Glory to Jesus Christ!

It is my true joy to greet you in the Name of The Lord! It is such a blessing to have come home to Culpeper and to be planting a mission parish here! We have daydreamed for many years about there being a local Orthodox community here in Culpeper County. We always wondered when someone would make it happen. At no point did we think we would ourselves be involved, but at the same time, why not? I have never envisioned planting a parish anywhere, except in that one place that has always gnawed at my heart. CULPEPER! Matushka Angie grew up right here and as often as we have traveled  back and forth to home, it seemed like this place was calling out for a mission. We have prayed for it for a long time and this spring we received a notice that there were Orthodox folks living around here and they also desired a mission parish to begin. As summer drew to a close we came together for an open house on the property of one very interested family. Three families showed up in addition to our own and we prayerfully realized that this wasn't jsut a casual gathering but a confirmation that whenever two or three are gthered in the name of Christ, He would be there also! A blessing was sought from the Diocese to begin the process of planting a mission and the name of our heavenly patrons, Ss Peter & Paul was conferred by His Eminence, Archbishop Alexander. We are a newly formed community of believers with Jesus Christ at the center! We are sponsored by St. Andrew's Parish in Ashland, just an hour and a half south east. So Close! I am also the rector of St. Andrews and have been superbly gratified at the energy and excitement with which my home parish has embraced the idea of planting a mission to the north west. After all, St. Andrew is the brother of St. Peter! I cannot ignore the more than coincidental nature of that happenstance! The relationship between these two communities will be one that is lifegiving. Glory to God for such a gift! We have been affirmed by many well wishers and have received support already from many most blessed sources. I am quite sure that God has blessed this misson to not only begin, but to thrive here in Culpeper County. By His Grace we will root ourselves and grow in the fertile soil of hearts that are hungry to worship Christ in Spirit and Truth. I invite you to come and see! God is with us!