Who We Are
The History
When people hear the words Orthodox Christian, a common response is: “You mean Russian? Greek? Serbian?” While these countries are predominantly filled with Orthodox Christians, being of an ethnicity does not matter, for the Gospel is meant for all peoples and all nations. There is no difference theologically between Orthodox Greeks or Russians or Serbians, we are all of the same body and Church. The story of St Timothy’s will convince you that Orthodox Christianity is a home for everybody, for every soul that wishes to touch and experience the Kingdom of Heaven.
St Timothy Orthodox Christian Church is part of the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of America, under the guidance of Metropolitan Joseph of New York and All America. The community has its roots in Lompoc back to the early 80’s, before it joined the Orthodox Christian Church. Before this time, it called itself the “Evangelical Orthodox Church” and was part of a community of Christian bodies all around the United States who sprouted up in the “Campus Crusade” movement and were searching for historical Christianity.
After years of searching for historical Christendom and discovering the ancient practices of the early church within the network of the Evangelical Orthodox Church, the body of community throughout the United States came across the true Orthodox Christian Church which has its roots not to the 1980’s or 70’s, but to the time of Christ himself. Stumbling upon this reality, mass conversions began and full parishes were ushered into the Orthodox Church, being welcomed by the Antiochian Archdiocese of America. (See Video)
Since 1987, the community to St Timothy has “held fast to the traditions whether taught by word or epistle”(2 Thess 2:15). It has its foundations in the many prayers and great pastors of it’s past, and has been enriched by the bold faith of our members.
Today, the Church continues to thrive, to breathe new life, and vibrantly live an ancient faith in a modern world. God continues to work, to bless, and to be ever present in our midst. Please, come and meet us!
Our Leadership
His Eminence Metropolitan Saba Esper
Metropolitan of New York and North America
[…] Metropolitan Saba was born in Latakia, Syria in 1959. He holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Tishreen in Latakia, and a bachelor’s degree in theology from the St. John of Damascus Institute of Theology in Balamand. His Eminence is fluent in Arabic and English.[…]
His Eminence was ordained a priest in 1988 and elevated to the dignity of archimandrite in 1994. He pastored St. Michael the Archangel Church in the Archdiocese of Latakia until 1998. During that time, Metropolitan Saba edited and published the Orthodox Christian magazine Farah geared toward children and families.
In 1998, Metropolitan Saba was elected and consecrated as an auxiliary bishop to His Beatitude Patriarch Ignatius IV of thrice-blessed memory. In 1999, His Beatitude and the Holy Synod of Antioch elected him as metropolitan of the Archdiocese of Bosra, Hauran and Jabal Al-Arab in Syria. He was the shepherd of this region during very difficult times, including the Syrian Civil War and the ravaging of this territory under ISIS control.
He was elected by the Holy Synod of Antioch in February 2023 to lead the faithful here in North America. (Read more here…)
Rev. John Valadez
Our Priest and Pastor
Thank you for visiting our parish’s website! Here is some information about me:
I entered into the Orthodox Church in 2006, being formerly a protestant attending Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa and other house bible study groups. One of these groups met at a tattoo parlor and after the parlor closed for the day, we conducted a bible study late into the night. We were a group of eccletic types that came from various subcultures (punk rockers, metal heads, skateboarders, surfers, etc.), and really felt out of place in this world. Although we were all different, we had one thing in common: we wanted true Christianity. The various Protestant and “non-denominational” groups we attended felt more worldly than what one reads in the Book of Acts, and being extreme types and we wanted an extreme faith with spiritual depth. We were looking for the church of the Book of Acts where one reads about miracles, martyrdom, and sacrifice for the Gospel. We wanted so desperately the otherwordly faith of the Apostles. St Paul commands us to hold true to both written and oral traditions (2 Thess 2:15), so where were these traditions? Our Lord promised that the gates of hell would not prevail against His Church (Matt 16:18), so does this Apostolic Church still exist? At first, we thought the answer was “no” because we only heard of Roman Catholicism or various types of Protestantism, but that assumption was proved wrong when we stumbled accross the Orthodox Church.
In coming to the Church, my friends and I continued a ministry to kids in music subcultures we used to be apart of. We wanted to show them the truth, and that real rebellion against this world was an ascetic rebellion, a rebellion against the flesh, a crucifixion to the world. This ministry is called Death to the World and still runs today. However, I wanted to serve the Church in a fuller capacity and after marrying my wife Presvytera Krystina in 2012, and completing undergraduate studies in art history, we decided to take steps to enter into seminary. In 2015, we moved our family from Southern California to New York in order to attend St Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary. After completing a Masters of Divinity in May of 2018, His Eminence Metropolitan Joseph assigned our family to St Timothy here in Lompoc.
My wife and I are delighted to be a part of this community, and a part of the Lompoc community at large. We have five children, who are absolutely loving California life and making many new friends. I’d love to meet you in person, so please stop by St Timothy. We have a full calendar of events and services that I am sure will fit your busy schedule.
V. Rev. John Sommer
Attached Priest
Fr John Sommer was involved in the “E.O.C.” movement, mentioned above. He served diligently as a Priest at St Athansius in Goletta, Sts Peter and Paul in Salt Lake City, and also here in Lompoc at St Timothy. His pastoral love and care for his flock are an inspiration to many, shepherding souls to Christ and His Church. Fr John and his wife Presvytera Elizabeth have three children and many grandchildren. One son, Fr David Sommer, is a priest in Washington state. Fr John and Pres. Elizabeth continue to serve in prayer and love at St Timothy, serving the community with their strength, gifts, and talents.
Protodeacon Eunice Gordon
Deacon Eunice Gordon is 91 years young, serving our parish with devotion and diligence that outdoes many. He fulfills the call of the deaconate impressively, living a life of service and love. He first served his country in the U.S. Military, both domestically and overseas. His life and love is serving his Lord at the Holy Altar, caring for the church, and preparing everything for the divine services. If you visit us, do not forget to sit down for a few moments and soak up some wisdom from Deacon Eunice!
Deacon Louis Martin
Deacon Louis has been apart of St Timothy since its beginnings in Lompoc. He has been an integral part of the parish’s life, prayer, and growth. He, along with his wife Diaconessa Therese, offer much time and energy to the community and are foundational to the life of the parish. When you visit, you will be sure to see him chanting with the cantors or serving in the altar.