay and display carpark a short distance along St Andrew Street, to the east of the church; there is a £2 flat-rate charge for parking in this carpark on Sundays, Bank and Public Holidays.

This is a useful East Herts Council website page for full details of parking in Hertford.

There are single yellow lines outside the church with parking restrictions, but some 30-minute parking bays are situated on the opposite side of the road for short stays (longer on Sundays).

Open Google Maps

Accessibility: There is wheelchair access, and a sound loop for anyone who needs it. Please let one of the Welcome Team know on your arrival and they will help you to get set up. There is a disabled toilet towards the back of the church, behind the kitchen.

Our Service

The service will usually begin promptly at 10.30am and will last between 60 and 75 minutes. We enjoy the presence of an excellent choir who help us sing hymns (modern and traditional) as well as provide anthems and special songs through the period of communion. We have a traditional organ but also benefit from music played on the piano and by our band (eg on the Second Sunday of each month when we have an All-Age Service in which our children and young people are fully involved).

Each 10.30am service includes a sermon, prayers and eucharist.

After the service, everyone is invited for coffee and conversation - some like to stay for a quick chat while others remain in the church for a longer time.

Communion

Children and Young People

Children are never too young to come to church. You and your children are very welcome at St Andrew’s.

We really value worshipping God together as a family, so children stay with their parent or grown-up at the start of the service before being invited to leave for the young people's activities after the first hymn. Junior Church meets in the St Andrew's Centre (our adjoining hall), accessed through the church on Sunday mornings. You will need to go with your children to their groups and register them as part of our child safety policy.

The children and young people then return to the main service in time to join the eucharist and, if confirmed, take Holy Communion or, if not, receive a blessing. We offer a little box of raisins to children being blessed at the altar.

There is a Children's Corner in church where you can go at any time. You will find books, toys and drawing materials there.

Toilet and baby-change facilities are located at the back of church, behind the kitchen.

There's more information here: Children and Young People at St Andrew's

Junior Church celebration

Getting Connected

Home Groups

While Sundays are a great way to meet new people, it is often in smaller gatherings that you can really get to know someone. Being part of one of our small groups allows you to make new friends, share together and support each other. We have a variety of groups that meet throughout the week. Check out Home Groups on our website and see if there’s one that you could join. Alternatively, speak to a member of the Welcome Team who will give you the information that you need.

Serving and Volunteering

If you want to get involved in the life of the church and help us make Sundays run smoothly, you can sign up to serve on a team. Please contact Phil in the Church Office.

Get in touch with us

If you have any questions, please do get in touch. You'll find our contact details here.

We hope that you will feel at home at our church.

Group photo at the top of the page taken by Tim Pike