About us

We are in good company

As a member of the worldwide Anglican community, the Episcopal Church was or is the church of Desmond Tutu, Charles Darwin, C.S. Lewis, Colin Powell, Reese Witherspoon and Ted Danson.

Our worship

We find peace in a liturgical service- our services follow texts largely unchanged over hundreds of years .  Though it can be a bit confusing initially, many people eventually find that the rhythm and tradition of it gives them comfort. 

That said, tradition does not preclude Episcopal worship services from being relevant to our lives.  As the story of the life of Jesus, the New Testament reading challenges us every Sunday to be better people by serving others, acknowledging our limitations and recognizing the value of all members of society.  And when a priest writes a sermon around the Bible readings each Sunday, he or she often strives to make connections with our day-to-day lives as well. 

Much of our service is communal prayer- while a priest leads all of our regular services, our liturgy emphasizes numerous texts spoken by the whole congregation:

We all love God, so we say the Gloria together

We all have needs, so we lift them up to God together in the Prayers of the People

We all fall short at times, so we ask God's forgiveness in the Confession of Sin

The story of our parish

St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, Carbondale, Illinois began as a “Mission of St. Andrew’s” in 1882 under the approval of Rt. Rev. George F. Seymour, the first Bishop of Springfield. In 1904 the first church building was dedicated on what is now University Avenue under the leadership of an English priest who also served as organist. A second church building was located on West Mill Street across from the campus of Southern Illinois University in 1926.  The growth of the University during this period spurred interest in ministry to students, and the Canterbury Club was organized for that purpose.

In 1958 St. Andrew’s was admitted as a parish in the Diocese of Springfield. In 1977 our third and present building was built adjacent to the second; and continues to serve the needs of both students and faculty across the street.