History of Our Parish
It all began with a meeting of a group of Orthodox faithful in October 1999 to establish a place for worship, under the jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia. It became a reality on Saturday, August 24, 2002, as the ground breaking ceremony was celebrated for the new church/social hall complex of Christ Our Savior Orthodox Church.
Our first service was held in November 1999, at a small rented building along Tanoma Road, Indiana, PA. After several months, we were able to move to another larger facility on the same property which provided us with enough room for a church, a social hall, and classrooms. This helped us to establish and consolidate our parish community.
Finally our quest for a permanent facility became a reality. After some searching we found 9.6 acres of land located at Route 286 East and Tanoma Road that proved to be an excellent site. On June 15, 2003, by God's grace and blessings, we held our first service in our new facility.
The Church, facing east, is about 90 ft. x 100 ft. The social hall is 100 ft. x 50 ft. wide. Above the foyer/entrance, drawing both buildings together, is a large Russian-style cupola (dome), surmounted by a large Slavic cross.
The west wall of the Church is of glass, as are the church doors. The church ceiling is fairly low, and the iconostasis was constructed and placed to fit this style, along with the chandeliers. Above the High Place in the sanctuary, is a large circular icon-window of Christ Our Savior, true Light of the world. Below that, is a rectangular window depicting the glorified Cross.
The windows along the north and south sides of the Church contain ancient Christian symbols. The choir/cantor area is alongside the north wall of the Church, widened for this purpose. Except for the sanctuary everything is on one level. There are no steps. From the very start, much of the work was done by our parishioners. We have been blessed with a diversified and gifted group of members supporting the building projects in all aspects.
Having been so abundantly blessed and sustained by Christ our Savior, the parishioners chose this name for the community. The background of the community is predominantly Carpatho-Russian, reflected, for example, in the type and construction of the altar, and the liturgical customs, chant and music. The services are in English, with just a touch of the old language on some major feasts. Christ Our Savior Orthodox Church is a very active parish, with Divine Liturgy on Sundays and various holy days. During certain times of the year we have adult Bible study sessions. A recent addition is a parish library. We have an ongoing Church (Sunday) School beginning in mid-September, with dedicated teachers. The students take part in parish projects (for example, helping with dinners, giving brunches, and having craft and candy sales.) They also sponsor an annual project for the needy in the wider community. Together with the ladies society, the church school meets our monthly financial commitment to a local radio and internet station ("Worldwide Media Under God"-WMUG.)
The Church community has an excellent and very active ladies' organization (sisterhood). The Ladies have helped the church become well known in the wider community because of their projects: dinners open to the public (about 6 times a year); delicious nut, apricot and poppy seed rolls, made a number of times during the year; and also pierogi. The ladies and their helpers are tireless workers. We have a large (50 ft. x 28 ft.) well-equipped kitchen, which the ladies helped plan and design. We also have ongoing Red Cross blood drives, as part of our community outreach.
We believe that the Holy Orthodox Church was directly and personally established by Jesus Christ, and that it is the very same Church described in the New Testament. We also believe in the unbroken Tradition of faith, worship, sacramental and spiritual life transmitted by Christ and the Apostles in the Church. We further believe that the ongoing life and experience of the Church (the people of God) flows from the apostolic source, and is nourished by divine grace. We believe that this is the Church which will remain as the witness to God's plan of salvation, awaiting the glorious Coming of Christ our Savior.
We are an open and friendly parish community. We invite families and people of the Orthodox Faith without a home parish to worship with us. In fact, we welcome all to visit us. We are always delighted to have visitors. Come and explore the historic and dynamic Orthodox faith!
Our first service was held in November 1999, at a small rented building along Tanoma Road, Indiana, PA. After several months, we were able to move to another larger facility on the same property which provided us with enough room for a church, a social hall, and classrooms. This helped us to establish and consolidate our parish community.
Finally our quest for a permanent facility became a reality. After some searching we found 9.6 acres of land located at Route 286 East and Tanoma Road that proved to be an excellent site. On June 15, 2003, by God's grace and blessings, we held our first service in our new facility.
The Church, facing east, is about 90 ft. x 100 ft. The social hall is 100 ft. x 50 ft. wide. Above the foyer/entrance, drawing both buildings together, is a large Russian-style cupola (dome), surmounted by a large Slavic cross.
The west wall of the Church is of glass, as are the church doors. The church ceiling is fairly low, and the iconostasis was constructed and placed to fit this style, along with the chandeliers. Above the High Place in the sanctuary, is a large circular icon-window of Christ Our Savior, true Light of the world. Below that, is a rectangular window depicting the glorified Cross.
The windows along the north and south sides of the Church contain ancient Christian symbols. The choir/cantor area is alongside the north wall of the Church, widened for this purpose. Except for the sanctuary everything is on one level. There are no steps. From the very start, much of the work was done by our parishioners. We have been blessed with a diversified and gifted group of members supporting the building projects in all aspects.
Having been so abundantly blessed and sustained by Christ our Savior, the parishioners chose this name for the community. The background of the community is predominantly Carpatho-Russian, reflected, for example, in the type and construction of the altar, and the liturgical customs, chant and music. The services are in English, with just a touch of the old language on some major feasts. Christ Our Savior Orthodox Church is a very active parish, with Divine Liturgy on Sundays and various holy days. During certain times of the year we have adult Bible study sessions. A recent addition is a parish library. We have an ongoing Church (Sunday) School beginning in mid-September, with dedicated teachers. The students take part in parish projects (for example, helping with dinners, giving brunches, and having craft and candy sales.) They also sponsor an annual project for the needy in the wider community. Together with the ladies society, the church school meets our monthly financial commitment to a local radio and internet station ("Worldwide Media Under God"-WMUG.)
The Church community has an excellent and very active ladies' organization (sisterhood). The Ladies have helped the church become well known in the wider community because of their projects: dinners open to the public (about 6 times a year); delicious nut, apricot and poppy seed rolls, made a number of times during the year; and also pierogi. The ladies and their helpers are tireless workers. We have a large (50 ft. x 28 ft.) well-equipped kitchen, which the ladies helped plan and design. We also have ongoing Red Cross blood drives, as part of our community outreach.
We believe that the Holy Orthodox Church was directly and personally established by Jesus Christ, and that it is the very same Church described in the New Testament. We also believe in the unbroken Tradition of faith, worship, sacramental and spiritual life transmitted by Christ and the Apostles in the Church. We further believe that the ongoing life and experience of the Church (the people of God) flows from the apostolic source, and is nourished by divine grace. We believe that this is the Church which will remain as the witness to God's plan of salvation, awaiting the glorious Coming of Christ our Savior.
We are an open and friendly parish community. We invite families and people of the Orthodox Faith without a home parish to worship with us. In fact, we welcome all to visit us. We are always delighted to have visitors. Come and explore the historic and dynamic Orthodox faith!