Pastor John has lived in the Mt Washington Valley for 3 years and has a long relationship with the area going back decades. He currently lives with his husband Rich and their dog Noelle in Jackson, NH. Born and raised in Palmer, MA, John attended Hellenic College and Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in Brookline, MA earning his BA and M.Div. He was ordained deacon and then priest and served the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America for 20 years.
He then worked for 8 years at the Children’s Tumor Foundation where he dedicated his service to community building regarding families who have been affected by neurofibromatosis, a tumor disorder, and fund-raising development for research to help identify therapies and one day a cure for this terrible disorder.
Throughout his ministry he focused on pastoral care for his local communities and the community at large. He is welcoming of all faith backgrounds and always strives to find the common ground of love, charity and acceptance as the starting place of ministry and service. Pastor John has spent much time with youth ministry, outreach to the elderly, establishing the Life Ministry in Greenlawn, NY which ministers to families and particularly to babies in need of special care and love. He served as a 9/11 chaplain at the World Trade Center Mortuary during the months following the terrorist attacks, is a kidney organ donor and has been active in ecumenical relations between all faiths.
Currently, he also serves as a volunteer for the Way Station which is an outreach to help the homeless and housing insecure of the Mt Washington Valley. The Way Station is a grass roots organization that is based at Nativity Lutheran Church in North Conway and has helped hundreds of individuals and families in our area.