On behalf of the members of St. Peter Antiochian Orthodox Church I welcome you to our web site! You will find information here regarding the faith, worship and spirituality of the Orthodox Church as well as specific information about St. Peter’s. St. Peter’s became part of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese in March 1987 along with the other churches which were previously referred to as the Evangelical Orthodox Church.
His Grace, Bishop NICHOLAS, provides loving episcopal oversight for our church. Our archdiocese is connected to the ancient Church of Antioch where “…the Disciples were first called Christians” (Acts 11:26). His Beatitude, Patriarch John X is the Patriarch of Antioch. St. Peter’s is located in Madison, Mississippi just north of Jackson. The pastor is Rev. Fr. Herman Lasseter. He is assisted by the Very Rev. Fr. James Meadows, the Very Rev. Fr. Leo Schelver, and Very Rev. Fr. John C. Henderson. St. Peter’s also is blessed to have two deacons – the Rev. Fr. Deacon Terrance Algood and the Rev. Fr. Deacon Richard Root. Current membership is approximately 140 souls.
The church began as a Bible study in the early 1970’s. St. Peter’s journey paralleled that of the other parishes of the Evangelical Orthodox Church. We began our quest to find historic Christianity by asking such questions as, “What did the early Church believe? How did she worship? How was she governed?” In our search for answers to these and many other questions, we slowly, but surely came to realize that the early Church had continued unabated throughout the ages, and was, in fact, the Holy Orthodox Church. We went through many changes seeking to conform to Orthodoxy. All along the way, God opened our eyes to what we had been seeking.
We sincerely hope that you will consider the Orthodox Christian faith just as many of us have. The majority of our members are converts to Orthodoxy having come from either Protestant or Roman Catholic backgrounds. We also have many members who came to us from the Middle East and Eastern Europe and have been Orthodox Christians all of their lives. We invite you to come worship, pray and fellowship with us. May the blessings of our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ be yours this day and forever.
Reverend Fr. Herman Lasseter