St. Andrew's Episcopal Church

St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, founded in 1893, is proud to be located in historic downtown Fort Pierce with its rich past. Many of Fort Pierce’s Founding Fathers were also founding members of St. Andrew’s. The church has grown with its community and has even relocated as need and opportunity presented themselves. In 1901, the year the city of Fort Pierce was incorporated, the Episcopal community in the area constructed their first church building. This “Carpenter’s Gothic” structure was originally located on Pine Street, but was relocated to the current St. Andrew’s site adjacent to the Indian River in 1917. The structure remained a beloved house of worship for generations of St. Andrew’s parishioners until the construction of the current Sanctuary was completed in 1959. The original church building was moved a second time, as a gift from St. Andrew’s to Holy Apostle’s, a mission in Satellite Beach, Florida. The subsequent relocation of the building by barge up the Indian River generated numerous feature stories in the national press. Prior to the old church’s relocation, the stained glass windows, given as memorials through the years, were removed from the old building and re-mounted in the rear of the new Sanctuary.
Our Church tends to be traditional, and is rooted in the fishing, cattle and citrus industries that gave birth to our community. We uphold classical Christianity in the tradition of the Anglican Communion and Episcopal Church. Yet, for all our traditionalism, we have been at the forefront of many changes, and were the first parish in our Diocese to have a female priest.
The vitality of the Parish has been evident throughout its history, not only through its dedication to worship, but also through its consistent acts of returning thanks for God’s many blessings. It is recognized as a friendly, diverse congregation with a strong outreach to the community. We were a co-founder of Mustard Seed Ministries, a local human service agency caring for the poor of our community. In almost 120 years, St. Andrew’s, “our little church on the river”, has sent forth one Florida Governor, two Florida Supreme Court justices, five new congregations, three Bishops, and two Canons to the Ordinary. We feel we have only begun our journey.