Annunciation Church

Santa Maria, California

Annunciation Church

Founded 1979

Diocese: Diocese of the West

Deanery: Pacific Southwest Deanery

Address

877 Francine Ln
Santa Maria, California 93455-3019

Website: odox.org

Office: 805-938-7877

Parish Contacts

Rector
733 Fairmont Ave
Santa Maria, CA 93455
Home: 805-720-1974
Office: 805 938-7877

Directions

General Location
The Orthodox Church of the Annunciation is located in Santa Maria, on the Central Coast of California, about 69 miles north of Santa Barbara and 39 miles south of San Luis Obispo.

From the 101 Freeway
Exit on Santa Maria Way.  Go west 1 block to Bradley Road and turn left.  Stay in the right lane and turn right on Francine Lane (first right after the traffic signal).  Turn right into the first driveway on Francine.  We are on the corner of Francine and Bradley.

Map
A detailed map with directions is available in PDF format here on our website for your use.

Schedule of Services

Call for days and times for Matins on weekdays.
Daily

5:30 PM Great Vespers.
Saturday Evening

10:00 AM Divine Liturgy.  Coffee hour follows—visitors welcome.
Sunday Morning

6:00 PM Vespers or Vigil.  (On March 24, Eve of the Annunciation, Vigil is at 7:00 PM).
Eves of Great Feasts

9:00 AM Divine Liturgy.  On Annunciation (March 25), Liturgy at 4:00 PM.
Mornings of Great Feasts

For a complete list of upcoming services, please visit the parish website.

Confessions are heard after Vespers and Vigils as well as by appointment.
Confessions

Church School and Adult Education are held on Sundays from September through June from 9:00 AM to 9:45 AM. Classes on Eastern Christian spirituality, worship, and theology are held on Wednesday evenings, usually at 7:00 pm (call for times).

Parish Background

“Bearing the light of Orthodox Christianity throughout the Central Coast.”  That is how the fifty or so members of Annunciation Mission describe what their parish is all about.

Many have been bearing that light since the founding of the mission in 1979, when the first priest, Fr Ian MacKinnon, arrived.  In those early days, the handful of members met from house to house.  Soon the group moved to a temporary place of worship at St Peter’s Episcopal Church, and a year later they moved to their present site at the Marian Residence, 124 S College Dr, Santa Maria, CA.

Since its founding the parish has been served by five priests and has been a spiritual home for Orthodox Christians from abroad and from North America.  Greeks, Slavs, Arabs, Romanians. and many converts have come together to be nourished by the faith “which was once for all delivered to the saints.” (Jude 3)

The parish’s present pastor, Fr Lawrence Russell, arrived with his family in the fall of 1991 to serve the parish on a full-time basis.  The coming of Fr Lawrence brought to a close a three-year search for a full-time priest and solidified the community’s desire to be a fully-functioning mission parish.

Annunciation Mission has a regular cycle of services and active programs for religious instruction, charity, and youth.  It is under the episcopal care of His Grace, Bishop Tikhon of San Francisco and the Diocese of the West of the Orthodox Church in America.