St. Raphael of Brooklyn Antiochian Orthodox Christian Church in Thousand Palms, California, had spent many years of looking for a home. Over the years Father David Kruse and his parish had been homeless – at one point even using the chapel in a funeral home as worship space. OCCIF worked with Father Kruse and his parish council to come up with a plan and funding that allowed them to purchase a building and provide a permanent location for the church.
“We had been a functioning parish for sixteen years, but no one was willing to lend to us,” said Father David. “OCCIF didn’t require us to put up our houses as collateral [like] the other lenders. So there is trust on both sides, which is what the Church is all about.”