Prophet Elijah Antiochian Orthodox Mission - 107 S Dennis St, Ellensburg, WA 98926 - (509) 933-2720
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Prophet Elijah Orthodox Mission

Prophet Elijah Orthodox MissionProphet Elijah Orthodox MissionProphet Elijah Orthodox Mission

OUR CLERGY (scroll right to see all)

His Eminence Metropolitan JOSEPH

 V. Rev. Father Paul Moses Jaroslaw

 Rev. Deacon Basil Hinkle

Rev. Deacon Joseph Frangipani

Reader Michael Smith 

Reader Arsenios Blaisdell

PARISH HISTORY

Originally meeting in a house in Cle  Elum beginning in 2004, what was then known as the Kittitas Valley  Orthodox Christian Mission was begun under the guidance of Fr. Joseph  Copeland from Holy Cross Orthodox Church in Yakima. There were about  12-15 local members and in that location, Arsenios (George) Blaisdell and Basil (Bill) Hinkle were tonsured as the mission's first Readers. 

To  be closer to a larger population base, including Central Washington University, the mission moved to Ellensburg in 2008, meeting at Farrell House located on the corner of 5th and Water St. near downtown. Because Holy Cross had three priests at the time, Divine Liturgy began to be  served at our mission weekly on Sundays, with the priests coming to Ellensburg in turns.  Fr. Joseph also held a catechism class on Tuesday  evenings. For feast days and special events, such as Holy Week, Pascha and Nativity, members would have to travel to Yakima. At the Water  street location, KVOCM grew to about 25 members. 

In  August 2010, the mission moved to its current location on Dennis Street  thanks to the assistance of Rd. Arsenios, who purchased the house as  his residence and allowed the church to use the building and property for ecclesiastical purposes. Remodel  plans were initiated to convert the ranch-style house to a parish church. Eventually, the garage would become the future nave, with the altar and a narthex being added on to that. In the meantime, the congregation met in what was the house's living room with the dining  room serving as both overflow space and the trapeza. (fellowship hall) Meeting in this fashion continued for nearly six years.

Eight months after moving onto the Dennis Street property, on June 1, 2011, Fr. Paul Moses Jaroslaw was assigned to the growing mission as the parish priest and moved to Ellensburg from Homer, Alaska (where he had started another Mission) with his wife, Khouria Thekla,  and their daughter, Maria. Fr. Paul had served in Alaska for almost 40 years, (he grew up as an Atheistic Jew in New York City) and had come to Orthodoxy with a large group of former Evangelicals called the "Evangelical Orthodox Church" that were received into the Antiochian Orthodox Church in 1987. About 20 members from the church in Homer also moved to Ellensburg at the same time and one of the families that joined  the mission was that of Rd. Michael Smith, who stepped into the role  of head chanter. With the arrival of the Alaskans, and a few more  baptisms, there were soon about 50 members of the parish. 

About  a year later, Rd. Basil (aka "Bill Hinkle") was tonsured as a Subdeacon to serve the  parish in that capacity.  The mission was also given its Patron Saint,  the Holy Prophet Elijah, by then-Archbishop JOSEPH (now Metropolitan JOSEPH) and officially became Prophet Elijah Antiochian Orthodox Mission. Three years  later, during an ordination service at Holy Cross during Lent 2015, Subdeacon Basil became the parish's first Deacon. New members continued to be  added through baptism as time went on. 

With  Father Paul's vision leading the way, the building plans progressed,  albeit a bit slowly as the work was done as the money came in. The  framing was begun, the roof was installed, flooring went in, walls were  prepared and eventually, the icons were hung. Finish work continued as  well.  After a year or so of thinking they'd certainly be in by the next  big feast, the first services in the new church finally took place the  weekend of Lazarus Saturday and Palm Sunday 2016 (even though there  were still a few things left to do). With great joy, Holy Pascha was celebrated in the beautiful building a week later.

In  August of that year, Prophet Elijah Mission sent its first novice to  St. John the Forerunner Greek Orthodox Monastery in Goldendale. A few months later, on Christmas Eve morning, they had their first large group  baptism when 12 Catechumens were received into the Holy Orthodox Church at one time.  As of January 2021,  there are now approximately 90 communicants who call the Prophet Elijah Mission their home parish, as well as about 30 Catechumens & Inquirers (including a small group in Moses Lake, where we are in the beginnings of planting another Mission.) This includes the majority of those who began gathering together in Cle Elum. 

In  the summer of 2017, the church was officially added to the property deed, and  became a rightful owner of  the Dennis St. property.  The parish remains  strong in its purpose to further continue the process of establishing  Holy Orthodoxy in Ellensburg ~ all to the glory of God.

OUR PATRON SAINT, THE HOLY PROPHET ELIJAH

The Holy Prophet Elijah is one of the greatest of the prophets and  the first dedicated to virginity in the Old Testament. He was born in  Tishba of Gilead into the Levite tribe 900 years before the Incarnation  of the Word of God.


St Epiphanius of Cyprus gives the following  account about the birth of the Prophet Elijah: “When Elijah was born,  his father Sobach saw in a vision angels of God around him. They  swaddled him with fire and fed him with flames.” The name Elijah (the  Lord’s strength) given to the infant defined his whole life. From the  years of his youth he dedicated himself to the One God, settled in the  wilderness and spent his whole life in strict fasting, meditation and  prayer. Called to prophetic service, which put him in conflict with the  Israelite king Ahab, the prophet became a fiery zealot of true faith and  piety.


