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===A Pastor at the Foot of the Holy Cross===
Because the community in Santa Cruz was too small to immediately acquire its own Orthodox churchfrom its founding in 1980, Fr. John began to serve the [[Divine Liturgy]] in the nearby town of [[w:Aptos, California|Aptos]], in the [[chapel]] of a [[w:Poor Clares|Poor Clare]] convent. The [[nuns]] would have their services very early on Sunday morning, leaving the church free for Fr. John and his parishioners to use afterwards. The parishioners were at first hesitant: they would come to Liturgy late, and would all sit at the very back of the chapel, as if they were spectators and not participants. Fr. John knew that he had much work to do. He was sometimes disappointed at the lack of active interest among his flock. His was a burning faith, and lukewarmness had always been foreign to his soul. His task, he knew, was to ignite this fire within each of his parishioners, so that they themselves would struggle for the [[Paradise|kingdom of heaven]], ''the one thing needful'', and not sit in the background and expect their priest to do their work for them. He could not demand too much at once, but had to be a gentle and loving pastor, condescending to the weaknesses of his flock so as not to overwhelm them and cause them to abandon the Orthodox faith altogether. The gap between shepherd and sheep had to be bridged gradually and carefully, and Fr. John had to spark the kinder in the hearts of his flock without scorching them with the consuming fire within him.
Sometimes Fr. John would speak forceful words of rebuke to awaken his people from their spiritual sleep, but mostly he would inspire them by his quiet and unobtrusive example. They began to see how hard he struggled and were moved to help him fulfill his godly dreams. His fervency and zeal, his unequivocal belief in the other world, was something that they did not fully understand, and yet that they inwardly -- and in some cases unconsciously - longed for. Having come to love him deeply, they were grateful that God had sent a harvester to their field.
===Founding of Prophet Elias Church, Santa Cruz===
By giving his parishioners new aspirations, Fr. John instilled in them the desire to start their own [[Parish|church]]. They collected and saved money and eventually found the perfect building for their churchin 1982: a former funeral home in Santa Cruz, across from the public library and in the best part of town for [[missionary]] activity. Fr. John did much of the interior work himself, fashioning a beautiful white [[iconostasis]] and a large domed [[apse]] behind and above the [[altar]]. According to his son Photios, ''"My father put his blood, sweat and tears in. You've got all of that there and more...With the help of some parishioners and myself, he literally built the whole inside of the that church."''<ref>Jennifer Squires. [http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/education/ci_14308329 Parole hearing stirs memories of the murder of the Santa Cruz Greek Orthodox Church's first priest]. ''Santa Cruz Sentinel.'' February 1, 2010.</ref>
When completed, the [http://propheteliassantacruz.org/ newly-consecrated church] became a refuge from the noisy bustle of the world, an island of holiness in the middle of downtown Santa Cruz. The church was dedicated to the [[Elijah|Prophet Elias]].<ref group="note">Archimandrite [[Meletios (Webber)]] later served as full-time parish priest in this Santa Cruz parish, for nine years. Of Fr. John, Archimandrite Meletios says: "He was not my immediate predecessor; there had been three other priests in between. I knew his presbytera quite well, and his children. He was murdered on the premises of the church, in very unpleasant circumstances, some years before I arrived, but it was still a very dominant factor in the life of parish while I was there—something they couldn't forget."<br>