My possible concern about converting to OC

[NHB_MMA]

A Serbian Orthodox guy I used to work with remarked to me, over a beer and fierce game of bubble hockey one night, that the Orthodox Church has sadly become "little more than an ethnic identity". At the time, I was pretty cynical towards religion but it came up in a different matter of conversation.

My best friend since age six also comes from a Serbian Orthodox family. His mother and sisters are not very devout, but some of his uncles and their families are more devout. He himself is somewhat familiar with Orthodox theology, but hasn't been to church in at least 15 years. In a recent discussion with him, I said the Orthodox Church seems so isolated. Many years ago, I did see an area Greek Orthodox priest participate at my parent's Nazarene church in an interfaith service near Easter, but that instance and my own curiosity make up the only exposure I have ever had to Orthdoxy. It just seems to me that part of any church is mission work and taking the gospel to those that have never heard it. Protestants do it in a variety of ways. Catholics often use social services as an "icebreaker" of sorts. Do Orthodox do an adequate job of mission work? I have never even heard of an Orthodox missionary, where I have known of numerous Protestant and heard of Catholic missionaries. I guess my one criticism would seem to be the isolation of the OC. Christ said to preach the gospel to every corner of the earth. Does the OC have a functioning mission work going on these days? Is it a legitimate need the OC needs to improve upon, or have I simply been unaware of the work done by the OC? I don't believe it is a "deal-breaker" with regard to my possible Orthodox conversion, but I would probably look for an OCA congregation that has sort of committed itself to stating and sharing its theology with outsiders.

My second concern is would I truly be accepted into a congregation? I am a freckled redhead of German and Irish decent. There isn't a bit of Greek, Serbian, Russian, etc. in me that is often the make-up of many Orthodox congregations. In your honest opinion, have the members of most OC congregations been welcoming to outsiders? Would I be invited to parties, gatherings, and events by families held outside of the church (graduation parties, retirement parties, any occasion parties, etc.) as much as any other congregation member? Would I encounter resistance from some family if I were to find a nice young Greek/Serbian/Russian lady I was interesting in dating? I realize that there is no universal answer to questions such as I have posed. I understand that there would be instances where some would accept me and others would not be as likely to, no matter what the general attitude, but I am asking about the likely tendency I would encounter.

The reason I have posed the concerns I have is because I am not looking to attend a church for the sole purpose of attending a church, but to be an active part of it and make new friends in my life. I am looking for support and hoping to become the best Christian I can possibly be. As the fictious and non-Christian philosopher Yoda said, "Do or do not. There is no try".

[Philip]

A Serbian Orthodox guy I used to work with remarked to me, over a beer and fierce game of bubble hockey one night, that the Orthodox Church has sadly become "little more than an ethnic identity".

Was he speaking of the Church of Serbia, or the Church in general. I don't think that anyone here would disagree with the fact that there are many 'cultural' Orthodox.

It just seems to me that part of any church is mission work and taking the gospel to those that have never heard it. Protestants do it in a variety of ways. Catholics often use social services as an "icebreaker" of sorts. Do Orthodox do an adequate job of mission work?

Yes, I believe so. The growth of Orthodoxy in the US speaks for itself. Many of the members of TAW, especially the Americans, are converts.

I have never even heard of an Orthodox missionary, where I have known of numerous Protestant and heard of Catholic missionaries.

There are plenty of Orthodox missionaries. One thing to remember is that most Orthodox either now or until recently live[d] under oppresive governments. This has restricted somewhat the Church's ability to reach out. Much mission work is now dedicated to re-evangelizing traditionally Orthodox areas.

Christ said to preach the gospel to every corner of the earth. Does the OC have a functioning mission work going on these days? Is it a legitimate need the OC needs to improve upon, or have I simply been unaware of the work done by the OC?

I am sure someone will provide you with plenty of links, but you can start here (http://www.ocmc.org/).


My second concern is would I truly be accepted into a congregation?

Yes. My background is mainly Northern European. I attend an Antiochian parish that consists primarly of Arab immigrants and white converts. I have never had an 'ethnic problem'.

Would I be invited to parties, gatherings, and events by families held outside of the church (graduation parties, retirement parties, any occasion parties, etc.) as much as any other congregation member?


I would expect so, but it can depend on the parish. On my first visit to my current parish, I was forced to attend coffee hour.

