St. Elizabeth Mission in Georgia moves into new church

I post this largely because I visited this parish late last year while they were still in their temporary building. I'm glad to see this small congregation, filled with very kind and personable people, was able to complete their construction efforts.

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WOODSTOCK, GA (ACROD) - St. Elizabeth, a Mission of the American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese for the past fourteen years in Woodstock, Georgia, has begun worshiping in its new church. On the Feast of Holy Pascha. 57 faithful joined Fr. Frederick Watson, Priest Administrator at St. Elizabeth, to serve Divine Liturgy in the new location for the first time.

In 2010, the Mission purchased a nine acre property on which was a home (which has become the priest's residence) and a 9000 square foot building that included a 2400 square foot garage/warehouse. The garage/warehouse has been re-designed into the church proper. The remainder of the building will be an educational and social center, with the second floor housing the future priest residence.

Woodstock, Georgia, is located about 40 miles north and west of downtown Atlanta. St. Elizabeth serves a potential Orthodox parish that would extend sixty miles to the west (border of Alabama) and about 90 miles to to the north (borders of Tennessee and North Carolina) in which there are no Orthodox churches of any jurisdiction.

Said one of the faithful who has been a part of St. Elizabeth since its beginning, "We are so excited! God has blessed us so greatly. It is wonderful to be in our own house of worship after wandering around to so many locations for so long." Most recently, the Mission has served Divine Liturgy in the chapel of the Woodstock Funeral Home. Other places of worship have included a Roman Catholic Church's chapel, a bank, a restaurant/bar, and, of course, the priest's home.

The Mission has been served in the past by Fr. John Zboyovski, Priest-Monk Fr. Orestes, Fr. Robert Prepelka, and Fr. Paul Stoll. For more information and more photos of the church building process, see the Mission's website www.stelizabethga.org.