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.