[kamikat]

From what I can see, most of the mission work is done outside of the US, so you may not see much going on here.
http://www.iocc.org/
http://www.orthodoxmission.org/
As for the ethnic thing, well, that can be a problem in some churches. The first church I attended was overwhelmingly Greek. They had very little experience with converts. I decided to try a different church. The one I go to now is about 50% convert and has families of all ethnicities and races. It's a small parish, but we've got several Asian and African American families, which I think is great to see. As for dating a nice Orthodox lady, I would think a family would be happy to welcome any young man that shared their faith, no matter the ethnic heritage. I would think it would be better to have a son-in-law that was an American mutt and Orthodox, than of the same heritage but not religious. I have found my parish to be very welcoming and friendly. I am always surprised at how quickly people grab me and ask me to sit with them at coffee hour and even Pascha breakfast. I think that if you put the word out to the grandmas of your parish that you are a single man, looking for a lady, you might find the parish to be too friendly.
kamikat

[eoe]

If ethnicity is a concern go to a OCA parish. Some of the "ethnic" churches seem more closed off than others. I am a chubby little german man and I attend a Greek parish. The people there have adopted me and I feel as if I have been there forever. Many times we need to step back and ask who it is that really has the problem with ethnicity. Is it the greek that does not like you or is it you that does not like the greek? Again - I have no doubts that some parishes are snobby and super ethnic - simply go elsewhere.


There are a grillion Orthodox missoinaries. In fact if you would like to be one you can contact the OCF (http://www.ocf.net/), OCMC (http://ocmc.org/), IOCC (http://iocc.org/)or project mexico (http://www.projectmexico.org/).

Do Orthodox do an adequate job of mission work?

Oblio's home church is a mission I think. There is a ACROD Mission near me in Woodstock GA. (http://www.stelizabethga.org/)

Bottom line - if a mission can exist in the deep south - it is doing great.

As far as an icebreaker - we have them every Sunday - it is called "Coffee hour" and it happens right after the liturgy.
Is it a legitimate need the OC needs to improve upon, or have I simply been unaware of the work done by the OC?
The words "Orthodox" and "Mission" in google return 8.7 million hits. http://www.orthodoxmission.org/ (http://www.orthodoxmission.org/)is one.
Honestly - how hard have you looked?

My second concern is would I truly be accepted into a congregation? I am a freckled redhead of German and Irish decent. There isn't a bit of Greek, Serbian, Russian, etc. in me that is often the make-up of many Orthodox congregations. In your honest opinion, have the members of most OC congregations been welcoming to outsiders? Would I be invited to parties, gatherings, and events by families held outside of the church (graduation parties, retirement parties, any occasion parties, etc.) as much as any other congregation member? Would I encounter resistance from some family if I were to find a nice young Greek/Serbian/Russian lady I was interesting in dating? I realize that there is no universal answer to questions such as I have posed. I understand that there would be instances where some would accept me and others would not be as likely to, no matter what the general attitude, but I am asking about the likely tendency I would encounter.

I am as German as they get. Put me in leiderhosen and I would not look more german. I attend a GOARCH (greek) parish and I sing in the choir which I was forcibly dragged into. Next weekend I will be grilling souvlaki and slinging gyros side by side with my greek brothers at a Greek Festival. My sponsor asked me if he could sponsor me. The little yia yia's love my children and will often watch them / play with them / hug and kiss them.
Here is the thing - I do not attempt to make the greeks less greek. I do not complain about their greekness. I love them for what they are and I appreciate our differences which make life all the more interesting. They see that I am serious about Orthodoxy and I am not there to cause problems. If I showed up once a month and complained that the liturgy used too much greek and told them that they needed to sing "amazing grace" then I imagine I would get some resistance.

If you want extra "stuff" there is nothing like a greek parish (imnsho). They will have dancing, festivals, all manner of activities.


So... to sum it all up:

1 - yes we have missionaries, tons of them give google a rip and see what comes back.
2 - All parishes are different. They will all have a significantly different flavor but the ingredients(doctrine) are all the same.
3 - you being accepted into an ethinic parish will have as much to do with you as it does with them. Show them that you are serious about Orthodoxy and that you are not there to cause problems and change the way that they do things and you should soon be chased by cheek pinching old ladies that want to feed you something strange but tasty (and likely very fattening).
4 - if you ever make the mistake of mentioning that you ever sang a note in your life - even in the shower you will likely find yourself in a chior robe.

[eoe]

From what I can see, most of the mission work is done outside of the US, so you may not see much going on here.

