Diocese: Diocese of the Midwest
Deanery: Indianapolis Deanery
Address
3560 Shawnee Rd
Lima, Ohio 45806
Website: orthodoxlima.org
Parish Contacts
Lay Leadership
Directions
General Location
Lima, OH is in the northwest quarter of the state of Ohio, midway between Dayton and Toledo on Interstate 75, and midway between Columbus and Fort Wayne. In the Lima area are over 150,000 people, Ohio’s largest lake, the Neil Armstrong Space Museum, Ohio State University’s largest branch, Ohio Northern University, Lima Technical College, the Univerity of Findlay, Northwestern College, Bluffton College, and Winebrenner Seminary.
From the North
Take I-75 south to the last Lima exit, called BREESE Road (also for Fort Shawnee), exit #120. Turn RIGHT (West) on to Breese Road, and go straight through the light at Dixie Highway (highway 25). Stay on Breese Road for one mile or less to a main intersection with a light at SHAWNEE Road. Turn RIGHT (North) on Shawnee Road, and our little church is only a few yards up on your left. The address is 3560 Shawnee Road.
From the South
Take I-75 north to the first Lima exit (also for Fort Shawnee), called BREESE Road, exit #120. Turn LEFT (East) on to Breese Road, and go straight through the light at Dixie Highway (highway 25). Stay on Breese Road for one mile or less to a main intersection with a light at SHAWNEE Road. Turn RIGHT (North) on Shawnee Road, and our little church is only a few yards up on your left. The address is 3560 Shawnee Road.
From the East
Take US-33 west to the hwy 117 exit toward HUNTSVILLE/LIMA. Turn RIGHT (north) on hwy 117 toward Lima, and stay on 117 for about 25 miles, to Lima. You will come to a major intersection where 117 crosses highway 309 (there is a Speedway and a McDonalds at the
intersection). Turn LEFT onto highway 309 (it also happens to be a continuation of 117), just to the exit for I-75 south. Take I-75 south to BREESE Road (also for Fort Shawnee), exit #120. Turn RIGHT (West) on to Breese Road, and go straight through the light at Dixie Highway (highway 25). Stay on Breese Road for one mile or less to a main intersection with a light at SHAWNEE Road. Turn RIGHT (North) on Shawnee Road, and our little church is only a few yards up on your left. The address is 3560 Shawnee Road.
From the West
Take US-30 east to the hwy 309 exit toward LIMA. Take 309 (called Elida Road) all the way past the Lima Mall to the intersection of 309 and CABLE Road. Turn RIGHT (south) on Cable Road and take it past Allentown Road, Market Street and Elm Street, until Cable Road ends, at its “T-crossing” with SPENCERVILLE ROAD (also called highway 117). Turn RIGHT (West) onto Spencerville Road, which quickly curves south, and changes name to SHAWNEE Road. You will quickly come to an intersection (with a funeral home and a “Pony Keg” liquor store)
where 117 and Spencerville Road go off to the right, but GO STRAIGHT through the intersection, staying on Shawnee Road. Stay on Shawnee Road past Fort Amanda Road and across Railroad tracks until you see a large facility called “Apollo Career Center” on your left. The church will be on your right shortly after Apollo Career Center. The address is 3560 Shawnee Road. (If you get to Breese Road, you have gone too far.)
Schedule of Services
6:00 PM Great Vespers.
7:00 PM Confession.
Saturday Evening
8:10 AM Resurrection Matins.
9:30 AM Divine Liturgy, followed by fellowship hour at 11:30 AM.
Sunday Morning
7:00 PM Great Vespers.
Eves of weekday Great Feasts
8:30 AM Divine Liturgy.
Weekday Great Feasts
Parish Background
Our community held its first gathering in Lima during the Advent season of 1995. A core group of seekers began to meet weekly throughout 1996. In December of 1996, Fr. Mark Hodges and his family moved to Lima. Fr. Mark began to serve weekly service at the Lima Y.M.C.A. In February of 1997, the community had its first baptism.
In January of 1999, His Eminence Archbishop JOB of blessed memory granted us “Mission” status and named us “Saint Stephen the First Martyr.” By June of that year, we found a larger facility, still in downtown Lima, where we worshipped. In 2004, the mission had to move out of our downtown space. The Mission was blessed with two donated parcels of land on which we built our current building. In November of 2005, we began worshiping in our little temple on Shawnee Road.
In 2017, Fr. Mark Hodges stepped down from full-time ministry at St. Stephens. Between 2017 and 2021, the Mission was covered by a rotation of priests and deacons who traveled to Lima and served Divine Liturgy or Typica on Sunday mornings. In June of 2021, Fr. Joshua Coolman moved from Indianapolis to Lima to serve as priest-in-charge at the Mission.
St. Stephen’s is a small, well-established Mission of the Orthodox Church manifesting the ancient Christian faith through worship, prayer, and service in Lima, Ohio. We are family-oriented with many young families and children. Our worship embodies the tradition of Orthodox Christianity throughout the centuries offered up with thanksgiving in the common language of Northwestern Ohio. All are welcome to come and pray with us.
