Their Crowning Glory Orthodox Church Project Celebrated Sunday

(From For the Record, August 9, 1997:) An open house for the new St. John the Baptist Antiochian Orthodox Church will be Saturday, Aug. 16, in Post Falls. Consecration services will be held Sunday, Aug. 17. The dates were reported incorrectly in an article in Friday’s newspaper.

After gathering in rented meeting rooms, restaurants and cramped offices for the past year and a half, the 75 families of the St. John the Baptist Antiochian Orthodox Church in Post Falls will celebrate the completion of their new temple on Sunday.

The celebration marks the end of two months of construction.

The distinctive handcrafted dome that tops the building was lifted into place on Thursday. The temple is the only one of its kind in North Idaho. There are four Orthodox temples in southern Idaho and one in Spokane.

The new temple has room for 150 people, but the church already plans to build a larger temple in five years. The number of church families has tripled since its inception in November 1995.

“People are hungry for something stable, something final, something true,” said the Rev. Gregory Horton of St. John’s.

Most Orthodox churches use the Eastern Rite style of liturgies that have not changed since before “The Great Split of 1054.” Before then, Roman Catholicism and Orthodox Christianity were one.

“We would say that Rome left” the church, said Horton, instead of the other way around.

Many people convert to Orthodoxy from other religions, including most of the Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Spokane two years ago. That new church, St. Nicholas Antiochian Orthodox Church, practices Western Rite services, which resemble Episcopalian services.

Nectarios Halvorson switched to Orthodoxy at the time and later joined St. John’s. “I was convinced of the truth of the Eastern Church,” he said. “It was not a quick decision for me. I knew I had to do it.” Catholicism and Orthodox Christianity were one.

“We would say that Rome left” the church, said Horton, instead of the other way around.

Many people convert to Orthodoxy from other religions, including most of the Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Spokane two years ago. That new church, St. Nicholas Antiochian Orthodox Church, practices Western Rite services, which resemble Episcopalian services.

Nectarios Halvorson switched to Orthodoxy at the time and later joined St. John’s. “I was convinced of the truth of the Eastern Church,” he said. “It was not a quick decision for me. I knew I had to do it.”

Matt Gallatin converted nearly four months ago after more than 40 years as a Protestant, four as a pastor. “I had grown disillusioned with the evangelical Protestant world view,” Gallatin said. Orthodoxy “seemed to have all the answers.”

Orthodoxy is more demanding than other forms of Christianity, requiring fasting and a deep commitment to prayer. “That is what I longed and hungered for all my life,” Gallatin said.

Converts often are unhappy with their churches changing doctrine to fit the times. They find happiness in Orthodoxy, which essentially has not changed since the time of the disciples, Horton said. “That gives people a very comfortable feeling.”

The Antiochian branch of Orthodoxy is one of 15 others that are mainly divided along ethnic lines because of language barriers. The other branches, including Russian Orthodox and Greek Orthodox, act independently although they are identical theologically.

Some of the differences between Orthodoxy and other Christian churches are evident in the newly completed temple. The domed roof, made smaller than usual to accommodate the region’s heavy snowfall, is onion-shaped and topped with a cross. Members stand during worship services, eliminating the need for pews. The altar is made without nails, and will receive special treatment in the consecration ceremony Sunday.

Some of the ancient practices of the Orthodox church also will be evident during the elaborate ceremony, which will be presided over by Bishop Joseph, a monk who gave up his last name according to Orthodox tradition. During the 10 a.m. ceremony, the bishop will wear highly ornate, colorful vestments that are reminiscent of the dress of the Byzantine emperors of the eighth and ninth centuries.

Reflecting the directive of St. Ignatius of Antioch in the early second century that nothing should be done without the bishop, the altar has been left unfinished. During the ceremony, the bishop will complete the construction of the table by pounding the four final pegs into the corners with four stones from the construction site. The stones, along with a list of the founders of the temple, will be sealed inside the altar.

The altar then will be washed with water, followed by rose water mixed with wine. A white cloth will cover the altar, never to be removed again.

An enhanced form of the regular liturgy that can be used only when the bishop is present will follow the consecration at 10:30 a.m. A buffet luncheon will follow at 12:30 p.m.

Church members also will hold an open house at the new temple, 4640 E. 20th Ave. in Post Falls, from 4 to 6 p.m. on Saturday.

ILLUSTRATION: Color photo

MEMO: Several lines were repeated in the published text.