I totally disagree. There are no fewer than 3 opportunites to work in some missionary aspect within 1.5 hours drive of me and I am in the deep south. The IOCC just had a walk/run event last week - that is 4.

You just have to look.

[eoe]

What part of the world are you in NHB_MMA?

[zhilan]

I go to an Antiochian Orthodox church and it's very diverse. In fact, one of the main priests there is an American convert. There are also a lot of Hispanics there. I suggest checking out an Antiochian church if you're worried about the ethnic thing. Although, most of the time it's not an issue once you actually start attending. But I love the Antiochian church I go to. Even when they sing in Arabic, I think it's beautiful. =)

[kamikat]

I totally disagree. There are no fewer than 3 opportunites to work in some missionary aspect within 1.5 hours drive of me and I am in the deep south. The IOCC just had a walk/run event last week - that is 4.

You just have to look.

I stand corrected! I think this, too, depends on what part of the US you're in. Around here, many of the churches are 50+ years old and have several generations of families that have grown up in the parishes. In my county, we have 4 different Orthodox churches. If I was willing to drive an hour in any direction, we have over 20 churches.

kamikat

[gzt]

These are very important questions!

The greatest task in Orthodox missions in our generation has been the rebuilding of Orthodoxy in the former communist countries. Millions of people have been returning to the Church in these past 20 years. There are also other missionary outreaches [we do need many more missionaries!], but the biggest one in our generation is that one.

As far as ethnicity: I, personally, have never had a problem. People have always been friendly even if I'm the only white guy around. Your mileage may vary, but this probably depends more on the community mores than the Orthodox Church itself. Like I said, it hasn't been a problem with me, but I wouldn't expect the people in the parish to automatically be my friend or something: having the same religion really isn't enough of a basis to build a real friendship, more commonality is needed. Also, if you're dealing with a congregation of mostly immigrants or whatever, don't expect typical American social rules to work, so don't interpret their behavior as being stand-offish or something.

[eoe]

don't expect typical American social rules to work, so don't interpret their behavior as being stand-offish or something.

This is true with any non-american social group. Germans can seem to be quite cold until you sit down to eat with them. Greeks for some reason will ask you quite early about your job, if you are married and what size family you have. It is not that they are trying to asses your economic status - they are simply making conversation - if you do not know that it could seem a bit strange.

Again - this is an example of an issue with your tolerance to them - not their tolerance to you.

[ByzantineDixie]

A Serbian Orthodox guy I used to work with remarked to me, over a beer and fierce game of bubble hockey one night, that the Orthodox Church has sadly become "little more than an ethnic identity". At the time, I was pretty cynical towards religion but it came up in a different matter of conversation.

My best friend since age six also comes from a Serbian Orthodox family. His mother and sisters are not very devout, but some of his uncles and their families are more devout. He himself is somewhat familiar with Orthodox theology, but hasn't been to church in at least 15 years. In a recent discussion with him, I said the Orthodox Church seems so isolated. Many years ago, I did see an area Greek Orthodox priest participate at my parent's Nazarene church in an interfaith service near Easter, but that instance and my own curiosity make up the only exposure I have ever had to Orthdoxy. It just seems to me that part of any church is mission work and taking the gospel to those that have never heard it. Protestants do it in a variety of ways. Catholics often use social services as an "icebreaker" of sorts. Do Orthodox do an adequate job of mission work? I have never even heard of an Orthodox missionary, where I have known of numerous Protestant and heard of Catholic missionaries. I guess my one criticism would seem to be the isolation of the OC. Christ said to preach the gospel to every corner of the earth. Does the OC have a functioning mission work going on these days? Is it a legitimate need the OC needs to improve upon, or have I simply been unaware of the work done by the OC? I don't believe it is a "deal-breaker" with regard to my possible Orthodox conversion, but I would probably look for an OCA congregation that has sort of committed itself to stating and sharing its theology with outsiders.

My second concern is would I truly be accepted into a congregation? I am a freckled redhead of German and Irish decent. There isn't a bit of Greek, Serbian, Russian, etc. in me that is often the make-up of many Orthodox congregations. In your honest opinion, have the members of most OC congregations been welcoming to outsiders? Would I be invited to parties, gatherings, and events by families held outside of the church (graduation parties, retirement parties, any occasion parties, etc.) as much as any other congregation member? Would I encounter resistance from some family if I were to find a nice young Greek/Serbian/Russian lady I was interesting in dating? I realize that there is no universal answer to questions such as I have posed. I understand that there would be instances where some would accept me and others would not be as likely to, no matter what the general attitude, but I am asking about the likely tendency I would encounter.

