St. Nicholas the Wonderworker Mission began as just a few families commuting about an hour from Davenport, Iowa, to attend St. Raphael of Brooklyn Orthodox Church in Iowa City. Together with the families of University of Iowa students from the Quad Cities who were also attending St. Raphael, this group was approached by Bishop MARK, then Bishop of Toledo and the Midwest with the Antiochian Archdiocese, about starting a mission in Davenport. After meetings with Bishop MARK, the late Father Peter Gillquist, and then Deacon James Mackoul, the group decided to start holding a weekly Vespers service. The first service (pictured below) took place on May 4, 2010, in the chapel at St. Paul Lutheran Church, Davenport, and was led by Father Ignatius Valentine, the rector of St. Raphael of Brooklyn.

This dedicated group was able to celebrate its first Divine Liturgy on August 29, 2010, in the Rogalski Center on the campus of St. Ambrose University in Davenport. Father James Mackoul officiated, with the assistance of Father Elias Khouri. Shortly thereafter, Divine Liturgies began to be served a few times each month in a classroom at the Institute for Therapeutic Massage on Locust Street in Davenport by Father James Mackoul.

In February 2012 we moved to a space in the Village of East Davenport where we spent the next four years. In 2013, we were blessed with the name St. Nicholas by His Grace Bishop ANTHONY, Bishop of Toledo and the Midwest. Then, having outgrown this space, in August of 2016 we moved to our current location at 2841 Brady Street, in the Oelerich and Associates building.

Fr. Jared Johnson is one of the founding members of this mission and served it for many years as a deacon before being ordained to the priesthood on June 5, 2022. On a normal weekend, Vespers is served at 5 PM on Saturday, Orthros at 9 AM on Sundays, followed by Divine Liturgy at 10 AM.