Meet the Everetts

As childhood friends we became high school sweethearts, got married early after high school and began our lives together in downtown Portland. We took turns completing college as we grew our family with four children: James, Mary (Haydee), Maximus (Ron), and Isaiah. After several years growing tired of the rain in northern Oregon, we pursued the adventure of moving across the country to Louisiana in 2014. Although we really enjoyed exploring other parts of the country, we missed our home state and decided to relocate to southern Oregon where we could find a good climate and beautiful scenery.

As a family, we had attended non-denominational Protestant churches and settled into Anglicanism. Jesse began to explore Orthodoxy while completing his degrees in Biblical studies and New Testament Greek, but it was never really an option in Louisiana. When we made the decision to move back to Oregon, the investigation began to blossom into greater interest. We began dialoguing with Father Andreas via FaceTime and, by the time we arrived in Oregon, decided to visit Archangel Gabriel Orthodox Church. It did not take long to see the genuine kindness and familial atmosphere that was a core aspect of the Church. After much prayer and investigation, our family pursued the catechumenate and were baptized into the Orthodox family on Christmas Eve 2020.

Our family loves discovering new places, spending time outdoors, hiking, fishing, rafting, and relaxing at the beach. We enjoy experiencing new cultures and meeting new people, and love to cook and visit with friends, new and old.