The reason I have posed the concerns I have is because I am not looking to attend a church for the sole purpose of attending a church, but to be an active part of it and make new friends in my life. I am looking for support and hoping to become the best Christian I can possibly be. As the fictious and non-Christian philosopher Yoda said, "Do or do not. There is no try".

With regard to apathy in the faith: This is one of the things my priest took especial care to talk to me about. While the Orthodox Church is the True Church...in it are wheat and tares. This should be no surprise. I have witnessed such devout people in my parish, the likes of which I have never seen prior. Likewise...there are some people who could be termed as "Easter Bunnies"...showing up for Pascha only. The mark of the True Church is not perfect piety and devotion in all members but indeed...wheat and tares. (Although...I admit it is hard to watch those who do not recognize the Treasure they have been given.)

With regard to mission: It has been interesting to witness the growth of the Church in this country. To say the Orthodox are not doing missions would be wrong in many ways. To say that they do not look like Baptists when doing mission work...well, that would be true.

With regard to ethnicity: I am told this can vary from parish to parish but I personally have never experienced any kind of exclusion because of my ethnicity. I am full a blown Northern European/German blonde (although probably more grey than blonde these days) in a Greek parish and I have been fully included since my first few months of consistent attendance.

Like you...I wanted to belong to a parish and to be active in it. My preference is definitely not Greek. I could drive 55 minutes into the city to attend an English speaking only, mostly convert, Antiochian parish but that kind of driving distance would limit my ability to participate in parish life...so I attend the closer Greek parish. I am told our parish is more unique than most Greek parishes. We are the only Orthodox church in a college town so we have Russians, Serbians, Bulgarians, Romanians, even a Copt family, attending our services and becoming active in the parish. This means a little more English used in the Divine Liturgy although there is still plenty of Greek used.

I would say I probably still struggle with the Greek thing...but it is a minor frustration when compared to the great privilege of being a part of the Church.

[Monica, child of God]

I'm a Black American and I feel totally at home in my OCA parish. Among my closer friends at church I count German, French and Egyptian ex patriots, as well as other American mutts, Russians, and Greeks. There are some conflicts but they are mostly between the new Russian and Georgian immigrants and the 3rd/4th generation Russians, and the problems concern the bazaar menu and what not. Nothing too serious :)

And we do missions. We establish mission churches and many churches to outreach in their local communities.

M.

[ThePilgrim]

I can honestly say that this hasn't been a problem for me. The parish that I attend is definitely majority Arab, ethnically, but people have been extremely welcoming to me, and to all the other converts in the parish. I wouldn't be surprised if they tried to marry me off to one of their daughters :-) They're always inviting me to participate in more things, and I've gotten to know a lot of people very well.

In terms of missions, one of the first things that my godmother suggested after I was chrismated was that I consider doing mission work with the Orthodox Christian Mission Center (www.ocmc.org) sometime in the future. This summer, I'll be going on two mission trips, to explore the possibility of future work, -- one with OCMC to Guatemala and one with the Ukrainian Archdiocese to the Ukraine. I've had to do various fundraisers to raise the money, and the people of my parish and the Orthodox community in general has been very helpful to me, including coming to the pool to keep me company when I treaded water.

Friends of mine have friends who are long term Orthodox missionaries in Albania.

Also, my father is the priest of a small mission here in Michigan, and our mother parish has been very helpful with advice and support to help get the mission on its feet. In terms of ethnicity, we're part of the Antiochian Archdiocese, were 70% of the priests are converts to Orthodoxy, and never has my dad been made to feel like an outsider because of being non-Arab.

Hope that helps :-)

Grace and peace,
John

[Monica, child of God]

Also, I have visited other OCA, majority Arab Antiochian, Greek and ROCOR (very Russian) parishes and I never felt unwelcome. In fact at all of those parishes except one, I was greeted warmly. At the one exception, I had to leave before the end of the service so I missed the opportunity to fellowship.

M.

[NHB_MMA]

Thanks for all the responses. I am glad to hear the accounts of several others here with different ethnicities that have not experienced any feelings of being unwelcomed.

[Akathist]

In the US, especially in the Mid West, more and more churches are filled with converts of every hair/eye/skin color.

