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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.

 

 

 

These are links first-time visitors to St. John might find useful:

Our History
Contact info & map
Bookstore
Orthodox Links