St. Thomas the Apostle Church

Kokomo, Indiana

St. Thomas the Apostle Church

Founded 1994

Diocese: Diocese of the Midwest

Deanery: Indianapolis Deanery

Address

914 W Taylor St
Kokomo, Indiana 46901

Office: 765-457-5045

Parish Contacts

Rector
Cell: 317-408-7803

Directions

We are located near St 31 and Indiana Rt 22.  From North or South St 31 proceed to Indiana 22, also known as Markland Ave.  Proceed west on Markland to Washington Ave.  Turn north on Washington.  After a mile turn west on W Mulberry to McCann.  Turn north on McCann to West Taylor and turn east.  The Church is at 914 W Taylor.

Schedule of Services

6:00 PM Vespers.
Saturday Evening

10:00 AM Divine Liturgy.
Sunday Morning

6:00 PM Vesperal Liturgy
Eves of Great Feasts

DURING GREAT LENT, 6:00 PM Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts.
Wednesday Evening

Parish Background

This community’s journey into the Eastern Orthodox Church took place over the last 20 years.  It is very appropriately named after St Thomas the Apostle who needed to know and experience for himself the Risen Lord before he could accept what the other disciples had told him.

A Christian Community had existed here in various forms since the 1970’s.  As its members took the call of Christ to “Seek the Truth” seriously, they found in their studies the teachings of Christ faithfully handed down through the corporate life of His Body, the Church (see Acts 2:42-44; 1 Timothy 3:15).  People discovered the Liturgy of the Church.  They also found in early church life and history the form of church structure that included Bishops, Presbyters, and Deacons.

In October 1979, they joined the Evangelical Orthodox Church and soon after became Holy Comforter parish.  This journey was not only taking place in Kokomo, but in many places across the United States.  The Evangelical Orthodox Church formed as a result of many making a similar journey as this group in Kokomo.

As the people of Holy Comforter and the Evangelical Orthodox Church continued in their pilgrimage to know the Truth, they discovered that there was an Orthodox Church in existence for the last 2000 years that faithfully preserved the essence of Christian teaching, practice, and Liturgy.  When this comes to light, many wanted in.  A large number were received into the Antiochian Orthodox Church in 1987.

Holy Comforter in Kokomo needed more time to make their decision.  In the summer of 1993, its members made the decision to seek reception into the Orthodox Church in America.  On February 5, 1994, members of Holy Comforter were received into the Orthodox Church by the Right Reverend Job, Bishop of Chicago and the Diocese of the Midwest in the Orthodox Church in America.  Thus, the community of St Thomas the Apostle was born. This youthful body has been adopted into the Christian Tradition which is 2000 years old.