About Our Parish
St. Innocent Orthodox Church was founded a few decades ago to minister to the Orthodox Christians in the East Bay/Tri-Valley Area. Our parish has gone through many phases, finding itself in a variety of different locations over the course of our history. We have also had the privilege of being served by wonderful priests in our past including Hieromonk Leonty, of blessed memory, and Fr. John Karcher.
Our mission remains to be a light unto an ever darkening people, bearing witness to Christ in the midst of the wilderness of modernity. Please come and see! We would be greatly honored to have you join us in our ancient Christian heritage and worship.
Our Priest - Father Seraphim Chang
Priest Seraphim Chang, a native of South Korea, served as a youth and young adult pastor in multiple Korean Protestant congregations before embracing Orthodoxy. In this ministry, he was aided by his wife, Matushka Ruth, a Washington State native. As time passed, the couple began to wonder whether there might be more to Christianity than they saw and did in their then ministry. A desire for more reverent worship – notably a more respectful approach to the Eucharist – led them to inquire about Orthodoxy and ultimately enter the Church at St. John the Evangelist Mission in Tempe, AZ. Now, with a deep understanding and love for Orthodoxy, the Changs are excited to bring their ministry to a new parish, St. Innocent Church in Pleasanton, CA, where they hope to continue their journey and share their faith with the community.
E-mail: fr.seraphim.chang@gmail.com
Deacon Gregory Hanson
Deacon Gregory Hanson is a California native. He was raised Evangelical Protestant, attended Fuller Seminary, and served in youth ministry with Youth For Christ. During seminary he was exposed to the writings of second generation Christians (Early Church Fathers) and realized that what the early church taught and how she worshiped did not match his current “church". So he embarked on a journey to find the Church that Jesus established, and of which He said “the Holy Spirit would guide unto all truth”…and he found Orthodoxy. In 1998 he was received into the Orthodox Church by Fr. Leonty (of blessed memory). He has served as Reader, Sub-deacon, and was ordained to the Holy Diaconate in December, 2024.
Father Seraphim and Matushka Ruth
