Companion
$1,000+
Annual gift
- Weekly liturgical commemoration at the primatial cathedral
- Invitation to the inaugural retreat in Washington, D.C., in fall 2027
- The 1794 Society Medal
- Special communications from the Office of the Metropolitan
The 1794 Society
Lifting high the Holy Cross planted in America in 1794 and carrying the Gospel to every corner of North America
Established by His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon on Stewardship Sunday, November 22, 2026
Our motto
From this day, from this hour, from this minute, let us love God above all.Saint Herman of Alaska
Our mission
The 1794 Society sustains the mission of the Orthodox Church in America as an autocephalous Church serving these lands.
Rooted in the witness of Saint Herman and the first Orthodox missionaries to Alaska, its members support the life of the Church as a whole, of which every parish, monastery, and institution is a part. Together, they strengthen the work we share as one Church: planting new communities, caring for clergy and their families, forming new generations in the faith, and carrying the Gospel to places where the Church is not yet established.
The Society succeeds the Fellowship of Orthodox Stewards and the Stewards of the OCA, continuing their valued work with a renewed structure and purpose.
Our vision
A Church with the capacity to receive all whom the Lord sends, to nourish them in the life of the Church, and to carry the Gospel to those who have yet to hear it.
Prayer
Members form a community of committed leaders dedicated to the life of the Orthodox Church in America, united in prayer and remembered weekly in the prayers of Saint Nicholas Cathedral, the primatial cathedral in Washington, D.C.
Stewardship
An annual gift supports the mission of the whole Church, sustaining the Orthodox Church in America in her life and ministry as an autocephalous Church serving these lands.
Fellowship
Members gather with Metropolitan Tikhon, beginning with the Society’s inaugural retreat in Washington, D.C., in fall 2027, and receive a quarterly newsletter with updates on the life of the Church from the Office of the Chancellor.
A new chapter in the stewardship of our Church
“It is also with gratitude and hope that I announce the establishment of the 1794 Society.”
“For many years, the Fellowship of Orthodox Stewards and, later, the Stewards of the OCA provided valued support for the Church’s work. With gratitude to all who sustained those efforts, we now begin a new chapter through the 1794 Society, which succeeds these earlier programs with a renewed structure and purpose.
Named for the arrival of the first Orthodox missionaries in Alaska, the Society invites you to take an enduring part in the mission those missionaries began. Through annual giving and fellowship, its members will help sustain the common work entrusted to the Orthodox Church in America as an autocephalous Church serving these lands.”
+TIKHON
Archbishop of Washington, Metropolitan of All America and Canada
Archpastoral Message for Stewardship Sunday, November 22, 2026
Read the full Archpastoral Message
One mission, from 1794 to today.
- 1794
The missionaries arrive
A small company of Orthodox missionaries reaches Kodiak, Alaska, after traveling thousands of miles by land and sea to preach the Gospel.
- 1970
A Church of these lands
The Orthodox Church in America receives autocephaly, and Saint Herman is glorified among the saints.
- 2026
The Society is established
Metropolitan Tikhon establishes the 1794 Society on Stewardship Sunday to sustain the continuing mission of 1794.
A small company of missionaries traveled thousands of miles to preach the Gospel.
In 1794, after traveling thousands of miles by land and sea to preach the Gospel, a small company of Orthodox missionaries arrived in Kodiak, Alaska.
Their labors would be marked by hardship and sacrifice. Saint Juvenaly would suffer martyrdom, while others would perish at sea. Saint Herman would spend the remaining decades of his life in prayer and humble service, teaching the faith, caring for orphans, and defending the Native peoples of Alaska. Through their offering of themselves to God and neighbor, the Church took root in these lands.
Through the loving sacrifice of our Orthodox forebears, the mission to America that began during the presidency of George Washington would eventually spread across the North American continent.
Saint Herman brought to Alaska the Orthodox tradition of stillness and prayer of the heart, centered on the Jesus Prayer. Together with the Divine Liturgy, the sacramental life, and pastoral care, this tradition continues to sustain the life of the Church in North America.
A Church growing in hope and humility.
As we survey the Orthodox Church in America today, there are echoes of 1794 that inspire our work and call us onward.
- Parishes are welcoming a growing number of inquirers seeking the apostolic faith.
- Mission churches are being planted in fertile soil.
- Seminaries and monasteries are rising to the challenge, forming the hearts and minds of a new generation of clergy and monastics.
- The mind of the Orthodox Church is penetrating more deeply into the life of local communities.
These blessings call us to receive those whom the Lord sends us and to nourish them in the life of the Church. The mission begun in 1794 continues wherever the Gospel is proclaimed.
This growth is not accidental. We live in an age of isolation, consumerism, and shortened attention spans, where anxiety and depression are common and people are searching for meaning, beauty, order, and community in a fractured world. The Church provides a firm foundation in unsettled times and opens her doors as a hospital for souls seeking healing and rebirth. It is time to expand this mission for a new generation of Orthodox Christians in North America.
This is why the 1794 Society exists. The same missionary zeal that Saint Herman and his brothers carried to these shores is spreading again today, and its success will depend upon a Church with the capacity to plan and provide for this new era.
What your membership sustains
Membership supports the whole life and mission of the Orthodox Church in America, not a single program or department.