During this time the Israelite nation had fallen away  from the faith of their Fathers, they abandoned the One God and  worshipped pagan idols, the worship of which was introduced by the  impious king Jereboam. Jezebel, the wife of king Ahab, was devoted to  idol worship. She persuaded her husband to build a temple to the pagan  god Baal, which led many Israelites away from the worship of the true  God. Beholding the ruin of his nation, the Prophet Elijah began to  denounce King Ahab for impiety, and exhorted him to repent and turn to  the God of Israel. The king would not listen to him. The Prophet Elijah  then declared to him, that as punishment there would be neither rain nor  dew upon the ground, and the drought would cease only by his prayer.  Indeed, the word of Elijah was a torch (Eccles. 48: 1) The heavens were  closed for three and a half years, and there was drought and famine  throughout all the land.


During this time of tribulation, the  Lord sent him to a cave beyond the Jordan. There he was miraculously fed  by ravens. When the stream Horath dried up, the Lord sent the Prophet  Elijah to Sarephta to a poor widow, a Sidonian Gentile who suffered  together with her children, awaiting death by starvation. At the request  of the prophet, she prepared him a bread with the last measure of flour  and the remainder of the oil. Through the prayer of the Prophet Elijah,  flour and oil were not depleted in the home of the widow for the  duration of the famine. By the power of his prayer the prophet also  performed another miracle: he raised the dead son of the widow.


After  the end of three years of drought the Merciful Lord sent the prophet to  appear before King Ahab, and promised to send rain upon the earth. The  Prophet Elijah told the king to order all of Israel to gather upon Mount  Carmel, and also the priests of Baal. When the nation had gathered, the  Prophet Elijah proposed that two sacrificial altars be built: one for  the priests of Baal, and the other for the Prophet Elijah who served the  True God.


The Prophet Elijah told them to call on their gods to  consume the sacrificial animals with fire, and he would call on his.  Whichever was first to send fire on the sacrifice would be acknowledged  as the true God. The prophets of Baal called out to their idol from  morning till evening, but the heavens were silent. Towards evening the  holy Prophet Elijah built his sacrificial altar from twelve stones, the  number of the tribes of Israel. He placed the sacrifice upon the wood,  gave orders to dig a ditch around the altar and commanded that the  sacrifice and the wood be soaked with water. When the ditch had filled  with water, the prophet turned to God in prayer. Through the prayer of  the prophet fire came down from heaven and consumed the sacrifice, the  wood, and even the water. The people fell down to the ground, crying  out: “Truly, the Lord is God!” Then the Prophet Elijah had all the  pagan-priests of Baal put to death, and he began to pray for rain.  Through his prayer the heavens opened and an abundant rain fell, soaking  the parched earth.


King Ahab acknowledged his error and repented  of his sins, but his wife Jezebel threatened to kill the prophet of  God. The Prophet Elijah fled into the Kingdom of Judea and, grieving  over his failure to eradicate idol worship, he asked God to let him die.  An angel of the Lord came before him, strengthened him with food and  commanded him to go upon a long journey. The Prophet Elijah traveled for  forty days and nights and, having arrived at Mount Horeb, he settled in  a cave.


The Lord told him that the next day Elijah would stand  in His presence.There was a strong wind that crushed the rocks of the  mountain, then an earthquake, and a fire, but the Lord was not in them.  The Lord was in “a gentle breeze” (3 Kings 19: 12). He revealed to the  prophet, that He would preserve seven thousand faithful servants who had  not worshiped Baal.


Later, the Lord commanded Elijah to anoint  Elisha into prophetic service. Because of his fiery zeal for the Glory  of God the Prophet Elijah was taken up alive into Heaven in a fiery  chariot. The Prophet Elisha received Elijah’s mantle, and a double  portion of his prophetic spirit.


According to the Tradition of  Holy Church, the Prophet Elijah will be the Forerunner of the Dread  Second Coming of Christ. He will proclaim the truth of Christ, urge all  to repentance, and will be slain by the Antichrist. This will be a sign  of the end of the world.


The life of the holy Prophet Elijah is  recorded in the Old Testament books (3 Kings; 4 Kings;  Sirach/Ecclesiastes 48: 1-15; 1 Maccabees 2: 58). At the time of the  Transfiguration, the Prophet Elijah conversed with the Savior upon Mount  Tabor (Mt. 17: 3; Mark 9: 4; Luke. 9: 30).


Orthodox Christians  of all times, and in all places, have venerated the Prophet Elijah for  centuries. The first church in Russia, built at Kiev under Prince Igor,  was named for the Prophet Elijah. After her Baptism St Olga (July 14)  built a temple of the holy Prophet Elijah in her native region, at the  village of Vibuta.


In iconography the Prophet Elijah is sometimes depicted  ascending to Heaven in a fiery chariot, surrounded with flames, and  harnessed to four winged horses. We pray to him for deliverance from  drought, and to ask for seasonable weather.


Used with permission from the Orthodox Church in America website.  (OCA.org)


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