Marin County, California: renowned for its natural beauty, counterculture and conspicuous consumption — but there’s also much more. In addition to old-growth redwood stands, open space, and miles of national seashore, there are also two Orthodox communities in this postmodern bastion, an area where statistics claim that only 3% of the population are practicing Christians. In Novato there is the vibrant Greek Orthodox parish of the Nativity of Christ. And in Ross Valley, in the town of San Anselmo, there is the oldest Orthodox parish in this neck of the (red)woods, St. Nicholas Church.   The Beginnings The first chapter of the parish’s history is pretty much like that of most Russian Churches in the San Francisco Bay Area. Its founders were among the thousands of Russians displaced by the Bolshevik Revolution who had fled eastward through Siberia to Manchuria and China before coming to America. Many of these new Californians, having earlier made their home in the Russian enclave of Harbin, formed a colony in San Francisco, where Holy Trinity Cathedral had already been in existence since 1868. When the Golden Gate Bridge was completed in 1937, many refugees now fled the fog and moved across the Golden Gate…

[two_third] At the 1999 Annual Parish Meeting, Fr. Stephen proposed that we begin our second 50 years by replacing our present iconostasis with traditional Orthodox iconography. In July 1999, at the All-American Council in Pittsburgh, PA, Fr. Stephan became acquainted with Dmitry Shkolnik, an iconographer who for many years studied under Archimandrite Kiprian (Pyzhov). Father Kiprian, of Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville, NY, was the principle iconographer of Holy Virgin Cathedral on Geary Blvd., SF. Dmitry gifted Fr. Stephan with an icon of the “Savior Not Made by Hands.” Fr. Stephan brought his icon home with the hope that it would act as a catalyst to set the Icon Project in motion.   Meanwhile, Shkolnik recommended that we meet with his acquaintance, Igor Medvedev, regarding an iconostasis design. Medvedev is a professor at the Institute of Architectural Restoration in Moscow and Chief Architectural Restorer of the Vologda Region of Russia. He is an expert on period furnishings and is connected with the Museum of Decorative Arts. He had been employed by California State Park architects in Sacramento on various Fort Ross restoration projects. Igor spent the month of November in San Anselmo becoming intimately acquainted with the interior space of…

[two_third] Resounding in heaven, resonating on earth: the story of St. Nicholas’ Bells   What might be seen as a second phase of American Orthodoxy’s experience with civic liturgy began in 1995 when Fr. Stephan learned from some visitors that Russia was making bells again. The first phase of that experience of course had been the occasional installation of church bells by struggling immigrants who had come here to work in the coal mines or who had fled from Communist Russia. Those humble parishioners— visionaries none the less— had brought with them the memory of bells, which in their homeland had great civic and religious importance. Unfortunately, they lacked the means to recreate that memory except by a kind of minimal reference, usually with old firebells, farm bells, and sawed-off gas cylinders. Our own parish was blessed with a bronze bell of about 100 lbs. and decent “voice,” donated from a retired steam locomotive by Southern Pacific Railroad shortly after we incorporated. That one bell was all we had for 40 years!   [pull] Indeed, “their sound has gone out into all the earth, and their words to the ends of the universe.” [/pull] But in 1995, the parish obtained two…

A historic house found a new purpose as a parish hall.   Sitting behind St. Nicholas Orthodox Church, one of two Orthodox parishes in Marin, is a historic San Anselmo house.   The house at 102 Ross Ave. was built around 1896 by Frederick Sproul Taylor, the youngest son of Samuel P. and Sarah Taylor (for whom the park is named), and his wife, Kate R. Eagleson. Other Taylor family members had homes next door and directly across the street — still standing at 101 Ross Ave.   The Frederick Taylor house, shown here circa 1900, projects a spacious and sprawling sense of the shingle style, though it deviates from the classic shingle style in that the exterior walls are clad in narrow clapboard. Many shingle style homes include polygonal towers and dormers of varying shapes, including the low arched eyebrow seen in this house.   [donotprint][pull] For many years the property was a boarding house, managed by owner Lotte Lewis. [/pull][/donotprint] Frederick and his brother Edwin Mastick Taylor were salesmen for their father’s paper company. They left in the spring of 1898 for the Klondike gold fields of Alaska. The two men were among the 34 passengers who perished when…

Historically, the contemporary Orthodox church stands in direct continuity with the earliest Christian communities founded in regions of the Eastern Mediterranean by the apostles of Jesus. The Orthodox Christian Church, also sometimes called the Eastern Church, or the Greek Orthodox Church, claims to have preserved the original and apostolic Christian faith. Figures for its worldwide membership are estimated at around 200 million.   Structure and Organization The Orthodox church is a fellowship of administratively independent, or autocephalous (self-governing) local churches, united in faith, sacraments, and canonical discipline, each enjoying the right to elect its own head and its bishops. Traditionally, the ecumenical patriarch of Constantinople (Istanbul) is recognized as the “first among equal” Orthodox bishops. He possesses privileges of chairmanship and initiative but no direct doctrinal or administrative authority. The other heads of autocephalous churches, in order of precedence, are: the patriarch of Alexandria, Egypt, with jurisdiction over Africa; the patriarch of Antioch, now residing in Damascus, Syria, and heading Arab-speaking Orthodox Christians in Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq; the patriarch of Jerusalem, with jurisdiction over Palestine; the patriarch of Moscow and all Russia; the patriarch-catholicos of Georgia (former USSR); the patriarch of Serbia; the patriarch of Romania; the patriarch of…

