ST. JACOB OF ALASKA ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN CHURCH
From the Rector: Help a growing Orthodox Mission Parish Purchase a Temple
Dear Sibling in Christ,
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I pray this letter finds you well.
I am writing to you today from St. Jacob's Orthodox Mission Parish, a growing Orthodox Christian community in Ishpeming, Marquette County. We are located in the beautiful and rugged Central Upper Peninsula of Michigan. We are a small mission parish with a big heart, working to build a permanent home for Orthodoxy in our community, and we humbly ask for your support.
By God's grace, this past year has been a time of real growth for our mission. We have been blessed to celebrate new life in the Church through two baptisms (one infant and one adult) and have welcomed eight new, faithful members into our parish family. Our average Sunday Liturgy attendance has grown to around 25, with some Sundays seeing some 30 souls worshipping together.
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We are deeply committed to nurturing the gifts God has given us. Our community is celebrating the upcoming ordination of one of our parishioners to the Holy Diaconate. We have also trained new Altar Servers, supported a parishioner in developing her gifts as an iconographer, and are establishing a parish library to ensure our faithful and inquirers have access to good spiritual food.
This growth is also reflected in our parish life:
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A Full Liturgical Life. In the last year, we have gathered for over 60 Divine Liturgies, 60 Great Vespers services, and dozens of minor services. We strive to offer a full cycle of prayer and worship.
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Serving the Poor. Our parish allocates a portion of its budget every month to our Mother Olga Food Pantry ministry. We partner with Feeding America and receive local donations to provide food to our neighbors every week.
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A Growing Vision. Our parish finances, while modest, have grown by nearly 50% this past year. We are diligently saving for a building of our own and have raised over $10,000 in our building fund.​​
Our Goal: A Permanent Home
​Our most pressing temporal need is a permanent church building. We currently worship in a rented space, and while we are grateful for it, our goal is to purchase a building of our own by 2028. A permanent home would release us from rent, give us the stability to beautify our worship, and serve as a permanent lighthouse of Orthodoxy in the Upper Peninsula.
Our Challenge
This is where we turn to you for help. Our mission is located in a region with economic challenges. The median household income in our city is significantly lower than the national average. Our faithful parishioners, many of whom work in blue-collar industries (such as retail, food service, and skilled trades), give generously and sacrificially, but the economic reality of our area means that raising funds for a building is a monumental task.
Your love and support go further here. A donation to St. Jacob's Mission is a direct investment in the future of the Church in a place where the need is great.
We ask you to prayerfully consider making a 100% tax-deductible donation to our mission. Your gift, of any amount, will bring us one step closer to securing a permanent home for our growing parish family.
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Our field is white unto harvest. Will you join us?
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May the Lord bless you and all who give to His Church.
In Christ,
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Fr. Jesse Rimshas, Rector
St. Jacob's Orthodox Mission Church
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St. Jacob of Alaska Orthodox Christian Mission is an IRS 501(c)(3) organization.