I am blond haired, blue eyed and I am Orthodox. My particular parish has grown by 70%+ in the past two years wth converts.

There are some parishes where most who go there are a part of a particular ethnic group and where services are not in english. But if you hunt around a bit you will find many that have services in English.

But I do understand your concerns. When I first heard about Orthodoxy, it was by a Serbian person who had left the Church. He told me that Orthodoxy was only for immigrants or their decendents, and that services were never in english and then went on to tell me about all the alledge superstitions, etc.

Later I found out that what I was told was not true. But it took some time for me to even look at the EOC after that first introduction.

[NHB_MMA]

The words "Orthodox" and "Mission" in google return 8.7 million hits. http://www.orthodoxmission.org/ (http://www.orthodoxmission.org/)is one.
Honestly - how hard have you looked?

I admit, I did not google it. I have read some statements on the Orthodox faith on the OCA web site, but I will undoubtedly rely on the people here at the TAW forum to answer many of my questions where I will get a number of answers and one may be more clear than the other. Again, my comments were just based on a conversation with two Orthodox friends, although they are the only Orthodox interaction I have ever had.

[Akathist]

I admit, I did not google it. I have read some statements on the Orthodox faith on the OCA web site, but I will undoubtedly rely on the people here at the TAW forum to answer many of my questions where I will get a number of answers and one may be more clear than the other. Again, my comments were just based on a conversation with two Orthodox friends, although they are the only Orthodox interaction I have ever had.

The best source of information about the Orthodox faith is your local Orthodox Priest.

If you want help finding an english speaking parish near you, check the Oca site you have been to, or the Antiocian site. Many other jurisidctions also have english speaking services too.

[NHB_MMA]

What part of the world are you in NHB_MMA?

I live along the Pennsylvania/West Virginia border about 35 miles outside of Pittsburgh. Since the Eastern Europeans came here around 100 years ago or more to make the steel in Pittsburgh, there are a number of OC congregations in the city. In my more immediate area, I have now learned that there are four congregations within about 10 miles of me, two of which are members of the OCA and I never knew they existed until I learned of the OCA. As for the other two, one is a Greek church that had its priest at that interfaith service I talked about many years ago (he actually referred to Christ as our "personal savior" in his message which shocked me at the time as I was under some fundamentalist Baptist influence) and the other is a Serbian church my best friend grew up in. The Serbian church has most of its service in Serbian to the point where even my friend lost interest in attending.

The other two (OCA) I have learned of just recently. Attending any church is very difficult for me, because of my odd work shift that typically has me sleeping from about 6:00 AM till noon or 1:00 PM. I am desparately seeking a better job that will normalize that aspect of my life. I do intend to contact one of the local priests and see about attending Saturday vespers and confession, but I'll be away for the next two Saturdays, one in Cleveland and the other at a Pittsburgh convention. If I get a better job, my aim is to move to my ideal neighborhood in the Pittsburgh area, where I'll be close to many Orthodox congregations. But of course I might ultimately move to Las Vegas or Phoenix, where an OCA web search yields almost nothing.

[NHB_MMA]

The best source of information about the Orthodox faith is your local Orthodox Priest.

If you want help finding an english speaking parish near you, check the Oca site you have been to, or the Antiocian site. Many other jurisidctions also have english speaking services too.

I have recently been searching the OCA site and I am by no means dismissing the necessity of discussing issues with a local priest. But I really love this forum as a resource too.

[Dust and Ashes]

Thanks for all the responses. I am glad to hear the accounts of several others here with different ethnicities that have not experienced any feelings of being unwelcomed.

I have only attended 3 Orthodox parishes but another clique that I have found conspicuously missing is that of social status. It blows me away at coffee hour to see people mingling and talking with no regard to social status or financial position and the people at our parish pretty much run the gamut from wealthy to barely getting by.

Early in our catechumenate we spent the night with a couple at our parish and I was shocked at how nice their home was. I never realized how wealthy they were because of their humility. When commenting about how nice everything was, their attitude was pretty much just to shrug and say that it's just stuff and doesn't really mean anything.

[eoe]

But I really love this forum as a resource too.
So do I. I have now abused the people here for like 8 months with all manner of crazy questions and they have put up with me so far^_^.

