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Visitor
Information
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 Welcome
to St. John the Forerunner
Orthodox Church!
This page contains information of interest to our visitors--you
can follow the included hyperlinks (in blue) to get more details both
from this website and from others. Those who wish to know more
about Orthodox worship can read a very helpful essay for first-time visitors to an Orthodox Church
by Frederica Mathewes-Green: "Twelve
Things I Wish I Had Known". Other helpful articles
are an instruction guide for parents and
children,
"A Holy Presentation" by Fr.
Aidan Wilcoxson, and
"Some Things You Should Know" by
Fr. David Barr which offers dress and behavior guidelines for
Orthodox worship services.
Beginnings & growth
St John Orthodox Church was
started in 1994 as
a mission parish of
St. Elias Orthodox Church in downtown Austin. We are a parish
of the
Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America.
Since October 2003, we have been located in Cedar Park, TX. Phase
one of our building project is complete--we have
renovated the 3,300
SF facility on our 4.2-acre property for use as our church and
bookstore.
We began our 3-year Capital Campaign in June, 2006 for phase two,
which is the construction of our
new church
temple.
Music
Music in the Orthodox Church is traditionally sung acapella, as the
human voice has been sanctified by the incarnation of our Lord. Congregational
singing during the Divine Liturgy and Vespers is encouraged! For
more information, and to hear some of the music sung at St. John, read
this article by our choir
director.
Children and the nursery
In the Orthodox Church, children become members of the Kingdom of God
through baptism, just as adults do. They, along with other baptized
Orthodox Christians, may receive communion each Sunday. For that
reason, children typically are present during the entire worship service,
enabling their parents to teach them from an early age how to behave
in a church setting. Some young children, however, may require
special attention, or perhaps have not been raised from infancy in a
church setting. For this reason, St. John provides a staffed nursery
for the Divine Liturgy on Sunday morning (9:30-11:30 AM), as well as
a small "cry room" in the back of the nave for temporary use by parents
with fussy babies. Parents whose children require the use of the nursery
are encouraged to work toward the goal of having their children in worship
with them. In addition, the nursery is staffed 5-7 PM on Saturdays
during the adult education class and Great Vespers.
Joining the Orthodox Church
Visitors who have regularly attended the Orthodox
Church often ask "how do I join?" As it has been from the earliest
days of the church, one first becomes a catechumen, studying and absorbing
the truths of the Orthodox Church. In the early Church, when newcomers
typically came from a pagan background, one may have spent many years
as a catechumen prior to baptism. Today, this period will typically
last about a year, sometimes more and sometimes less, depending on the
individual's readiness. Also depending on the individual's history,
one may be baptized and chrismated, or simply chrismated, to enter the
Church. Then, this spiritual commitment to Christ is fleshed-out
in pledging to support Christ's Church in its financial and physical
needs through giving of one's time and talent in volunteer work, and
one's treasure in monetary support for the ongoing ministry of St. John.
If you wish to know more, please speak to Fr. Aidan about your interest.
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