HISTORY
Shortly after 10:30 on Thursday morning, September 21, 1905, Professor Ernest Douglas of Boston took his position at the organ, as a choir of boys from the Church of the Advent, Boston, and All Saints' Church, Methuen, entered the church. Led by Bishop William Lawrence, the congregation gathered to celebrate the consecration of the new church building for All Saints', which had been organized in 1904. In this church building, forty five years later, the congregations of All Saints' and nearby St. John's, Lawrence, combined, renaming their new home St. Andrew's Church.
The erection of the church was made possible by the generous gift of Edward F. Searles of Methuen. Mr. Searles was a multimillionaire who had an ambitious and peculiar plan to establish Methuen as a cathedral city for Essex County and southern New Hampshire. Plans for the church were drawn by Henry Vaughan, who considered All Saints' one of the most important half-timbered churches that he had designed. With the opening of the new All Saints' Church, Methuen acquired a beautiful building, rich in architectural features, and most substantial in construction. Construction features are described in more detail on our Organ and Building page.
All Saints' began on a strong footing in 1904 with 164 communicants, many of whom had belonged to St. Thomas's Church of Methuen, which was forced to close its doors in 1901. The new parish continued successfully until 1917, when there was a sharp decrease due primarily to World War I. In 1919 attendance began to increase again, and remained at about 125 communicants until the early 1940's. Then, with the outbreak of World War II, parish attendance dropped steadily. The decline of the mills following World War II and their move southward prevented the church from regaining its full numbers.
At this time St. John's Episcopal Church of Lawrence also suffered a severe drop in communicants, due to the economic decline of the area. The vestries of All Saints' Church and St. John's met with the approval of the diocese to talk of a merger. Discussion led to agreement in 1950 and All Saints' Church was selected as the better structure to house the new congregation. In order for the merger to be complete both churches thought it best to choose a new name, and thus the new parish became St. Andrew's.
When the Rev. George Argyle was called as the first rector of St. Andrew's in November 1951, the parish was growing at an exceedingly fast rate because of the combined congregations. The parish hall that housed the Sunday school classes was overcrowded and every available space was being utilized. Parishioners voted at the annual meeting in 1953 to build a new parish hall. In view of the need to raise over $60,000, the vestry was authorized to organize a fundraising committee. This was the first major project to be shared by the parishioners of St. Andrew's, and they reacted with great enthusiasm. It gave them a feeling of family, all striving for the same goal. On February 28, 1954, ground was broken for the parish hall that would include a basketball court, a stage, and a fully equipped kitchen. On September 19, Bishop Norman B. Nash dedicated the new facility.
The parish continued with steady growth during the fifties and sixties under the guidance of the Rev. Argyle, listing 500 parishioners. By 1960 the need to renovate the original Sunday school rooms was met, and again in 1968, with more growth, a memorial parlor addition was completed, providing the meeting room, choir, and acolyte vesting areas that were so badly needed.