St. John The Baptist Church
Staff & Leaders

  • Fr. Thomas O’Neil Lynch

    Fr. Thomas O’Neil Lynch
    Assistant Priest

    Fr. Thomas became involved with Protestant Christianity, in time being ordained a minister. He wed Kristin, served 20 years as a pastor, and together he and Kristin raised 3 children. At the time of the fall of Soviet communism, Thomas, Kristin and family went to Ukraine as missionaries. There they encountered the Orthodox Church, so similar to, and yet so vastly different from the Christianity they had known. The longing their hearts held for years for the fullness of the Church as they had seen it in Scripture began to be answered in Orthodoxy. Here was the Well of Salvation that was not a false or dry well, nor clouds without rain. They all gladly were received into the Orthodox Church, putting behind them years of wandering in a dry and thirsty land.

  • Fr. Stephen Powley

    Fr. Stephen Powley
    Presiding Priest

    Fr. Stephen has been happily married to Presvytera Ashley since May 14, 1977. Their grown family are: Tara & Greg Pappas, Jessica & Andrew Reale, Justin & Lauren Powley, and Stephen Powley. Presvytera Ashley is a retired grade school teach. In his free time, Fr. Stephen loves mountain biking, hiking, backpacking, and mountain climbing. Before entering into ministry, he worked for the Forest Service as a smoke jumper, parachuting into wilderness areas to fight forest fires. He also worked for the National Park Service, directing the Youth Conservation Corps at the Grand Canyon, Yosemite, and Yellowstone National Parks. Fr. Stephen had a dramatic conversion to the Christian Faith while crewing on a sailboat in the Pacific Ocean which began a spiritual journey that led him to eventually enter the ministry to serve the Lord with his life. After graduating from seminary, Fr. Stephen became an Evangelical Protestant pastor. He and his wife, Ashley, continued their spiritual journey and it led them to the Orthodox Faith. They became convinced beyond any shadow of doubt that the Orthodox Church was indeed the very same Church that Christ had founded on this earth. It had not changed or evolved with any of the winds of doctrine that came about over the centuries. They became Orthodox in 1983 before their children were born. He became a prison chaplain in January of 1985 and served in every level of security until his retirement in August of 2010. Fr. Stephen loves being the priest at St. John's and the wonderful people he has the privilege to serve. If you are looking into the Orthodox Faith and have any questions...please email Fr. Stephen. He would be delighted to speak with you.