The Church of the Redeemer was originally founded by the late Fr. Edwin West, who had served for 16 years in the Episcopal priesthood, and 52 Episcopal families at 904 Bryant Street. After searching for the truly historic and Apostolic Church, and after much prayer and careful study, they came to realize what they were searching for was the Orthodox Church. On December 9, 1962 the whole congregation professed their new faith, becoming a Western Rite Orthodox parish. January 20, 1963,Father West was ordained into the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese by Metropolitan ANTONY of blessed memory. Following this, the 102 faithful were chrismated on February 10th of the same year.

During this time, Father West and his flock were searching for a permanent location. And God, providing for His people, enabled them to purchase the present location in Los Altos Hills. On November 22, 1964, ground was broken for our first church.

But Father West would never step into the church he had dedicated his life to. In March of 1965 the beloved pastor fell asleep in the Lord.

After Father West's passing away, Father Theodore Micka was assigned to the church, and served it faithfully for eleven years. Under his service the church building was finished and dedicated on August 15, 1965 in a service conducted with the Father Gregory Ofiesh of the Saint Nicholas Antiochian Orthodox Church in San Francisco. The Antiochian Orthodox Church of Redeemer had now become the first Western Rite Orthodox Church on the West Coast. Also during Father Micka's tenure, the present Church Hall was constructed, membership grew rapidly, SOYO groups were started, the Sunday School Program was established with great success, and elements of the Eastern Liturgy were introduced.

On July 6, 1975, Father John Ocana, a young assistant to Father Gregory, became the new pastor. It was during this time that the church saw its greatest surge of growth; our small, familiar church could no longer hold the growing congregation. On Sundays, the patio before the church would fill with faithful parishioners, making it necessary for us to put up plastic sheeting and rows of chairs to accommodate them until a new church building could be built. After a period of time, the Divine Liturgy of Saint John Chryostom was fully implemented.

Once again, the blessings of God fell on the congregation and in 1979 the church hosted a fund raising banquet at where we raised approximately $64,000. We went to work in July 1980 and broke ground in the eastern corner of the property. Again the congregation, reminiscent of their heritage, answered the call of faith to erect a larger temple to the glory of God. In 1983 Metropolitan Philip assigned Fr. Kirrill Gvosdev to our church and the first hierarchical liturgy was celebrated in the uncompleted building. Eleven parishioners were inducted in the Order of St. Ignatius after the service. Contributions kept flowing in and by Christmas 1985 the new church building was 96% complete. The local authorities facilitated our occupancy and use of the new church building before total completion. Under the spiritual guidance of Fr. Kirrill, we moved the altar and icons from the old chapel to the new church. The first Divine Liturgy was conducted in the new church on St. Ignatius Sunday that year. Father Kirrill served faithfuly until 1986. Father Dennis Lajoie served for nine months until May of 1987, after which Father James McLuckie served as interim pastor.
 

In 1987 Fr. Thomas Ruffin was assigned to our church. Under his spiritual guidance we placed new and beautiful iconography on the iconostasis, the apse, the back wall, the royal doors and the left and right pillars to complete the church. In 1991 Metropolitan Philip consecrated the new church. During the spiritual tenure of Fr. Tom Ruffin we hosted two regional parish life conferences. In February 1998 we burned the mortgage and the blessed hands of His Grace Bishop Joseph consecrated the new altar table in memory of our beloved Iman Tarazi.

Our community has been wonderfully blessed since January 2000 under the present guidance of Father Samer Youssef. Here again, God's loving Providence has provided the Orthodox Church of Redeemer with a truly dedicated pastor and father to his people. Father Samer has continued to provide the parish with leadership and spiritual balance, and has worked to increase pledged membership. Our Teen and Senior SOYO groups are dynamic in their service, our people participate in the Divine Liturgy using service books complete with congregational singing, and our annual Food for Hungry Drive, International Food Festivals, and local homeless programs reach out to those around us. But work remains, as anticipated and pray for the day we will complete our new Community Hall.

The Antiochian Orthodox Church of Redeemer is a church of diverse nationalities and cultures, a church enriched by the people who have traveled from around the world to make this their home. But we are first and foremost a community of God, dedicated to the service of the Orthodox faithful and our local neighborhoods. This dedication is a continuation of the legacy of the men and women who sacrificed so much in the beginning. It remains our task therefore, to hold the Orthodox faith and continue to minister to the community in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit here in America.

 

Former Pastor
Very Rev. Fr. Thomas Ruffin

Rev. Fr. Samer Youssef

Last modified on: October 15, 2008