“I feel called to stand for moderator because I love our church, because I worry about our church, and because I have great hope for our church,” Andrews said. “With a pastor’s presence and a pilgrim’s heart, I seek to serve the whole church with energy, intelligence, imagination and love.”
Andrews, 53, the daughter and granddaughter of Presbyterian pastors, has served in parish ministry for almost 30 years. Since 1989, she has been senior pastor at Bradley Hills, a 700-member congregation just outside Washington, D.C. From 1985-1989, she was the solo pastor of Kitchell Memorial church, East Hanover, N.J.; from 1979-1985, she served as co-pastor of Kitchell with her husband,. Simmons Gardner, an ordained pastor in the PC(USA) who now is chaplain at Suburban Hospital in Bethesda; and from 1975-1981 she was the associate pastor at First church, Allentown, Pa. She is a graduate of Wellesley College and the Harvard Divinity School, and received a Doctor of Ministry degree from McCormick Seminary.
Although focused on parish ministry, Andrews has been active at all levels of the Presbyterian connectional system. She has served as moderator of two presbyteries: National Capital in 1999 and Newton in 1983. She chaired the General Council of National Capital Presbytery for two years. She has been a commissioner to three General Assemblies, serving as moderator of the Bills and Overtures Committee at the 207th General Assembly in Cincinnati. From 1989-1994, she chaired the General Assembly’s Call System Task Force. She was a board member of the Presbyterian Association of Science, Technology, and Faith, and also serves on the board of the Covenant Network of Presbyterians.
A renowned preacher, Andrews was named Preacher of the Year in 2000 by Lectionary Homiletics. Her sermons and essays have been published in Lectionary Homiletics, Preaching Great Texts, The Christian Century, Company of Pastors, and The Christian Ministry.
“We as a church, in order to be what the Book of Order calls the ‘provisional demonstration of what God intends for all of humanity,’ need each other in order to embody the fullness of the Gospel – liberals and conservatives, prophets and mystics, traditionalists and innovators,” Andrews said. “Shaped by the promises of God, the companionship of the Living Christ, and the power of the Holy Spirit, we can together grow more fully into the Body of Christ resurrected in the world – those who love kindness, do justice, and walk humbly with our God. “
“As moderator, I want to energize the church for proclamation and service in the world,” Andrews said. “I believe that we Presbyterians have a message that can make a difference.”
Andrews and her husband have two children: Nathan, 24, and Anna, 20, both ordained elders.
