Source: Orthodox Church in America
Alliance/Lousivlle, OH, February 8, 2018
On Saturday, February 17, 2018, Saint Nikolai Mission here will celebrate the fifth anniversary of its founding with a renewed commitment to ongoing growth and the future.
“The mission was formed with the blessing of His Eminence, Archbishop Alexander, in 2013 by several area families who wished to worship in the English language, welcome a diversity of ethnic traditions, and actively engage in community outreach,” said Priest Mikel Hill, who was assigned as the mission’s first full-time priest in 2017. “The mission initially found temporary homes at a local university chapel, a Byzantine Catholic church, and even a barn. As the community grew, it quickly became apparent that a space of its own was necessary. In October 2015, the mission opened the doors of a small but beautiful new church.
“However, these first five years certainly have brought their share of challenges to the community,” Father Mikel added. “Recently, Saint Nikolai’s once again appeared in a front page article of the local newspaper, with the opening sentence calling the mission ‘a church blessed by adversity.’”
It was on August 27, 2017, explained Father Mikel, that a local resident broke into the new church, poured diesel fuel over the altar area and set all on fire, resulting in the complete loss of the structure’s interior.
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