| philosophy. At that time, our Episcopal congregation and our priest decided to look into other options. A weekly study class was organized. We studied briefly what other denominations believed and it became apparent that Orthodoxy was the only denomination we could truly embrace. Our study class then became an Orthodox study class using the text, "Common Ground." After finishing the text, we then needed to make the arrangements to leave the Episcopal church and become chrismated in the Orthodox faith. It was the wish of the hierarchy in the Orthodox church that the congregation become chrismated first and then our priest and deacon would be ordained. On May 10, 1995 everything was ready...we thought! The Episcopal Bishop of our diocese would not allow the chrismation to occur in our parish church. At the last minute, preparations were made to have the service in the Greek Orthodox Church, which we did. Six days later, our priest and deacon and his wife traveled to the Church of St. George in Troy, Michigan for their ordinations. During this time, we were assured by the parish legal counsel that we would keep our building (which was an historic landmark in Spokane), the vestments, music, etc. and simply have the building re-consecrated as an Orthodox church. While the priest and deacon were away, padlocks were placed on the church and outlying buildings by the Episcopal Diocese. the legal battle resulted in our losing everything, including the ladies' reception supplies! For a time, we held services in a hotel in downtown Spokane, and then in the chapel of a youth center. Finally, however, we found an empty church building to purchase. It was amazing how quickly we were able to come up with the down payment! In addition to the down payment, contributions were also made for the renovation of the building from a Free Methodist motif to an Orthodox decor. In November 1997, our deacon was ordained a priest also and has since replaced the priest who took us to Orthodoxy. God works in mysterious ways! The Episcopal Bishop had a very bad heart condition and was hospitalized while awaiting a possible transplant. During that time, he and the new Episcopal priest of our old parish, decided to give back all the vestments! He died shortly thereafter. May God Rest His Soul and May Light Perpetual Shine Upon Him! Fair Use Notice: This web site may contain copyrighted material the use of which may not always have been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of political, human, religious, and social issues. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. For more information go to: . http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. |
