About Us
Mission Statement
Passionate in Community – Growing in Faith – Serving in Christ's Name
Worship Reverend Charles Bigelow
“Draw near to God and God will draw near to you”…Worship is an act that we engage in to draw near to God and to declare that the living Triune God — Father, Son, and Spirit — is worthy of praise, adoration and gratitude. We enter the worship service with reverence and joy.
Worship is central in our life at St. Andrew’s. Our approach to worship is traditional, but with an openness to the Spirit’s leading in different forms. Music is generally lead by the organ, but other kinds of instrumentation like flute, saxophone and dulcimer are incorporated as well. The Chancel Choir offers a Ministry of Music during worship from September to June. The goal is to be faithful, not fanciful or faddish in our approach to God.
Communion is celebrated on the first Sunday of the month and is open to all who wish to know the presence of Christ and share in the community of God’s people.
Elders
Bob Anderson
Marie Proulx
Cathy Gagalis
Ray Lowery
Carol Jones
Church Leadership
Deacons
Thelma Bertonaschi
Judie Dioszegi
Bill Sumner
Karen McIlroy
Elaine Milbocker
Meet Our Staff
Reverend Charles Bigelow
Pastor Bigelow was baptized, made profession of faith and was ordained to Gospel ministry in the Reformed Church in America. He is a graduate of Hope College, and New Brunswick and Western Theological Seminaries of the Reformed Church in America (RCA). He served in the First Reformed Church of Little Falls, NJ for 26 years and the Montville Reformed Church in Montville, NJ for 14 years where he retired as ‘Pastor Emeritus.’
After he and his wife retired in New Jersey, they moved to Dexter to be closer to family and three of their six grandchildren.
Through an interesting confluence of events, God, with his sense of humor, called Chuck back into active ministry here at the St. Andrew’s United Church of Christ. A Formula of Agreement between the United Church of Christ and the Reformed Church in American, permits Pastor Bigelow to serve as a ‘settled pastor’ in the United Church of Christ.
Chuck and his wife love living in Dexter and being near to their family and grandchildren. Currently they have two Newfs, Nellie and Muffin, that enrich their lives and keep them busy. Chuck also enjoys playing in the dirt in his garden.
At this season of life, Chuck describes himself as: Blessed, humbled and thankful.
Paula Allison-England
Paula Allison-England is the Music Director and Organist for St. Andrews United Church of Christ. She prepares our choir’s sacred music for Sunday services, seasonal music during the liturgical calendar, special music for the handbell choir, and special numbers for instrumental and vocal soloists. Music is a valued gift for each of us by sharing the beauty and joy of this form of worship.
Paula received her BS in Music Education (organ) at DePauw University, living in Oxford, England for over two years. She has served as Organist and Handbell Choir Director at Saline United Methodist Church while teaching piano students.
Before taking the position of Organist at St. Andrews, she earned a BS in Nursing and worked as a Staff Nurse at Mott Children’s Hospital and the Unit for Clinical Research at the University of Michigan. During her tenure as organist, she continued to work in the medical field until retiring.
Vocal and instrumental music are a constant in her life. Currently, and for many years, she has sung with the University Choral Union which is an auditioned choir which performs large works from diverse repertoires and performs with excellent orchestras at Hill Auditorium, Michigan Theater, Orchestra Hall, Peristyle Auditorium and Carnegie Hall.
Heida Meister
Heida Meister manages the day-to-day business of the church -- everything from accounting and scheduling to preparing bulletins and circulating news to the congregation. She is always ready to answer a question or lend a hand.