USA: Orthodox church hoping for growth

George Avdella holds a cross above his head after retrieving it from Lake Eola during the Epiphany celebration of St. George Orthodox Church in Orlando, Fla., on Jan. 8, 2012. (Newscom/Polaris/Paul Hennessy) 

FONTANA — “God willing, we’ll continue to grow and build a permanent home for our church in the future.”

Maria Klesmith is a member of the small but still-growing group of Orthodox Christians in Fontana.

Every Sunday, the home church on Highway 67 fills with 18 to 40 people from the area.

While the church occupies a small renovated shed and apartment structure, the group can’t put up signs or install a parking lot.

The church approached the village of Fontana and the town of Walworth for a conditional use permit.

“Right now, it’s all agricultural zoned,” Klesmith said. “We’d like to keep it that way as much as possible. That’s why we didn’t apply for a rezone.”

She hopes church membership grows and a larger church can be built nearby in the future.

“We get more visitors in the summer, when people are up visiting,” Klesmith said. “This past Sunday we had about 18 people, but a few Sundays ago we had 35 or 40. It really varies.”