A Brief Tour Around St Andrew's

Your brief tour of St. Andrew’s Church begins at the West Door (the main door of the church). Notice that the church faces East (towards Jerusalem) and is in the shape of a cross. The Cross is the basic symbol of Christianity, and can be seen in many places in the church, some obvious, others not so obvious. Just inside the door, to the right, is the stone font. Fonts are used to hold the water for baptising new members of the church. Note how this font has eight sides, symbolising one more than the number of days in the week, meaning a new beginning. Traditionally the font was placed immediately inside the door so that new members were baptised on entering the church.
In the wall by the font is the foundation stone of St. Andrew’s. It was laid on 28th July 1911. On the wall nearby a plaque commemorates the dedication (to God) of the church by the Bishop of Winchester on 27th April 1912. Nowadays St. Andrew’s is in the diocese (church district) of Guildford, but then it was in the diocese of Winchester. You are standing in the body of the church called the Nave.
This is where the congregation (the “lay” people or laity) sit.The pews will accommodate about 180 people. Two of the pews have been shortened to accommodate wheelchairs. About halfway down the central aisle you will see the two churchwarden’s staves, on each side of the aisle. St. Andrew’s has two churchwardens. These are members of the congregation who are elected annually to be responsible for the care and upkeep of the church and its grounds. On the South side is the staff of the Vicar’s Warden. It has a miniature version of the bishop’s mitre (hat) on the top, signifying the responsibility to the clergy (the ordained ministers of the Church of England). On the North side is the staff of the People’s Warden. This has a miniature crown on it, signifying the responsibility to the sovereign and thus the people of this country. As you approach the front of the church you will come to a step leading to the Chancel The Chancel is where the clergy (the priests) and the choir sit. To the right you will see the pulpit.
The pulpit is just a raised platform where the priest delivers the sermon (a short lecture or talk) during the service.
Going up the step into the Chancel, on either side are first the Clergy Stalls (where the ministers sit) and then the Choir Stalls. To the right, behind the choir stalls, is the organ.
The organ is about 120 years old, and came from St. Peter’s Church in Frimley. It is still in good health as demonstrated during a recent recital by the organist of Guildford Cathedral.
As you proceed further up the Chancel you will notice the Processional Cross. This is carried in front of all processions that take place in the church, and signifies that we are following the Cross of Christ. Also to be seen are two processional candle holders These are lit and carried to either side of the priest when reading a passage from one of the Gospels of the Bible. They signify the Light of Christ coming into the world.
To the left, a door leads to the Vestry (where the robes of the clergy and the choir are kept). In front of you is another step, topped by a rail. This is the Altar Rail, behind which is the Sanctuary. The centre section of this rail is inserted once the clergy have taken their places by the altar and before the congregation come forward to partake of the Bread and Wine during the Eucharist (Communion) Service.
The main item in the Sanctuary is the Altar (table), which is covered by a simple white cloth. It is on this table that the gifts of Bread and Wine are laid and consecrated. Above the altar is a red lamp (the Sanctuary Lamp) which is lit during the Communion Service. It symbolises the presence of Christ at this Table. To the left and right of the altar are the Union Flag and the banners of the local Scout and Guide troops, and that of the Frimley Green and Mytchett Mothers’ Union.
Above the Altar, in the East wall of the church, are stained glass windows. These are to both inspire and educate the people. You can see Jesus, St. Andrew (holding his own cross) and St. Peter. As a curiosity, notice in the bottom right picture how the angel is holding a garment with three dice on it. What does it mean? Ask your guide or another member of the church to see if they know! Each type of Festival and Fast in the Church’s year has its distinctive colour, which will be shown on the altar decorations, the clergy robes and the pulpit cloth:

WHITE (or cream or gold) is for the joyful festivals, especially Christmas, Easter and Ascension.
RED is the colour of fire and blood and is used for Whit Sunday and for the martyrs.
VIOLET speaks of penitence and preparation and so is used in Lent and Advent.
GREEN is the ordinary colour of nature and suggests God’s provision for our needs. So green is for ordinary, non-festive Sundays.

To the right of the Altar there is a recess in the wall. This is called the Credence Table and holds the elements of the Eucharist (the bread and the wine) before they have been consecrated. There is another recess in the opposite wall to hold a copy of the Bible and the service books. Near this recess a chair is provided for the bishop when he attends a service in this church. Returning to the Nave and turning right you will find the Memorial Book. This contains a page for every day of the year, on which are inscribed the names of members of this congregation who have left this life to be always with Christ. Nearby is a door into the Vestry. The North wall of the church has a folding partition which leads to the Church Hall (This folding partition allows the Church Hall to become part of the Nave during popular services such as the Midnight Mass at Christmas.) This large room is used by the Sunday Club and is hired out to many organisations during the week. Leading off this large room is a corridor to a smaller meeting room, kitchen and toilets. At the end of this corridor is a door leading to the rear of the church and a further building containing an office and a meeting room. Back in the church itself, notice how many items have been presented to the church in memory of people from this parish. There are two wall plaques: the one on the North wall remembers Capt. Forwood from “Frimhurst” (near the “Kings Head” canal bridge in Frimley Green) who was killed near Ypres in 1915. The plaque on the South wall is in memory of Alfred Oliver, who was a churchwarden, and his son George who died 27 years before his father. The pulpit was given to the church in memory of George Murray, but note that Mytchett Place (the mansion house in Mytchett Place Road, Mytchett) appears to have been in Frimley in the last century! Before leaving from the West Door, ponder on the message shown on the wall near the stone font and remember also that the real church of St. Andrew here in Frimley Green and Mytchett is the collection of ordinary people who come here regularly to worship God: the Father, His Son Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. Outside the church, have a look at the Lych Gate on the pedestrian entrance to the church. (Traditionally, the Lych Gate was the covered entrance to a churchyard where the coffin awaited the arrival of the clergyman. St. Andrew’s does not have a burial ground!) Within the Lych Gate is the War Memorial for both Frimley Green and Mytchett and contains plaques in memory of those from these villages who gave their lives in both of the World Wars. Many of the rose bushes planted in the grounds of St. Andrew’s have been presented in memory of loved ones.