You are certainly in a very good area for someone considering Orthodoxy. Again I would encourage you to visit many of the other parishes. You remember that I attend the greek parish but I am a bit of an adopted member at the OCA parish downtown as I visit there about once a week and know many of them quite well. Remember that we are all Orthodox and of one faith. Just because you join an OCA parish does not mean that you can not drink with the Russians or dance with the Greeks!

[rusmeister]

Remember that we are all Orthodox and of one faith. Just because you join an OCA parish does not mean that you can not drink with the Russians or dance with the Greeks!

Amen to that!
I'm a kind of ultimate example of being swamped ethnically (good thing I took the trouble to learn Russian!). I mostly understand Old Church Slavonic now. Still, all those whacky Russians share my belief in the Orthodox Church! :)

[Prawnik]

I have recently been searching the OCA site and I am by no means dismissing the necessity of discussing issues with a local priest. But I really love this forum as a resource too.

This site is great, as far as it goes, just do NOT under ANY circumstances let it become a substitute for real Orthodox worship or spiritual direction under guidance of a Priest.

[ThePilgrim]

If you're from the Pittsburgh area, that's a big blessing! Pittsburgh has the greatest concentration of Orthodox parishes in the country -- about 110 in the greater Pittsburgh area!

There are also a lot of wonderful priests in the area. If you're south of the city that much, are you at all close to All Saints in Cannonsburg, with Fr. George? If so, I'd highly recommend it.

Let me know... I'll try to help you out in any way I can, although I'm not there for this summer.

Grace and peace,
John

[Jacob4707]

If ethnicity is a concern go to a OCA parish. Some of the "ethnic" churches seem more closed off than others. I am a chubby little german man and I attend a Greek parish.

How can this be? Everyone at TAW is thin and fashionable, judging by their characters. :D

[Dust and Ashes]

How can this be? Everyone at TAW is thin and fashionable, judging by their characters. :D

Well, we can't all be Sergio. You know Sergio, kind of short tall guy with lightish-darkish hair. Heavy-set thin guy. Love that commercial.

[NHB_MMA]

I have only attended 3 Orthodox parishes but another clique that I have found conspicuously missing is that of social status. It blows me away at coffee hour to see people mingling and talking with no regard to social status or financial position and the people at our parish pretty much run the gamut from wealthy to barely getting by.

Early in our catechumenate we spent the night with a couple at our parish and I was shocked at how nice their home was. I never realized how wealthy they were because of their humility. When commenting about how nice everything was, their attitude was pretty much just to shrug and say that it's just stuff and doesn't really mean anything.

Sounds like the kind of people I would like to associate with. I am glad to hear of such fellowship between people of different means. And believe me, if you saw my recent 1040 form, you'd realize I am not a person of great means. :D

[NHB_MMA]

This site is great, as far as it goes, just do NOT under ANY circumstances let it become a substitute for real Orthodox worship or spiritual direction under guidance of a Priest.

I understand, but I am just in my infancy of even learning about the OC faith and really still deciding if it's for me or not. I certainly would discuss things I cannot get clear answer on or need additional understanding of with a priest.

[NHB_MMA]

If you're from the Pittsburgh area, that's a big blessing! Pittsburgh has the greatest concentration of Orthodox parishes in the country -- about 110 in the greater Pittsburgh area!

There are also a lot of wonderful priests in the area. If you're south of the city that much, are you at all close to All Saints in Cannonsburg, with Fr. George? If so, I'd highly recommend it.

Let me know... I'll try to help you out in any way I can, although I'm not there for this summer.

Grace and peace,
John

John, are you near the Canonsburg area and will you be around that area in the fall?

[OrthoTauf]

A Serbian Orthodox guy I used to work with remarked to me, over a beer and fierce game of bubble hockey one night, that the Orthodox Church has sadly become "little more than an ethnic identity". At the time, I was pretty cynical towards religion but it came up in a different matter of conversation.

My best friend since age six also comes from a Serbian Orthodox family. His mother and sisters are not very devout, but some of his uncles and their families are more devout. He himself is somewhat familiar with Orthodox theology, but hasn't been to church in at least 15 years. In a recent discussion with him, I said the Orthodox Church seems so isolated. Many years ago, I did see an area Greek Orthodox priest participate at my parent's Nazarene church in an interfaith service near Easter, but that instance and my own curiosity make up the only exposure I have ever had to Orthdoxy. It just seems to me that part of any church is mission work and taking the gospel to those that have never heard it. Protestants do it in a variety of ways. Catholics often use social services as an "icebreaker" of sorts. Do Orthodox do an adequate job of mission work? I have never even heard of an Orthodox missionary, where I have known of numerous Protestant and heard of Catholic missionaries. I guess my one criticism would seem to be the isolation of the OC. Christ said to preach the gospel to every corner of the earth. Does the OC have a functioning mission work going on these days? Is it a legitimate need the OC needs to improve upon, or have I simply been unaware of the work done by the OC? I don't believe it is a "deal-breaker" with regard to my possible Orthodox conversion, but I would probably look for an OCA congregation that has sort of committed itself to stating and sharing its theology with outsiders.

