The men's fellowship meets on Mondays, 7am at Smitty's in Wenatchee (map).
We are using the St. James Devotional Guide for the Christian Year. The Guide is published by Touchstone, which also has an interesting magazine and website.
Check for recent posts for any changes in the usual schedule.
Monday, August 27, 2007
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Links To Helpful Resources and Info
There are many places on the Internet where you can find information about Orthodox Christianity. Some are better than others. Here are some that we recommend.
Orthodox Church Links -
Orthodox Resources - Things that Orthodox Christians (and others) like to listen to and read.
Orthodox Church Links -
- Christ the Savior Orthodox Christian Church in Spokane, WA - Fr. Michael Shanbour's Church
- Antiochian Diocese of the West
- Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America
- Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America
Orthodox Resources - Things that Orthodox Christians (and others) like to listen to and read.
- Touchstone Magazine - Our men's fellowship uses their St. James Devotional Guide.
- Ancient Faith Radio - Streaming music and talk. Many programs, and archives.
How It All Started
On July 9, 2006, three women visited Christ the Savior Orthodox Church in Spokane, to explore outreach to our own city, Wenatchee. Drawn to Orthodoxy, we found ourselves located in an empty triangle between existing churches in Seattle, Spokane, and Yakima churches we had visited and been involved in over the years.
One of the women and her husband--had met Fr. Michael in December, 2003, in Idaho; the following spring he started his new mission in Spokane, where one of the Wenatchee women talked to him about how hard it was to be in a town without a church one could attend every Sunday. The third woman had been inquiring into Orthodoxy for a long time and longed to find a church home. Then in June, 2006, Fr. Michael received Bishop Joseph`s blessing at clergy conference in California to start an outreach to Wenatchee that very summer! At Fr. Michael's suggestion, many prayers were made before the icon of St. Innocent of Alaska, first hierarch in America, that we might be accounted worthy to continue his work, to bring the Orthodox Light of Christ to this corner of America.
In August, the Wenatchee World printed Fr. Michael's picture in color, a first ever on the "Faith and Family" page. Accompanied by Deacon James Bryant from the Brier church, Fr. Michael came and blessed our homes in Malaga and Wenatchee--as far as we know, the first-ever Orthodox prayers by a priest in our Valley. Our first Vespers and informational meeting was held in the new Wenatchee Community Center in South Wenatchee.
Thirty people turned up and heard about Fr. David's journey to Orthodoxy. A spaghetti dinner afterwards allowed more time for interaction and fellowship. August 19, 2006, was truly a historic day: Divine Liturgy was celebrated in Wenatchee! Gathered in a private home home before a dining-room table altar, a happy group was led by Fr. David serving, Deacon James assisting, and Fr. Michael leading responses.
However, we needed a more public place to meet, and priest-to-priest and bishop-to-bishop negotiations led to Fr. Tom Kuykendall at St. Joseph's beautiful new parish church inviting us to use their library for Friday night Vespers and teaching, then their choir room for Saturday morning Liturgies. Our first meeting there was a month later, with Deacon Elijah from Spokane accompanying Fr. Michael. Eighteen people were present to hear teaching from Fr.Thomas Hopko's Orthodox Faith series. Afterwards, there was a fellowship meal, which Fr. Michael reflected on as particularly sweet and blessed by God. For our third mission weekend, Fr. Michael brought his wife, Khouriye Macrina, and a young chanter (we did need help with the music!). Fr. Michael fielded questions from participants about incense, fasting,and confession. After some wonderful Greek food, the next morning we discussed our expectations and set up weekly meetings to pray Compline together and discuss a portion of Bishop Kallistos Ware's book, The Orthodox Church.
The week before Thanksgiving, Fr. John Finley from the archdiocesan headquarters in Los Angeles returned to Wenatchee. He encouraged us to continue meeting, to strengthen community and provide opportunity for inquirers. So in mid-November, we began to read Vespers together, continuing our book discussion. Anyone interested in a taste of Orthodoxy is welcome.
One of the women and her husband--had met Fr. Michael in December, 2003, in Idaho; the following spring he started his new mission in Spokane, where one of the Wenatchee women talked to him about how hard it was to be in a town without a church one could attend every Sunday. The third woman had been inquiring into Orthodoxy for a long time and longed to find a church home. Then in June, 2006, Fr. Michael received Bishop Joseph`s blessing at clergy conference in California to start an outreach to Wenatchee that very summer! At Fr. Michael's suggestion, many prayers were made before the icon of St. Innocent of Alaska, first hierarch in America, that we might be accounted worthy to continue his work, to bring the Orthodox Light of Christ to this corner of America.
In August, the Wenatchee World printed Fr. Michael's picture in color, a first ever on the "Faith and Family" page. Accompanied by Deacon James Bryant from the Brier church, Fr. Michael came and blessed our homes in Malaga and Wenatchee--as far as we know, the first-ever Orthodox prayers by a priest in our Valley. Our first Vespers and informational meeting was held in the new Wenatchee Community Center in South Wenatchee.
Thirty people turned up and heard about Fr. David's journey to Orthodoxy. A spaghetti dinner afterwards allowed more time for interaction and fellowship. August 19, 2006, was truly a historic day: Divine Liturgy was celebrated in Wenatchee! Gathered in a private home home before a dining-room table altar, a happy group was led by Fr. David serving, Deacon James assisting, and Fr. Michael leading responses.
However, we needed a more public place to meet, and priest-to-priest and bishop-to-bishop negotiations led to Fr. Tom Kuykendall at St. Joseph's beautiful new parish church inviting us to use their library for Friday night Vespers and teaching, then their choir room for Saturday morning Liturgies. Our first meeting there was a month later, with Deacon Elijah from Spokane accompanying Fr. Michael. Eighteen people were present to hear teaching from Fr.Thomas Hopko's Orthodox Faith series. Afterwards, there was a fellowship meal, which Fr. Michael reflected on as particularly sweet and blessed by God. For our third mission weekend, Fr. Michael brought his wife, Khouriye Macrina, and a young chanter (we did need help with the music!). Fr. Michael fielded questions from participants about incense, fasting,and confession. After some wonderful Greek food, the next morning we discussed our expectations and set up weekly meetings to pray Compline together and discuss a portion of Bishop Kallistos Ware's book, The Orthodox Church.
The week before Thanksgiving, Fr. John Finley from the archdiocesan headquarters in Los Angeles returned to Wenatchee. He encouraged us to continue meeting, to strengthen community and provide opportunity for inquirers. So in mid-November, we began to read Vespers together, continuing our book discussion. Anyone interested in a taste of Orthodoxy is welcome.
About Us
We invite you to explore the treasures of the ancient Orthodox Christian Church which is alive and well and growing throughout the world!
The Wenatchee Orthodox Christian mission is an outreach of Christ the Savior Orthodox Christian Church in Spokane,Washington, whose priest, Fr. Michael Shanbour, provides the pastoral care for the Wenatchee Mission. We are under the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America, which is dedicated to preaching, teaching, and living out the Apostolic Faith of the ancient Church, which has been preserved whole in the "Eastern Orthodox Church."
The Orthodox Church is one "one faith, one Lord, one baptism" (Eph. 4:5) made up of many regional and national churches in communion with one another. The Church is not a human "institution" but rather the Body of Christ, the Divine-Human organism whose Head is Jesus Christ and who lives by the Spirit of God the Father.
Come Worship with Us!
Wenatchee Orthodox Christian Mission Phone:(509) 891-7632
Fr. Michael's Cell: 263-6441 E-mail Fr. Michael
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