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History

frontFor many years, the only church in Kitchener was the downtown parish of St. John the Evangelist. In the post WWII years the city began to grow, and Anglicans came to worship from across the expanding Kitchener area.

In the mid 1940’s a small concrete block structure was built on Mill Street. It was a Sunday School mission of St. John’s which allowed children from this area to gather and hear the stories of our faith. Later in the day, families would travel together to St. John’s for corporate worship.

In 1949 it was agreed that the community in and around the Mill Street mission was strong enough to become its own parish, and The Rev’d Derwyn Jones was named as its first Rector. The parish was given the name St. Andrew’s Memorial Church. In these early years worship was held in the one-room structure and , following the service, the altar was closed off and the hall became a social area. The congregation grew and the building became a focal point of many social and community events. Derwyn served as our Rector until 1953, when he was appointed to Canon Davis Memorial Church in Sarnia. He would later return to St. Andrews as the 9th Bishop of Huron (1984-1990).

In 1957 a superstructure was built over the bunker-style hall, and the parish gained visibility in the area. Since that time we have been served by:

The Reverend Bill Jones (1954 – 1959) (later named Canon of St. Paul’s Cathedral)’

The Reverend Cy Ladds (1959 – 1963) (later serving as Archdeacon of Waterloo)

The Reverend Harry Janke (1963 – 1989)

The Reverend Jim Sutton (1990 – 1995) (later serving as Archdeacon of Brant/Norfolk/Oxford)

The Reverend Canon Rob Towler (1996 – 2016) (who, during his tenure served on many Diocesan, Provincial, and National bodies. These include being Regional Dean of Waterloo, the Diocesan Executive Committee, Postulancy Board, and Finance Committee; Provincial Synod, including two terms as Prolocutor; and General Synod, with three terms as Chair of the Anglican Journal Board, and a term on Council of General Synod; and who continued on some of these beyond his tenure at St. Andrew’s.)

The Reverend Matthew Kieswetter (who was appointed Deacon-in-Charge effective Dec 1, 2016, and became Priest-in-Charge after Ordination to the Priesthood on Dec 6, 2016. Effective Dec 1, 2018, Fr. Matt was appointed Rector )

  • St. Andrew’s Church (neigbourhood)

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  • St. Andrew’s Church (greater Kitchener)

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