Welcome to Three Hierarchs Orthodox Christian Church!
It is our blessing to share our spiritual home with you! We encourage you to “come and see” this most profound and beautifully vibrant, historic Faith, which has continued uninterrupted from the time of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Three Hierarchs is a growing and diverse community sharing “one faith, one Lord, one baptism” (Eph. 4:5). While a few of our members were Orthodox Christians from childhood, the vast majority of our membership has come to the Orthodox Faith from other spiritual backgrounds or none at all. Some are long-time residents of the Wenatchee Valley, others more recent. Most importantly, we are one united spiritual family, desiring to love and worship the all-holy Trinity “in spirit and in truth” (Jn. 4:23)—God the Father, His Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. We are also sinners, yet striving for union with God by grace through faith and repentance. Services at Three Hierarchs are in English.
History
Three Hierarchs of Wenatchee was founded on February 1, 2010, when Father Michael Shanbour was assigned as our first pastor. Prior to that time, some Orthodox Christians had resided in the area for more than 50 years. Others had joined the Orthodox Church through parishes in the Seattle and Yakima areas. The first official gatherings in Wenatchee began in August of 2006 and continued in the four years following as Fr. Michael and other Orthodox priests made monthly trips to the area. In those years, others in Wenatchee made the Orthodox Church their spiritual home and a small but vibrant community became a reality in the Wenatchee Valley. As of 2019, we have grown to about 80 members.
Heritage
Three Hierarchs is a parish of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America, which has spiritual roots in the apostolic Church of Antioch, where “the disciples were first called Christians” (Acts 11:26). The current Patriarch (Archbishop) of Antioch, John X, is the 164th successor to the Apostle Peter, who helped to establish the church in that biblical city and presided over it for seven years. We share a unity of faith and practice with the estimated 300 million Orthodox Christians around the world, not only in places such as Jerusalem, Syria, Lebanon, Greece, Romania, Russia, and Serbia, but also Japan, Indonesia, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Congo, South America, Western Europe, Alaska and, of course, North America.
Hospitality
Throughout the centuries Orthodox Christians have been known for their hospitality, which is borne from the love of God in Christ Jesus. Our desire is to live up to that reputation. After Sunday services we share time together with coffee, a little sustenance offered by members of the community, and sincere fellowship and would love to meet you! Feel free to contact Father Michael before attending, to get a sense of what you will be encountering. Otherwise, simply join us for worship, Sundays at 9:30 am.