The doors of St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church were recently painted red to be more visible, and as a sign of welcoming neighbors and the renewal going on in the parish.
“Even though we’ve been doing it for years, it’s a recommitment from all of us for new ministries,” said the Rev. Eleanor Prior, who has been serving at St. Andrew’s on a part-time basis and at St. Paul Episcopal Church in North Andover.
The Vestry, or church governing board, decided to call Prior full-time to do redevelopment at the church and on Nov. 5 she will be installed as the seventh rector by Diocesan Bishop the Right Rev. Julia E. Whitworth.
“I’m excited about the possibilities,” Prior said.
Among the plans for new ministries are starting an afternoon worship service for children and youth, opening a food pantry, starting a youth group, offering a quiet day during Advent, and incorporating literacy and arts programs. Prior said church members also want to teach healthy eating as part of the kitchen initiative and the church’s existing community garden.
St. Andrew’s is already teeming with activities including health fairs twice a year, a digital literacy class hosted by Nevins Library and held at church, and a children’s grieving program. Iglesia Misionera Casa de Restauracion, a Hispanic congregation, worships at St. Andrew’s.
“We want to meet our neighbors and make our building accessible to the public to make it a place of community building and economic development,” Prior said.
Prior was born in Garrison, N.Y. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and American Literature from Harvard Radcliffe. Prior was ordained to the priesthood in 2018, studying at St. Bernard School of Theology and General Theological Seminary, both in New York; Hartford Seminary in Connecticut and she also took online classes with Episcopal Seminary in California.
Prior was the resident chaplain at Albany Medical Center for two years. Before coming to Methuen, she served as assistant pastor at St. Luke’s Cathedral in Portland, Maine, for three years.
