Established in 1991, the St. John the Wonderworker Orthodox Church began with two families praying the ancient prayers of the Church in the living room of a rented Eugene home. Before the current location — a nearly-condemned property — was purchased in 1997, the growing Orthodox community gathered in tiny chapels located in the back of two rented “Pilgrim’s Way Bookstore” locations. For two-and-a-half years from late 1997 to 2000, the parish community along with other volunteers of good will from the greater Eugene community steadily refashioned a sixty-year-old historic building that had formerly been a chicken hatchery, tofu factory, and anarchist’s hangout into an Orthodox church. The first regular service held in the now present location of the church was on Great and Holy Friday in 1999. The church was consecrated by Bishop Jovan (Mladenović) of the Western American Diocese of the Serbian Orthodox Church in North and South American in 2002.
St. Paul the Apostle Mission, 1996.
May, 1999.
St. John the Wonderworker, 2000.
April 6, 2008.
August 8, 2010.
January 11, 2014.
For a detailed history of St. John the Wonderworker, continue reading here.
Replacing the Bell Tower Dome, July 17, 2014.
The “Our History” section of the website also includes the following:
- “Our Photos” offers a selection of photos of the community through the years.
- “Our Building” documents our efforts in church building.
- “Our Iconography” explains the iconography of St. John the Wonderworker and records the painting of murals within the church.
Media Coverage of St. John the Wonderworker
- “Tiny Houses, Big Hopes” by Randi Bjornstad, The Register-Guard, June 5, 2016.
- “Tiny Houses,” KLSR-TV 34, February 26, 2016.
- “I Dream of Eugene (and Beyond): I Dream of the Whit” by Camilla Mortensen, Eugene Weekly, December 24, 2015.
- “Sacred Images: Religion and Art Come Together in Beautification of Whiteaker Church” by Alex V. Cipolle, Eugene Weekly, July 30, 2015.
- “Congregations Take a Dip to Mark Christ’s Baptism” by Josephine Woolington, The Register-Guard, January 20, 2015: Part 1 and Part 2.
- “Spiritual Quest: A Eugene Man Pursues the Priesthood in the Serbian Orthodox Church” by Randi Bjornstad, The Register-Guard, September 5, 2010.
- “Whiteaker’s Serbian Orthodox Church Represents Part of a Growing Movement” by Anna Harbaugh, Reporting 1 Blog, February 16, 2011.
- “Katya’s Bells Ring in Memory of 5-Year-Old,” KVAL.com, April 6, 2008.
- “This Time Green Activist Tries to Save Tree from Ground Up” by Joe Mosley, The Register-Guard, March 4, 2003.
- “Reputation on the Line” by Jeff Wright, The Register-Guard, May 25, 2000.
- “The Lure of a Mystical Path” by Alice Tallmadge, The Oregonian, April 9, 2000. (pdf)
- “Church Taking Over Icky’s Spot” by Jeff Wright, The Register-Guard, February 26, 1998: Part 1 (alternate scan) and Part 2.
