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Welcome to St. Antonious Coptic Orthodox Church

St. Antonious Coptic Orthodox Church is the only Coptic church in Oregon. It was established in 1992 and is currently located in the heart of Portland at the corner of 65th Avenue and Holgate St. Due the growth of service and congregation, we are in need of a larger building and require further funding in order to move to a new location. We really appreciate your support. May the Lord bless your offerings and reward you with His heavenly rewards.

Coptic Orthodox Church
Introduction to the Coptic Church
The Coptic Orthodox Church was established in the name of Jesus Christ by St. Mark the Evangelist in the city of Alexandria around 43-61 A.D. It is one of the oldest four Churches in the world: Jerusalem, Antioch, Alexandria, and Rome.  The Church adheres to the Nicene Creed, also known as the 'Orthodox Creed', and the 'Athanasian Creed'.
It was St. Athanasius, the 20th Patriarch of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Egypt, who participated in the formulation of the Creed. The term "orthodox" refers to the preservation of the "Original Faith" by the Copts who, throughout the ages, defended the original faith against numerous heresies and handed it down from generation to generation without any change.
In the land of the Pharaohs, the ancient Egyptians believed in life after death. They also believed in judgment after death, which paved the way for Christianity to spread rapidly in Egypt upon hearing Saint Mark's preaching. The Egyptians easily related to Saint Mark's teaching about the Holy Trinity, the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and His Second Coming to judge the living and the dead.
In a relatively short time Egypt became a Christian land, which was called "Aigyptos" in Greek. Many Egyptians converted to Islam, however, when Egypt came under the Arabic rule in the 7th Century AD and mingled in marriage with the Arabs. Being unable to pronounce the word "Aigyptos", the Arabs corrupted it and pronounced it as "Gypt" or "Kipt". The Egyptians who remained Christians preserved their Egyptian bloodline and therefore, were called Copt.
In the early church, Alexandria was considered the seat of the highest learning and scholarship center in the world. The famous 'Theological School of Alexandria' with its leading theologians, philosophers, scholars, and teachers was established in the 1st century. By the 4th century, Alexandria became the seat of Christian learning of the entire world, proudly hosting the 'Library of Alexandria', the largest in the world at that time.
Egypt is the only land in the world to be blessed and honored by a long visit of the 'Holy Family' (about 3 years). "When he [Joseph] arose, he took the young child [Jesus] and His mother [Mary] by night, and departed into Egypt. And remained there until the death of Herod; that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet saying 'Out of Egypt have I called my Son'" (Matt 2: 14-15). There are many prophecies about the spread of Christianity in Egypt: "Blessed be my people Egypt" (Isaiah 19:24); "On that day, there will be an altar to the Lord in the midst of the land of Egypt" (Isaiah 19:19); and "Behold, the Lord rides upon a swift cloud and shall come to Egypt" (Isaiah 19:1).
The Coptic Church is deeply spiritual and conservative. It kept the doctrine and the rituals as handed down by St. Mark and the successive Popes until today. No changes have taken place in the Church of Egypt compared to any other Church in the world.
The succession of Coptic patriarchs, bishops, priests, and deacons has been continuous. His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, the 118th successor of St. Mark is the present Pope of Alexandria and the Patriarch of the Sea of St. Mark.

St. Antonious Coptic Orthodox Church
4422 SE 65th Avenue, Portland, Oregon 97206
Inspirational Excerpts

Excerpts from the Writings of H. H. Pope Shenouda III 
"117th Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of Saint Mark"
Translated by: Mrs. Basilius, Australia. Revised by: Mrs. Wedad Abbas.
The Spirit of Serving
In remembering the style of our Fathers the Apostles in their service, we learn practical and ideal lessons in the spirit of service, of which we mention the following:
Pope Shenouda III

1. The Warmth of the Service:

How nice is the saying of the Apostle Paul in this respect "who is made to stumble, and I do not burn with indignation." (2 Cor. 11:29). Also, his saying, "I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win the more. To the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some." (1 Cor. 9:19-22). His zeal, in flaming love, encompassed all.
2. Visits of Service:

Our Fathers, the Apostles, did not neglect the service they began but used all means to follow it up: by sending epistles, or disciples--as Paul used to send Titus or Timothy. Frequently, they used to make special visits, as expressed by St. Paul in his saying, "Let us now go back and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the Lord, and see how they are going.. " (Acts 15:36).

3. Service Filled with Spirit and Power:

The Apostles did not serve except after they received th Holy Spirit, as the Lord said to them, "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me. " (Acts 1:8).

How beautiful are the words of the Bible in this respect "And with great power the Apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus And great grace was upon them all." (Acts 4:33).

Beautiful also is that which was said about St. Stephen that he was, "Full of faith and power. " (Acts 6:8). He stood against synagogues, "And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke." (Acts 6:10). The nature of the spiritual service is powerful as it is from the Spirit, "for the word of God is living and powerful." (Heb. 4:12).

4. Service filled with Love:

The Lord Jesus "Loved His own... to the end." (John 13:1), and with the same love He served the Apostles. It was not a mere official service.
 
 
More Excerpts Coming Soon!