About us
A little about our present:
It has been an exciting period of great growth in the life of St Andrew’s church. In July 2021 Fr Andy was licensed here as parish priest and so began a relationship with our neighbouring parish of St Michael’s, Wood Green which has helped to revitalise the life and mission of our church. As part of this relationship, a handful of members of St Michael’s started worshipping at St Andrew’s. This partnership sees the two churches collaborate in our patterns of midweek worship and on high days and holy days during the year.
Our worship is in the anglo-catholic tradition and is centered around the Eucharist. The regular pattern of worship and prayer in the church is the source from which everything else in the life of this parish church flows. Our service to and witness in the local community is rooted in our worship together.
In the Spring of 2022, we started a new weekly baby & toddler group which is now regularly attracting over 30 families each week with baptisms emerging from this. We’ve begun to rebuild use of the St Andrew’s Centre following the impact of the pandemic as well as enlivening the musical life of the church. Last summer, we started a series of Saturday lunchtime concerts, working with local musicians, with admission by donation in addition to hosting local orchestras and choirs. Regular cake sales and a café on Saturday mornings have proved other ways through which we can get the church doors open and welcome new faces.
We’ve also rebuilt our social media platforms so you can keep up to date with our news @alexparkparish and we take regular food collections to either the Muswell Hill Soup Kitchen or the Bounds Green Foodbank. Supplies can be left in the church whenever it is open or in the St Andrew's Centre.
We recognise that people enter our church for all sorts of different reasons and with different needs. We want to make crossing that threshold as easy as possible. Whether you're a regular church goer or not, all are welcome here.
In the Archdeacon’s recent report he commented ‘There was so much good news here at St Andrew’s...my thanks for the signs of real hope and growth that are evident since the arrival of Fr Andy and members of the congregation of Wood Green. I commend the small but faithful and resilient congregation of St Andrew’s who have opened their hearts and the doors of their church to the opportunities of being refreshed and renewed and how this welcome has extended to the community’.
We have grown from an average Sunday morning congregation of just 20 in July 2021 to 42 across 2022 and well over 50 in 2023. Our electoral roll has doubled in this time. We were delighted to welcome over 600 people through our doors across our Christmas services in 2023 and 200 over Holy Week and Easter.
It is a really exciting time to join the church family here at St Andrew’s and we look forward to meeting you. We hope you will feel at home among us and be drawn closer to the living God whose love we proclaim and share in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.
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Fr Andy Coates
Fr Andy became the parish priest at St Andrew’s, the parish of Alexandra Park in July 2021. He and his wife Nikki, along with their three young children, moved to the parish a few months later. Following his ordination in 2018, Fr Andy served as curate in the neighbouring parish of St Michael and All Angels, Wood Green.
Having graduated from the University of Warwick with a degree in politics in 2007, Andy spent 8 years working in Parliament for the late Rt. Hon. Baroness Tessa Jowell DBE PC until she stood down as an MP in 2015.
Having experienced a call to ordained ministry in 2012-13, from September 2015 Andy trained at Westcott House studying theology at Cambridge University through Downing College.
When he isn’t talking about the life of the church (far too often!), his interests include politics and current affairs, Southampton F.C and enjoying the New Forest with family.
Our Parochial Church Council
PCC members are elected at our annual church meeting which normally takes place after Easter. As trustees, members have overall responsibility for the church's governance and running as a charity. This extends into all sorts of areas of the church's witness and mission. We meet quarterly and gather at other times if business requires.
The last two years have seen significant changes in the PCC's membership as the church has grown and more people have sought to get involved. Don't hesitate to speak to anyone on the PCC if you would like to find out more. We want the PCC to draw on the many different experiences and skills of those who worship here and to reflect the diversity of our church family.