Our Congregation Today
We are an Orthodox Christian congregation living the ancient, biblical faith of the New Testament Church; a part of the same Church that was founded by Christ, preached by His apostles, and carried on by their successors, through the centuries, to us today.
At this point, around 12-15 people are generally in attendance when we celebrate the Divine Liturgy, creating a welcoming and inviting atmosphere.
At present, we are the only Orthodox church on the Darling Downs. All people of good will are welcome to our services, and we particularly welcome Orthodox Christians who live in Toowoomba and the Darling Downs, and people who want to find out more about how original Christianity is practised today.
Our Clergy and our Diocese
Fr Erich Fein lives in Toowoomba. He leads services for our community, providing pastoral care and faith education.
Fr Erich may be contacted through: toowoomba@holyannunciation.net
Our Rector is Fr Andrew Smith. He is based in Brisbane at Holy Annunciation Orthodox Church. He has served as Rector since our 2017 establishment as a Mission, and he continues to provide guidance to our community.
St John’s Orthodox Mission falls within the Deanery of Queensland, led by Mitred Archpriest Gabriel Makarov. This, in turn, is a part of the Diocese of Australia and New Zealand (ROCOR), headed by our Bishop George (Schaefer) of Sydney, Australia & New Zealand.
Our Patron Saint
Our Mission is dedicated to the Forerunner of Christ, St John the Baptist. We celebrate this feastday in January, recalling his role in the Baptism of Jesus Christ.
For more details about our patron saint, please read the OrthodoxWiki article about him [link].
Our History
We have been regularly holding services in Toowoomba since 2014.
For more details about where we have come from, please see the ‘Parish History‘ section of our website. [link]
Our Location and Services
For more information, please see the ‘Schedule‘ section of our website. [link]
Our Faith
For more information, please see the ‘About Orthodoxy’ section of our website. [link]
St John the Baptist Orthodox Mission, Toowoomba 