Thank you for visiting our web-site. We hope that you will also
visit our parish soon. This page contains lots of information
about our community, and you can follow the included hyperlinks
(in blue) to get more details both from this website and from
others. We are a parish of the
Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America.
If you would some general information about Orthodox worship
services you can read a very helpful and fun article by
Frederica Mathewes-Green entitled "Twelve
Things I Wish I Had Known". Another helpful
article that will provide you with information about the kind of
clothing and behavior that is appropriate for Orthodox services
is called
“A Guide to Parish Etiquette”,
produced by the Antiochian Archdiocese.
What You Can Expect
Orthodox services are very distinctive, so, while we hope that
you’ll worship with us soon, we also want you to be prepared for
what you will encounter.
Lots of Standing
Christians have historically stood during worship because that
posture best expresses the reverence and respect that are due
the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Everyone sits down during the
homily—or sermon—and people take a seat whenever they get tired.
But we don’t have pews or rows of chairs in our facility. There
are benches and chairs along the walls, but most of the space is
open because most of the time we are standing. Of course, that
doesn’t mean you have to stand through the entire service. If
you need to sit down, please go ahead and find a spot on one of
the chairs or benches.
Beautiful Music
The music that we use in our services is absolutely gorgeous.
Everyone in the congregation sings, but we also have one of the
best choirs around. To learn more about Orthodox music, and to
hear some hymns, read this
article by our choir director. But one of the most striking
characteristics of Orthodox music is the fact that it’s sung
without any instrumental accompaniment. In other words, we don’t
use organs or pianos or guitars in our services. That’s because
Christians have historically worshipped without musical
instruments. Of course, there’s nothing at all wrong with organs
and pianos and guitars, but none of those instruments can
approach the beauty of the redeemed and sanctified human voice.
Also, we don’t use hymn books, and we don’t project hymn lyrics
on to screens. That can be a bit frustrating when you’re
visiting, and you don’t know the hymns, but it doesn’t take long
to learn them, and you’ll be amazed at how much easier it is to
worship when there’s not a book or a screen between you and the
Most Holy Trinity.
Lots of Children
In the Orthodox worship, we don’t segregate ourselves according
to age and developmental capacity. So you will see many children
in our services.
“A Holy Presentation” is a detailed article that contains everything you
need to know about children and Orthodox services.
Joining the Orthodox Church
Because the people in
our community are so friendly, and because Orthodox worship is
so compelling and so beautiful, folks often ask "how do I
join?"
“Putting on Christ” is an
article that outlines the process for being received into Holy
Orthodoxy through our parish.
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