In Search of Growth
An hour outside of San Antonio, nestled in beautiful Texas Hill Country, Seguin is a vibrant and growing community. Benefiting from the growth of the Sunbelt in recent years, Seguin’s population has increased by over 16 percent in the last decade. At the center of this dynamic city stands St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church.
In the last three years, rector Stephen Shortess and the members of St. Andrew’s have welcomed over 40 new members, a 13 percent increase in membership. Average Sunday attendance is up by more than 20 percent.
“For us, it’s all about community,” said vestry member Susan Rinn.
“For us, COVID presented a moment to discern who and what we want to be,” Shortess said. “It was then that we asked ourselves, ‘How much can we mean to the people in our community?’”
St. Andrew’s transformed its church garden into a community garden, and began hosting nature walks. These changes attracted children and families, and became beloved features of the Seguin community.
St. Andrew’s believes church should offer a fun family atmosphere. Christians “should not forget — the only way to keep tradition alive is to adapt,” Shortess said.
Shortess said one of the most important aspects of emerging from the pandemic was making people “see how important we are for each other. … And we do that by doing our best to love one another and rejoicing in the 5- and 95-year-old.”
St. Andrew’s focuses its outreach on local matters. During the height of the pandemic, St. Andrew’s started providing snacks for local nurses and forged a supportive relationship with Jefferson Elementary School.
Members of the church have also created a feeding ministry for students at Texas Lutheran University. On Sunday nights throughout the academic term, 20 to 30 parishioners feed more than 100 hungry college students. “It is our hope that when these students decide to look for a church home, they will remember the way the Episcopal Church treated them and cared for them,” Shortess said.
St. Andrew’s works to be visible in the community through “a willingness to open the doors and be a part of it,” Shortess said. “When we open our doors, we love this city. It is important for me to be out and about in our community.”
He added: “Enthusiasm is contagious. An enthusiastic rector makes for an inspired and responsive parish. Of course, this can only happen if there is a willingness and trust on behalf of the entire community.”
Growth at St. Andrew’s “has to do with who we are,” Shortess said. “People feel very welcomed at St. Andrew’s. People feel happy to be at St. Andrew’s. People feel God’s presence here. At St. Andrew’s, we have a culture of welcome — everyone belongs.”
Shortess encourages other churches not to fear trying new approaches to ministry. “Be willing to take risks — what do we have to lose? God is always going to ‘so love the world.’ With that behind us, what do we have to fear?” For Shortess, Christians have all the reason to be the church in and of their communities — “God loves us so much, he is waiting at the doors of our church to go with us.”
Weston Curnow is a student at the University of Kansas and assistant for liturgy and family ministries at St. Margaret’s Church in Lawrence, Kansas.
