Archbishop Alypy of Chicago in 2002 blessed Holy Protection Orthodox Church as a Kansas City mission of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia.  Father Martin Swanson was the first supervising priest and in the earliest days periodically visited from St. Louis to celebrate the Divine Liturgy in hotel conference rooms.  Most weeks, there were reader’s services.  Early tasks for parishioners included incorporation, opening a bank account, and the acquisition of liturgical books, icons, furnishings, and the ability to chant.  In time, Father Mark Gilstrap, succeeding Father Martin, traveled even farther from Tulsa to serve the Divine Liturgy.
             
In 2006, the Lutheran Church of the Resurrection in Prairie Village, Kansas, offered our mission the use of their vaulted chapel, thus ending Holy Protection’s peripatetic era of services in homes, chapels, and meeting rooms.  Their kindness and
generosity cannot be overstated.  About this time Father Christopher Stade succeeded Father Mark as supervising priest.  As before, when no priest was able to come to the Kansas City area, reader’s services continued to be sung Saturday evenings, Sunday mornings, and major feast days.  Initially, the chapel was sparsely adorned with the icons of Christ and the Theotokos, with the Gospel in the middle, all on analoys, plus two brass candle stands.  Carpets for both beauty and the feet, a portable iconostas, a commemoration table, and finally a proper kliros stand were added over the years, prompting one first-time visitor to exclaim, “The photos don’t do it justice.”  Over time, some people left while others came.  Fathers Anastasy Yatrelis and John Whiteford, both priests with considerable experience in the trials and tribulations of starting and sustaining missions, provided advice and encouragement during these years in the wilderness.
             
There were bright and joyful occasions during this time.  On the Feast of Holy Protection, Father Paisius Altschul from St. Mary of Egypt Serbian Orthodox Church in Kansas City came for three years with his parishioners to celebrate the Vigil and Divine Liturgy, which was a great consolation.  Three times the mission had the blessing of a visit of the Kursk-Root Icon.  Most recently in October of 2010 this visit developed into a large Pan-Orthodox event.
             
A few short weeks after that festivity, a message was left on the church phone by a Deacon Zachary Rose from Atlanta, announcing his temporary job transfer to the Kansas City area. Father Zachary first visited Holy Protection along with Matushka Rachel and their four lively children; shortly thereafter the move was completed.  More months of reader’s services were now augmented by a man in black.  To everyone’s grateful amazement (perhaps even their own!) the Roses
decided to stay in Kansas City.  Discussions regarding ordination soon followed.  Father Deacon Zachary petitioned Bishop Peter, the administrator of the Diocese, and on a scorching July day in Oklahoma City, on the feast of St. Benedict, Metropolitan Hilarion ordained Father Zachary to the priesthood. 

People from diverse backgrounds have found a home at Holy Protection, a mission rooted in the Russian Orthodox tradition as to typikon, liturgical practices, music, piety, and the rhythms of life lived according to the ancient Church (Old) Calendar.  The summer of 2011 saw our first two baptisms, including that of the youngest parishioner, the Kansas-born Matthias Rose. Father Zachary has led an adult discussion group, and ministered to the gravely ill in an extended emergency.  A regular trapeza (light meal) with Sunday School follows the Divine Liturgy. Pictures on this website continue to tell the story. 

Glory to God for all things!