About Us at Annunciation
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A drawing by one of our children of the Archangel Michael.
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About Us at Annunciation
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We are an Orthodox Christian parish in Saint James, Missouri as part of the canonical Orthodox Church in America and the Diocese of the Midwest.
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A drawing by one of our children of a Liturgy during the week of Pascha (Easter).
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Background & Community Dynamic
You may have read an article by Fr. Joel in the Phelps County Focus, or you may have met us at the Celebration of Nations. We are a growing and diverse group of people, usually outnumbered by our kids at any given service. We were selected to receive a mission planting grant in 2017. We work to be good stewards of it through practicing authentic generosity, love for God and each other, and by warmly welcoming every person God brings to us.
In 2021 we miraculously welcomed nearly 60 new people to Annunciation both locally and from Texas, Georgia, Florida, California, and Washington, and with over 40 kids in church began a weekly homeschool co-op. In 2025 we built and moved into a new multipurpose building to fit everyone and are now working on plans to build a permanent temple from quarried limestone.
Charitable Work & Outreach
We host a free spiritual retreat every fall, open to the public, where we invite a speaker to talk about a different aspect of the spiritual life and enjoy a wonderful time of singing and dancing, and delicious food. We are supporters of the Pregnancy Resource Center, G.R.A.C.E. in Rolla, and Orthodox seminarians.
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Our Purpose
Our purpose as Orthodox Christians is ultimately “theosis”, or union with God. We are called to become, to make, and to grow disciples of Jesus Christ by announcing His love for everyone around us, and by inviting them into communion with Him through repentance.
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Our Priest, Father Joel
Fr. Joel is from Crawfordsville, IN. Originally part of the Baptist Church, his family joined a national house-church movement called the Evangelical Orthodox Church. In 2002 their entire community was brought into the Orthodox Church in America.
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Our People & Their Stories
We operate under the blessing and direction of the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church in America. Our people come from various backgrounds and share a variety of gifts within our community.
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Our History, Vision, & Goals
Since being established in 2013 in Rolla, and now in St. James, we've been hard at work praying and building the community here. You can see photos of and read more about our history, vision, and goals below.
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[cmsmasters_heading type=”h3″ font_weight=”bold” font_style=”normal” icon=”cmsmasters-icon-certificate” text_align=”left” margin_top=”0″ margin_bottom=”20″ animation_delay=”0″]Parish Status[/cmsmasters_heading]
After more than 13 years of missionary labors, on November 12, 2025, His Eminence, Archbishop Daniel issued an archpastoral decree establishing Annunciation of the Virgin Mary as a parish of the Diocese of the Midwest and naming our priest, Fr. Joel as Rector.
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