The Delmarva area Orthodox Mission has the distinction of being the first mission to be planted by the Orthodox Church in America in the present millennium.

An ad-hoc committee received the blessing of His Beatitude, Metropolitan Theodosius to pursue the planting of a mission in the Delmarva area that would celebrate services in the English language, supplementing the existing Greek Orthodox Church in Ocean City, and taking up the slack caused by the closing of the local Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Whaleyville.

The first Divine Liturgy was celebrated in a medical facility on March 5, 2000. Following this Liturgy, a coordinating Council of area residents was appointed by His Beatitude, Metropolitan Theodosius, and the search for a suitable home for the mission began.

The mission rented its first home from Dr. Nicholas Borodulia, who offered the use of a building on Coastal Highway in Fenwick Island which had formerly served as his medical office.

The founding members, led by Protopresbyter Daniel Hubiak, who had previously retired to the area, undertook the job of renovations, transforming the building into three sections: a chapel, an all purpose room, and an office.

In August of 2006, the mission achieved an important milestone as it welcomed Reverend John Parsells, a newly ordained priest from New Jersey, as the first fulltime pastor since her establishment in 2000.

In July of the next summer, His Beatitude Metropolitan Herman, the Archbishop of Washington and New York, made his first archpastoral visit to Christ the Savior. On this historic weekend, as the parish welcomed for the first time ever its diocesan hierarch, Fr. John was formally installed as Rector of the mission.

Then just after Christmas in 2007, the mission moved to a new home in Vines Creek (Dagsboro, Delaware). The new facility was chosen because it was more centrally located between the northern and southern beaches, closer to parishioners' homes and provided enough room to accommodate the mission's growing congregation which has steadily risen since the founding of the church in 2000.

We acknowledge the generosity of the Diocese of Washington and New York, sister parishes and visitors. We look forward to sharing our faith with those who live in the Delmarva area. Those who visit and vacation on the Eastern shore, we invite you to join the growing number of faithful who have adopted our Church by the Sea as their home away from home.

Finally, we thank the Lord for His continued blessings upon the Orthodox Church in America's Mission to Delmarva. May He continue to guide and help us! Glory and thanks be to Him for all things!