A little about Saint Andrew…
Our church is named after Saint Andrew, the apostle. In Greek, Saint Andrew is pronounced “Andreas” which means “manly” or “brave.”1 Our church’s name sake – Saint Andrew indeed lived a brave and valor-filled life of faithful service. Saint Andrew was born in Bethsaida on the Sea of Galilee.. From the Gospel of John, it was Andrew that first exclaimed to Simon Peter, his brother, “We have found the Messiah.” 2 Saint Andrew was a faithful follower of Christ.
At the feeding of the 5,000, it was Andrew that told Jesus about the boy with the loaves and the fishes. Just before the Passion, Phillip went to Andrew who had greater authority to introduce the Greeks to Jesus. Saint Andrew was also there during the Last Supper. He was present to see the risen Lord. Andrew was amidst those that witnessed the ascension of Jesus back to heaven. He was there during the first Pentecost. Andrew was present in body, mind, and spirit as a Christ-follower.
According to legend, he was crucified on an X-shaped cross upside-down and bound by rope – not nailed to the cross. Saint Andrew is the patron saint of Scotland, whose flag bears the x-shaped cross on which he was crucified. The x-design is also found on the union jack flag of Great Britain, as well as the flags of New Zealand, Australia, and Nova Scotia.
Saint Andrew is also the patron saint of Russia. He is also patron and protector of fishermen, fish mongers, rope makers, and performers. He is also the patron saint of golfers.
1 – Retrieved January 10, 2012, from: www.babynames.com
2 – BibleWorks SoftwarePackage (Version 5.0).
3 – Saint Andrew. (2012, November 20). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 22:29, November 20, 2012, from: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Saint_Andrew&oldid=526213079
