It is the vision of Saint Barbara Greek Orthodox Church to inspire in all persons a love of Christ, a passion for righteousness, and a consciousness of their duties to God and their fellow man. Saint Barbara Greek Orthodox Church provides opportunities for its members as well as the community for prayer, worship, fellowship, and education in the Orthodox faith. The Church’s ministries, organizations, and committees strive to meet the needs of the church community and all its neighbors through fundraising efforts. We embrace the destitute, the hungry, the aged, the sick, the unemployed, the mentally challenged, the physically handicapped, the imprisoned, the widowed, victims of disasters, children and families in need, and offer assistance to anyone who may need the help of the Church. The Church encourages all of its members to participate in service, outreach, and improvement in our community as well as the global community of which we are all a part.
The Son of man did not come to be served, but to serve and give his life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45).
Pledge your life to Christ and to the Orthodox Faith by becoming a member. Saint Barbara Greek Orthodox Church welcomes new members and seeks to preserve and perpetuate Orthodox Christian concepts and the Orthodox Christian Family, and through them, to promote the Greek Orthodox Faith and traditions, in accordance with its doctrines, canons, discipline, divine worship, usages and customs. Aspire to model the Body of Christ in all that you do.
In our Western Hemisphere, the Orthodox Church has been developing into a valuable presence and distinctive witness for more than two hundred years. The first Greek Orthodox Christians arrived in the New World in 1768, establishing a colony near the present city of St. Augustine, Florida. One of the original buildings in which these immigrants gathered for religious services is still standing. It has recently been transformed into St. Photius’ Shrine by the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese. The Shrine, named in memory of a great missionary of the Orthodox Church, honors those first Orthodox immigrants. The chapel serves as a national religious landmark, bearing witness to the presence of Orthodoxy in America from the earliest days of its history. The next group of Orthodox Christians to emerge on the American Continent were the Russian fur traders in the Aleutian Islands. They, too, made a great contribution.
The Orthodox Church in this country owes its origin to the devotion of so many immigrants from lands such as Greece, Russia, the Middle East, and the Balkans. In the great wave of immigrations in the 19th and 20th centuries, Orthodox Christians from many lands and cultures came to America in search of freedom and opportunity. Like the first Apostles, they carried with them a precious heritage and gift. To the New World they brought the ancient faith of the Orthodox Church.
There are about 5 million Orthodox Christians in this country. They are grouped into nearly a dozen ecclesiastical jurisdictions. The largest is the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, which has about 500 parishes throughout the United States. Undoubtedly, the Primate of the Archdiocese, His Eminence Archbishop Iakovos, has been chiefly responsible for acquainting many non-Orthodox with the treasures of Orthodoxy. His selfless ministry, which has spanned more than thirty years, has been one of devotion and vision.