AYER — The old Parish Hall at St. Andrew Episcopal Church was a volunteer labor of love that a previous pastor, the Rev. Henry Mattocks, called a “venture of faith” when parishioners built it more than 50 years ago.
That spirit is still very much alive at St. Andrew, where a new generation of volunteers recently renovated the Sunday School headquarters in the basement.
A vintage photo — then and now — provided by parishioner Mary (Glantz) Medeiros shows a trio of ground-breaking volunteers in 1951, when the original building project launched. They are Medeiros (left, digging in with shovel) with her then-husband, Frank Glantz, looking on, and Cecily Mattocks, daughter of Rev Mattocks.
A 2010 photo, courtesy of the Rev. Joyce Scherer-Hoock, the current pastor, shows her standing right of the ladder holding a paint roller, with other members of a Saturday work crew. About 40 parishioners participated in the just-completed renovation project, she said.
In the foreground on the stairs from left are Myranda Nasworthy (with brush), George Miller, Avery Nasworthy (with paint roller) and Rev. Scherer-Hoock.
Behind the ladder and the pastor is Jason Salter, of Ayer, whom she called the project “mastermind.”
The finished product can be viewed on Sunday, Sept. 12, during Sunday School registration, before and after morning worship services, from 8:45 a.m. to noon.
St. Andrew Episcopal Church is located on Faulkner Street. The number to call for information is 978-772-2615.