My second concern is would I truly be accepted into a congregation? I am a freckled redhead of German and Irish decent. There isn't a bit of Greek, Serbian, Russian, etc. in me that is often the make-up of many Orthodox congregations. In your honest opinion, have the members of most OC congregations been welcoming to outsiders? Would I be invited to parties, gatherings, and events by families held outside of the church (graduation parties, retirement parties, any occasion parties, etc.) as much as any other congregation member? Would I encounter resistance from some family if I were to find a nice young Greek/Serbian/Russian lady I was interesting in dating? I realize that there is no universal answer to questions such as I have posed. I understand that there would be instances where some would accept me and others would not be as likely to, no matter what the general attitude, but I am asking about the likely tendency I would encounter.

The reason I have posed the concerns I have is because I am not looking to attend a church for the sole purpose of attending a church, but to be an active part of it and make new friends in my life. I am looking for support and hoping to become the best Christian I can possibly be. As the fictious and non-Christian philosopher Yoda said, "Do or do not. There is no try".

If I recall the figure correctly, 2/3 of my OCA parish is made up of converts. We have people of African, Scottish, Irish, Italian, German, Greek, Russian, and other descent. My priest is of German ancestry and his wife Jewish and Scottish; I think the deacon's heritage is English. Our priest came from Lutheranism and Anglicanism, our principal reader from Anabaptism, and there are former Catholics and all kinds of ex-Protestants here. We have doubled in size in the past four years, and hope to more than triple again during the next five.

Our daughter mission out in a rural area just baptized ten new converts; the mission attracts people from several surrounding counties willing to drive up to nearly an hour to go to an Orthodox church.

Our parish's children sponsor the Support A Mission Priest program (SAMP).

Entire African villages have become Orthodox.

In America, there are more inquirers seeking church plants than there are Orthodox priests or lay missionaries to start them. At one point--about 10 years ago, I believe--Orthodoxy was named the fastest growing faith in America. Two-thirds of Antiochian priests as I recall (and about half their bishops), and 75% of new OCA seminary students are of non-Orthodox background, and dozens and dozens of domestic missions have been established in the last 20 years by the OCA and Antiochians.

Plus, many Catholic, Episcopalian, and Evangelical congregations have converted.

If you find an Orthodox parish with a zeal for evangelism and many "outside" converts, you'll be fine! :) Even if you attend an "ethnic" church of mostly cradle Orthodox, you can discover that they are just as open and friendly as you'd hope and welcome converts quite gladly. Sure, there are some insular enclaves out there, but as far as I know, they're gradually changing or declining.

[eoe]

Entire African villages have become Orthodox.
They sure have. Click on +Met. Jonah to read more about Africa.

http://www.cnewa.org/source-images/mag-images/magimages-32-2/32-2-6.jpg (http://www.cnewa.org/mag-article-bodypg-us.aspx?articleID=3211)

[Petronius]

They sure have. Click on +Met. Jonah to read more about Africa.

http://www.cnewa.org/source-images/mag-images/magimages-32-2/32-2-6.jpg (http://www.cnewa.org/mag-article-bodypg-us.aspx?articleID=3211)

The link does not work...

[eoe]

Strange.. it works for me - even in your quote it works.... DNS problems?

[Monica, child of God]

Works for me.

M.

[ThePilgrim]

John, are you near the Canonsburg area and will you be around that area in the fall?
Not quite near the Canonsburg area. I go to Pitt, so my parish is St. George in Oakland, also a very welcoming parish. The priest's oldest daughter, Kassia, is a friend of mine and I know the family.

They're a super family. Presbytera is a very sweet Christian lady, and all seven of their kids have been raised in piety. When I once spend the night at their house, in the morning before school, the little kids got up and went to the family icon corner and did their morning prayers all of their own volition, before anyone else was up.