Sustaining our autocephalous Church
Above all, membership sustains the Orthodox Church in America in her life as an autocephalous Church: the ministry of the Primate and the Holy Synod, the work of the Church’s conciliar bodies, good order and collaboration across our dioceses, and relations with other Orthodox Churches and the broader world.
Planting the Church
Grants for mission planting, so that the Orthodox faith reaches places where the Church is not yet established.
Caring for those who serve
Pastoral care for clergy and their families, and policies that help keep our communities safe.
Forming the faithful
Resources for catechesis and theological education, and liturgical music and translations for our parishes.
The Orthodox Church in America has a particular responsibility in this continuing mission. Rooted in the witness of the Alaskan missionaries and entrusted with the responsibilities of autocephaly, our Church brings together faithful of many backgrounds in a common ecclesial life devoted to the salvation of the people of North America.
Our work serves our parishes every day through grants for mission planting, care for clergy and their families, liturgical music and translations, and resources for catechesis and theological education. Supporting the primatial office and Chancery extends our stewardship beyond the needs of our own parish to responsibilities that no parish can fulfill alone.
By fostering collaboration across dioceses, coordinating Church-wide programs, developing policies that keep our communities safe, and maintaining relations with other Churches and the broader world, we fulfill responsibilities essential to the life of an autocephalous Church and strengthen our common witness to the Gospel in these lands.
His Beatitude Metropolitan TikhonArchpastoral Message for Stewardship Sunday, November 22, 2026“The Lord has entrusted something to each of us, and each of us has something to offer.”
Membership
Membership is an annual commitment, renewed each year, open to all faithful and friends of the Orthodox Church in America.
Members advance the Church’s apostolic mission and are honored by their local parishes, commemorated in the prayers of Saint Nicholas Cathedral, and honored by Metropolitan Tikhon at the Society’s inaugural retreat. This support grows from the stewardship we already practice in our parishes, extending our care to the missionary responsibilities we bear together.
Founding Members. Those who join during the Society’s first year, through August 31, 2027, will be recorded as Founding Members of the 1794 Society and recognized at the inaugural retreat.
Patron
$10,000+
Annual gift
- All Companion benefits
- A reproduction of the official All Saints of North America icon, blessed by Metropolitan Tikhon
- A handwritten note from His Beatitude
The Patron icon: All Saints of North America
Patron members receive a reproduction of the official All Saints of North America icon, blessed by Metropolitan Tikhon and accompanied by a handwritten note from His Beatitude.
The icon design was commissioned by His Beatitude in 2024 from master iconographer Anton Daineko, instructor at the Icon School of Saint Tikhon’s Art Institute in South Canaan, Pennsylvania.
The Founder’s Council
Faithful and distinguished Orthodox Christians lending their wisdom, prayers, and support to the Society from its first day.
A select group of faithful and prominent members of the Church have been appointed as the inaugural Founder’s Council of the 1794 Society.
- CounselMembers serve in an advisory capacity to His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon and the Chancellor on strategic and philanthropic matters.
- Permanent membershipMembers of the Founder’s Council are permanent members of the 1794 Society.
- FellowshipMembers are invited to gather with Metropolitan Tikhon and the Society at its annual retreat in Washington, D.C.
Join the 1794 Society
We invite you to prayerfully consider becoming a member. Membership begins with an annual gift of $1,000 and lasts twelve months from the date your gift is received. Whatever you give, may it express our gratitude to God and our love for those who have yet to hear his Gospel. Choose whichever way of giving is easiest for you, and please note “1794 Society” with your gift.
By check
Make your check payable to Orthodox Church in America with “1794 Society” in the memo, and mail it to PO Box 31409, Alexandria, VA 22310.
Securities or donor-advised funds
To give appreciated securities or recommend a grant from a donor-advised fund, please contact Ben Christenson, Assistant to the Chancellor.
Questions about the Society?
Ben Christenson, Assistant to the Chancellor
bchristenson@oca.org
Download the brochure
Share the 1794 Society with your family, friends, and parish.
Questions
Who can become a member?
Membership is open to any adult, 18 years of age or older, who supports the work of the Orthodox Church in America.
Does membership replace my giving to my parish?
No. Membership grows from the stewardship you already practice in your parish, extending your care to the responsibilities we bear together as a Church, which no parish can fulfill alone.
How is the Society related to the Stewards of the OCA?
The 1794 Society succeeds the Fellowship of Orthodox Stewards and, later, the Stewards of the OCA, with a renewed structure and purpose. We are grateful to all who sustained those efforts and warmly invite them to continue as members of the Society.
What does my gift support?
Gifts sustain the life and mission of the Orthodox Church in America as an autocephalous Church: the work of the primatial office and Chancery in service to the whole Church, mission planting, care for clergy and their families, liturgical music and translation, and catechesis and theological education.
How long does membership last?
Membership is annual and lasts twelve months from the date your gift is received. A gift of $1,000 or more makes you a Companion, and a gift of $10,000 or more makes you a Patron.
Is my gift tax-deductible?
Yes. All donations are tax-deductible.
May I give if I am not ready to become a member?
Yes. Gifts of any amount are welcome, including through your parish’s special collection on Stewardship Sunday.
The Orthodox Church in America welcomes you to the 1794 Society as a partner and fellow brother or sister in Christ.
Through the prayers of Saint Herman and all the saints of North America, may the Lord make us faithful in the work entrusted to us, for the building up of his holy Church and the salvation of many.