Sts. Baselios & Gregorios Orthodox Church
Plainfield, NJ
Contact Information
Church Address: 9 Mercer Ave
Website: www.sbgoc.org
Office: (732) 238 7825
Worship Schedule
9AM - Morning Prayer
10AM - Holy Qurbana
Ministry Groups
Sunday School
Prayer Fellowship
Parish Background
Saints Basilios-Gregorios Orthodox Church of Central New Jersey, Inc., SBGOC was established on October 1, 2000 through the leadership of Rev. Fr. Dr. Mathew C Chacko with blessings and Order of His Grace Mathews Mar Barnabas, Metropolitan of the American Diocese.
Saint Basilios of Kothamangalam and Saint Gregorios of Parumala are the Patron Saints of SBGOC.
We have grown steadily and by 2003, our membership grew to around 40 families.
In July 2003, our congregation was recognized as a parish under the American Diocese of the Indian Orthodox Church.
The church is located in Central Jersey and is the only Indian Orthodox church in Central and South Jersey.
Initially SBGOC started out with two to three families worshipping as a congregation at St. Sofia’s Theological Seminary in South Bound Brook, New Jersey.
In May 2001, we began worshipping in the Seminary Chapel of the Reformed Church of America, [New Brunswick Theological Seminary] on the Rutgers George Street Campus in New Brunswick.
We conduct Holy and Divine Liturgy [Holy Kurbana] every Sunday at New Brunswick Theological Seminary followed by Sunday School and meals or light refreshments. The meals/light refreshments are sponsored by the members of the Parish. This is time used by members to reconnect themselves with other parishioners.
The church began with a few families worshipping together; it has grown steadily to include over forty families. Our congregation is made up of families of young professionals and college students, and couples seeking to worship according to the Orthodox tradition and to have fellowship with other Indian Orthodox Christians. We are an active, enthusiastic group of people involved in various church activities. We have more than one hundred children in the community now and raising them in the Orthodox Christian faith and life is our greatest challenge. While maintaining our Kerala language and tradition, it is a challenge to help the American born and educated children to grow in the faith and enjoy the worship in both Malayalam and English languages.
Sunday School is the gem of our parish. Currently we have around fifty children, ages three to fifteen, attend the Sunday School on a regular basis. There are classes from Pre-KG to High School students.
Our children are eager to learn and get involved with the worship and all other church activities. Every summer our children participate in OVBS. Throughout the year they share their talents with the congregation in various programs.
Now that we have a few young people, we have organized a Youth groups that meets periodically and the young men in the group serves as Acolytes and serve at the Altar for Worship Services.
A Unit of Women’s Fellowship which meets once a month to discuss topics of concern and interest to the women in our community, studies on the Bible and several aspects of the Christian Faith. Mrs. Valsa Mathew and Mrs. Binu Johnson, lately recommended by the Vicar to work with Mrs. Valsa Mathew.
We hold periodic Prayer Meetings usually once a month in various families. Participants read and discuss passages from the Bible and listen to other speakers including the Vicar.
Through the prayers of the Most Holy Mary, the Mother of God, our Patron Saints: Basilios of Kothamangalam and Gregorios of Parumala, the Holy Apostles, and all other saints, we trust that this Church and community will flourish and spiritually enrich the Orthodox Christians in Central Jersey and every where.