Thanks be to God for such a blessed day in our region. Today, we gathered for our final service in Founders’ Hall, a space that has served us well for many years. At the close of Orthros, our acolytes processed us to the courtyard where His Eminence Metropolitan Gerasimos of San Francisco, His Grace Bishop Ioannis of Phocaea, and our Vicar, Rev. Fr. Jon Magoulias led us in prayer, opening the doors to our Holy Sanctuary. His Eminence blessed us with Holy Water, and then as the bell rang out, he blessed the Sanctuary as we entered to celebrate the Divine Liturgy. At the close of Liturgy, we offered memorial prayers, including Fr. Demetrius and Presvytera Eleftheria and the founders of our Holy Church; may the Lord grant them rest! We were then humbled to have the Medal of St. Paul, the highest honor bestowed on the Orthodox Christian laity by the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, presented to Joe Fancher, Jason Jurrens, and Sia Efstathiu. They are worthy! And, as we departed the Church, we took a collection for the recently established parish of St. Anna in the Diocese of Eldoret and Northern Kenya; we raised over $1,500.00 (a link is now available at https://saintanna.churchcenter.com/giving/. Again, thanks be to God for such a blessed, memorable, and beautiful day.
As we begin this next chapter in the life of our parish, let us pray that our Lord, through the intercessions of Saints Joachim and Anna, grants us every blessing unto salvation. With much gratitude to Fr. Seraphim, Dn. Joseph, our Parish Council, our Building and Capital Committees, and the faithful for your common love of Christ, His Church, and our parish.
