09/25/2026
Bishop Rob Price confirmed nine and received three during his visitation at St. Andrew’s in McKinney on Sunday. It was a full day with three services, clocking in at 300 average Sunday attendance - and growing.
On the parish website there is a prayer that the Rev. Andrew Van Kirk asked parishioners to consider, “God, what do you want to do through me?” It’s on a page talking about a capital campaign for the construction of a bigger nave and the remodeling of the current nave into a larger parish hall to accommodate growth. The prayer already feels like the church’s DNA where intentionally the focus is on faithfulness, not growth. They are steadily answering the call for children’s ministry, pastoral care, mission, Christian education, sermons that connect, hospitality, community involvement and all the things that make church exemplary.
“The character of St. Andrew’s evolves greatly around prayer,” said Syd Verinder, a member of the parish who has formerly served on the vestry as junior and senior warden. “The Episcopal liturgy is everything.” Many in the congregation fill out prayer cards on Sunday about how the church can pray for them in the upcoming week. The prayers are confidential and the intercessors pray over those requests every Tuesday. It’s an active ministry where, “our congregation knows they are being prayed about,” Verinder said. Vestry meetings include a Biblical teaching, and there are Bible studies for men, women and couples. There are prayers for members of the study group at the end of the class. “We are a strong praying church.”
Additionally, the parish has a healthy youth ministry with a children’s lesson during a Sunday service where the young ones gather near the altar in front of the congregation and participate in a Biblical teaching geared for them. There is also a new teen Bible study, and several classrooms of youth Sunday school. Additionally, they travel to a summer mission trip each year.
From the children to the retired living facility across the street this church ministers to all. The Rev. Paulette Magnuson serves at St. Andrew’s as priest associate where she accompanies people at the end of life and presides at funerals. An Octogenarian, Magnuson lives at the retirement home across the street where she ministers also and brings some of those folks to St. Andrew’s. “The truth is this is my fourth retirement job,” she said. “I feel like God keeps me going. One reason I can do all of this is that I don’t have to cook, clean or mow the lawn so I have the energy to do things for the Church. It’s a blessing. I’ve slowed down some and everyone accommodates that. But there is plenty to do in the Church whatever age you might be, if you open your eyes and let God lead you into it.”
At this church God has led many to the service of hospitality which is prevalent throughout the building with coffee, visitor bags, and many warm welcomes. This ministry brings a lot of pride and excitement to anyone at the parish who is asked. Most everyone boasts about their two hospitality ringers, one’s a chef the other a baker. Michele Miller is a professional chef and also serves as the children’s ministry associate. By all accounts, she is outstanding at both. Her culinary skills bring incredible meals to functions, procurement of supplies at a discount and a stocked kitchen that is organized and ready to go. “She is wonderful,” Verinder said. “She is there for every step of the way with teens, groups, and activities.” The baker is Monica Bailey who wowed everyone recently by making eight kinds of scones, four savory and four sweet, to a gathering. She also makes cookies with the church logo for visitor bags and other fun designs. “I just do it as a hobby,” she said. “It’s my pleasure to provide whatever they need. I get so much joy giving to the church.”
In discussions about gifts of the parish much was said about Van Kirk who is rector and the Rev. Logan Hurst who serves as vice rector. These clergy are much adored. “They bring a wonderful family spirit to the parish. They are active, energetic, outgoing which brings everyone up,” Verinder said. “They are extremely good at pastoral care, which is a plus for us, especially those aging. They are just wonderful preachers. It is a tremendous gift to us to relay the gospel message in such impactful ways that you go home and talk about it. They are also both funny, they have the wonderful gift of good humor and make us laugh.”
All these touchpoints of ministry, preaching, hospitality, teaching and praying, lead us back to church growth. St. Andrew’s is expanding for the third time in its 20-year history with a new nave that will accommodate 400, and include two transepts, one as a chapel and the other for the choir. The current nave will be reimagined as the new parish hall with some upgrades to the kitchen among other tweaks. The signs of recent growth are evident with crowded hallways, a full nave, and classes to the brim. And as everyone knows, one can measure church growth by counting donuts, of which they have jumped from three to five boxes on Sundays. Now it’s time to bring shovel to dirt and build a bigger space to handle current and future believers. Leaders say they will break ground this year. As they move forward we can expect St. Andrew’s churchgoers to pray over construction, ministries, and each other as they also reach for their own call asking “God, what do you want to do through me?”