What is the Fellowship Lunch? This is the meal that’s served immediately following Divine Liturgy on Sunday afternoons. Each Sunday a “lunch team” donates their time and money to produce a substantial lunch for the parish. The proceeds for the meals go into the Fellowship treasury. These funds are used to purchase supplies for the hall, investments for the Church, scholarships for summer camp, building renovations, flowers, gifts and various donations.   The Lunch Hour is a wonderful opportunity for fellowship and for celebrations. Working on a team is not only a great way to make friends, but it also provides a format to express our love with the gift of giving. No matter what the pocket book, there are numerous ways to make a difference with the donation of time.   If you are interested in joining a current team, or would like to start your own, please our the Lunch Team Supervisor.   What is Potluck? Potluck meals following a service are usually unplanned. If you wish to attend a potluck, bring food or drink to share with others. For a breakfast potluck, this could be as simple as bringing a loaf of bread, or a few pieces of…

In order to plan a realistic operating budget for the year 2010, it was unanimously decided at the annual meeting to include the pledge forms prepared by Fr. Deacon George in this month’s mailing. When you fill out the form, please keep in mind that for every adult member on our rolls, St. Nicholas parish automatically must forward a per capita assessment of $85.00 directly to the Orthodox Church in America. We also directly forward 9% of the parish income to the Diocese of the West. This means that if Stefan Skupovich contributed $100 this year, St. Nicholas parish would actually receive $6. If every member did likewise, our total operating budget for the entire year 2009 would have to be under $600!!! Our average “bare bones” expenses (just to keep the doors open) are over $8000 per month!     Letter from Deacon George: Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ: Yes, it’s that time again! Time to reflect on our financial commitment to St. Nicholas Church. No doubt your situation has evolved in some way—spiritually and/or materially—in the past year, so please take the time to consider this carefully, to pray to God, and to fill out your pledge…

Orthodox Church in America: oca.org Antiochian Archdiocese of America: antiochian.org Greek Orthodox Archdiocese: goarch.org Diocese of the West (OCA): ocadow.org   Seminaries St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary: svots.edu St. Tikhon’s Orthodox Theological Seminary: stots.edu Holy Cross Seminary (Greek Orthodox): holycross.hchc.edu   Charities International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC): iocc.org   Parishes Find a local Orthodox Parish (OCA)   Articles / Questions & Answers OCA question/answer page “Life in Christ”: Pastoral Articles by Fr. John Breck Orthodox Articles from the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese Q/A from the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese Some Things We Should Know While in Church   Icons An Explanation of the Major Festal Icons: orthodoxonline.com Hand-painted Orthodox Christian icons: karavokiris.com Greek hand-painted icons and other art: hellenic-art.com Orthodox Byzantine Icons: skete.com Icons as clip art: Orthodox Christian Foundation   Orthodox Supplies for Church and Home Holoviak.com Light-n-Life.com EasternChristian.com Vestments: nikitatailor.com Cheese Pascha molds: Toroney’s Custom Woodwork and Church Supply (610-942-3506)  

CD Introduction The Choir of St. Nicholas Church is pleased to announce the release of our premiere cd,Good and Faithful Servant, in commemoration of our 50th anniversary. This recording features liturgical music largely unique to our parish. These beloved hymns from throughout the church year, including Lent, Pascha, Christmas, and the feast of St. Nicholas, stem from a variety of traditions, but principally that of South Western Rus’. They form the foundation of our choir’s repertoire, yet many are unlikely to be heard elsewhere! You will also hear some of our favorite bell rings. This CD was professionally recorded and produced, and contains over 70 minutes of music. BOOKSTORE ORDERS and BULK ORDERS can now be placed online. Minimum order: 5 CDs. Wholesale price: $11.00 per CD, plus shipping. Click the “BUY NOW” button to the right. Or, if you prefer to be billed, invoicing is available—please contact us. RETAIL CUSTOMERS: Please visit one of our distributors to purchase Good and Faithful Servant (retail price $16.99): ArchangelsBooks.com Conciliar Press Light & Life Publishing Liturgica.coms Musica Russica International Customers: Please visit one of our distributors listed above.

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[one_half] General Location St. Nicholas Church is located at 102 Ross Avenue in San Anselmo, Marin County, California, approximately 15 miles northwest of the Golden Gate Bridge.   From San Francisco Take Highway 101 north to Sir Francis Drake Blvd west. In San Anselmo, turn left on Ross Avenue. St. Nicholas is on the right, one and a half blocks down.   From the north Take Highway 101 south to the Central San Rafael exit and turn right on Third Street to Sir Francis Drake Blvd. Turn left on Sir Francis Drake and right on Ross Avenue.St. Nicholas is on the right, one and a half blocks down.   From the East Bay Cross the Richmond Bridge. Take the Sir Francis Drake Blvd. exit. Merge onto East Sir Francis Drake Blvd. Continue to San Anselmo. Turn left on Ross Ave. Nicholas is on the right, one and a half blocks down. [/one_half] [one_half_last] For exact driving directions from your location, visit Google Maps [/one_half_last]