The Pittsburgh area has been blessed with a number of great parishes and caring priests. Also, the monastery at Ellwood City is like a little taste of Heaven :-) I miss my nuns.

Grace and peace,
John

[ThePilgrim]

The link does not work...
Are you clicking on the picture?

[Eusebios]

Wow, excellent article on Met. JONAH ! How uttrly awesome, just goes to show that the "white man's burden" is as highly ovverrated as it is ridiculous.
And to Met. JONAH and his seminarians;
Axios, Axios, Axios!!
Eusebios
:bow:

[Petronius]

Are you clicking on the picture?

It returns the message of unexisting page

[choirfiend]

Just try the link. It works for me!
http://www.cnewa.org/mag-article-bodypg-us.aspx?articleID=3211

[NHB_MMA]

Not quite near the Canonsburg area. I go to Pitt, so my parish is St. George in Oakland, also a very welcoming parish. The priest's oldest daughter, Kassia, is a friend of mine and I know the family.

They're a super family. Presbytera is a very sweet Christian lady, and all seven of their kids have been raised in piety. When I once spend the night at their house, in the morning before school, the little kids got up and went to the family icon corner and did their morning prayers all of their own volition, before anyone else was up.

The Pittsburgh area has been blessed with a number of great parishes and caring priests. Also, the monastery at Ellwood City is like a little taste of Heaven :-) I miss my nuns.

Grace and peace,
John

I am relatively close to the area around Post-Gazette Pavilion, if that helps.

[irishseventysix]

I'm new to these boards, but I thought I'd comment. I was raised in a Protestant Resoration Movement-type church and stayed there for 18 years. Then, I went to an Evangelical Bible college and became an 'emergent', though I still don't know what that means beyond 'rising'. But what nailed me about the Church was what Father said to me the second time I visited.

Let me relate this a bit here and say that I'm a bespectacled young white male with baby-fine white Irish skin, blue eyes, and short, sandy-blonde hair. If it weren't for my Irish Catholic ancestry, I would look like a poster boy for the 'white oppressor'.

I came to Father Theodore and St. John's in the midst of the deepest period of suffering in my life I had ever known. It was rough and I didn't feel like any church I had been to or was looking at had anything but permasmiling, perfectly gelled worship leaders and pastors that strained to speak in the parlances of our times. It didn't seem like anyone was struggling anywhere I went. And, therefore, it didn't seem like anywhere I went was a safe place to struggle, to hurt, to be messy. I came very close to giving it all up to pursue my 'passions'. And it was at this point that a friend of mine, who had just heard about Orthodoxy through some friends, had me come with him to a Liturgy. It was a Greek Orthodox Church, but not terribly ethnic.

It immediately felt like home. And conversations I had with people afterward further solidified the (then-odd) feelings of safety and hospitality I had rarely (and then only very temporarily) felt anywhere else in my 20 years of experience in Christendom.

The second week I was there, I met Father in his office after Liturgy and spilled my guts to him. I told him about all the things I was always discouraged from talking about in the other churches I was a part of because they were such 'hot-button' issues. I asked him if I could be safe there...if the Church was a safe place for me to struggle and be messy and not be judged. And for the first time in 20 years of experience in Christendom, I heard the words, "Of course! There is always room for struggling Christians. We're all struggling." Nine months later, I became Orthodox.

I quickly discovered that my parish consisted of about 30% "cradle" Orthodox and 70% converts. Right now, we are a mission parish of about 150, with 22 serious inquirers, Catechumens, or Newly-Illumined (me) non-babies (and we have a ton of newborns/infants). That means converts.

And one thing that was helpful for me to know going in was that no one's eyes are going to be on me during Liturgy. No one's going to (or is supposed to, anyway) judge anyone. If we do, it's a sin and we need to confess it.

As others have said, though, the more 'ethnic' parishes might be more difficult to get a foothold in right away. Though any difficulty experienced shouldn't be read as rejection. Many parishes came over intact from Eastern Europe as persecuted refugee parishes and 50-80 years on can still have a little bit of an enclavish (is that a word?) feel to them. So they'll be a little more self-protective, perhaps.

I'm very blessed to have fit in so well with my parish and have so many close friends there. But it's taken some time, too.

I hope this helps.

Peace,

Jude

[HandmaidenOfGod]

Thank you for sharing your story with us, I am happy to hear that you have finally found a 'safe' home in the Orthodox Church. Welcome! :hug:

[ClementofRome]

Jude, I appreciate your comments. Thank you.