Diocese: Diocese of the South
Deanery: Carolina Deanery
Address
213 Roper Mountain Road Ext
Greenville, SC 29615-4826
USA
Website: sjotl.org
Office: 864-299-1140
Parish Contacts
Lay Leadership
Directions
General Location
St John of the Ladder Orthodox Church is centrally located in the Greater Greenville Area on Roper Mountain Road EXTENSION (between Pelham Road and Roper Mountain Road) near the intersection of I-85 and I-385.
Traveling I-385
Exit at Roper Mountain Road (Exit 37), and turn northeast onto Roper Mountain Road (RIGHT if exiting from the Northbound direction, LEFT if exiting from the Southbound direction). After several hundred meters turn LEFT onto Roper Mountain Road Extension. The church is a half mile on the RIGHT.
Schedule of Services
6:00 PM Vespers.
Saturday Evening
9:30 AM Divine Liturgy.
Sunday Morning
6:00 PM Vespers.
Wednesday Evening
6:00 PM Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts.
Wednesday Evenings in Great Lent
For a complete list of upcoming services, please visit the Monthly Calendar on the parish website.
Parish Background
St. John of the Ladder Orthodox Church (SJOTL) is a parish of the Diocese of the South of the Orthodox Church in America. All services are celebrated in English, and visitors are always welcome.
The parish began in 1995, when five founding families co-signed for a loan to purchase its first building, a former mill house that had been converted for church use some twenty years earlier. In 1999, Fr. Marcus Burch was assigned as priest of the young mission. Continued growth soon required a larger space, and in 2001 the community moved into the former Augusta Road United Methodist Church on the south side of Greenville.
During these years, St. John’s became home not only to local converts but also to many Orthodox Christians newly arrived from Ukraine, Russia, Bulgaria, Belarus, and Romania. Alongside the full liturgical cycle of the Church, the parish developed an active a cappella choir, a Sunday school program for all ages, adult education classes, and outreach to local charities. St. John’s also sponsors the Orthodox Christian Fellowship at Furman University.
In 2008, the parish began searching for land on which to build a permanent home. This vision came to fruition in 2011 with the purchase of 4.6 acres on Roper Mountain Extension. In 2018, the community entered its first purpose-built Orthodox temple, designed in traditional style and able to accommodate 350 worshippers. Most recently, in March 2024, the parish completed and occupied a parish hall with space for 160.
Today, St. John of the Ladder is blessed with steady growth, especially among young couples and families. With its vibrant liturgical life, educational opportunities, and community outreach, the parish remains committed to bearing witness to the fullness of the Orthodox Christian faith in the Greenville area. Visitors and inquirers are warmly invited to “come and see.”
