St. Andrew Methodist Church offers community guided tours of SOAR, a unique origami installation

Following its 40th anniversary celebration, St. Andrew Methodist Church is inviting the community to experience SOAR, a one-of-a-kind origami art installation featuring more than 1,500 hand-folded doves and cardinals suspended throughout three worship spaces.

The installation – uniquely named SOAR by St. Andrew – was unveiled during the Sept. 12-13 milestone weekend, which brought the congregation together to reflect on four decades of ministry and look toward the future. Each bird is sponsored by a member of the congregation in honor or memory of someone special.

Similar origami installations have been featured in churches around the world, but St. Andrew is only the fourth church in the United States – and the first in the Southwestern U.S. – to host one, as well as the first to feature cardinals alongside the doves.

Designed by Taro’s Origami Studio in Brooklyn, New York, SOAR was installed by artists who spent weeks at St. Andrew individually attaching the birds to large nets and suspending them high above the worship spaces, creating the effect of flocks soaring overhead.

“During SOAR tours, you will see hand-folded origami doves and cardinals soaring above in the sanctuary: doves representing the presence and power of the Holy Spirit and cardinals reminding us of the faithful saints who make up the church, past and present,” said Rev. Arthur Jones, senior pastor, St. Andrew. “It’s a visual representation of this spiritual reality: God's Spirit moving in concert with his saints to accomplish his mission on earth. It is an honor to share this special installation with our community.”

SOAR will remain on display through January 2027. Guided tours will be offered the first Thursday of each month from 11 a.m. to noon: Oct. 1, Nov. 5, Dec. 3 and Jan. 7. Please register for your tour date at standrewmethodist.org/SOAR. There is no admission fee. Visitors should enter through the sanctuary doors at 5801 W. Plano Parkway.

Each guided tour will include a welcome and overview of SOAR, a discussion of the symbolism of the doves and cardinals, and time for reflection. Tour participants will also receive a complimentary songs of SOAR Spotify list (via QR code), curated by Taylor Davis, creative director of traditional music and worship at St. Andrew.

Private tours are also available for groups of 12 or more. Contact Jordan Wonsmos for more information or call the church office at 972-380-8001. For more information about SOAR and upcoming tours, visit standrewmethodist.org/SOAR.

Founded in 1986 by the late Rev. Robert Hasley, St. Andrew began with a meeting of 20 people in a Plano home. Its first worship service was held at Shepton High School, where it was attended by 500 people. In 1990, the church family marched from Shepton to the building site, where a groundbreaking ceremony was held for the first building phase. After moving to its current Plano campus in 1991, the church continued to grow through expanded worship, facilities, community outreach and mission work. Four decades later, St. Andrew welcomes more than 2,000 people each weekend and continues to look for new ways to serve its congregation and community.

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St. Andrew Methodist Church, founded in 1986, is an independent Methodist congregation in Plano, Texas, with more than 8,000 members. St. Andrew is committed to faith that is real, practical, and life-changing, while offering opportunities for traditional and contemporary worship, discipleship, and service locally, regionally, and globally. The church is home to Invite Ministries, its publishing house, and Beacon of Light, a mental health ministry. St. Andrew is a community of people seeking to live more like Jesus every day and to learn in deeper ways what it means to follow His teachings, live in community, and serve the world. 5801 W. Plano Parkway, Plano, TX 75093, www.standrewmethodist.org, (972) 380-8001