My First Experiences in the Orthodox Church

All through my seminary experience, and the six or so years after, western clergy always spoke about Eastern Orthodoxy as something exotic, foreign, and utterly different. "You wouldn't want to go there--it is so... ethnic." And so, like a parrot, I too would mimic what I had heard. Naturally, my wife and I were a little anxious that first Sunday after we had left the Anglican church. I was totally convinced that the Orthodox Church was the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. I knew that they had not changed the doctrine, worship, or practice of the Church. My only hesitancy was how that transition was going to be for us.

The first church we decided to go to was an Antiochian Church. Since they were the most friendly towards Western Rite liturgy, I thought to myself, "Here is where I want to end up." In Tulsa, Oklahoma, we were blessed to have several different flavors of Orthodoxy: Antiochian (more Middle Eastern sounding music), Greek (with its Byzantine style music), American (which came from the Russian church and its music and piety follow the Slavic tradition), and even Coptic. The priest at the Antiochian church was extremely nice and welcoming. He came right up to us before the Liturgy and welcomed us, explaining a little about Orthodox worship. After the liturgy, we were further welcomed by a very kind couple who truly took us under their wings.

My first impressions of the Antiochian church were not what I had expected. While I had been told that everything would be so foreign, it really was not. Yes, the music was a little different--but so what? Yes, they stood to pray instead of kneeling, but it was not a difficult transition. The pews in this church made it easier for a protestant like me. Regardless, it was respectful, reverent, and holy. We met with the priest after the Liturgy and told him our story. He was sympathetic with us since he was a graduate from Oral Roberts University! In fact, we came to find out later that many of the parishioners there were former ORU graduates.

The following Wednesday, we decided to attend Vespers at another Orthodox church--this time choosing to go to the Orthodox Church in America (OCA) church. We drove way out into the country where we finally found this beautiful, small, and picturesque church. The Vespers service here is where I was converted in my heart, not just my mind.

There is a story in the Orthodox Church about how the Church in Russia came to be. The short version is that Prince Vladimir sent envoys to examine the faith traditions of his day, and upon returning, this is what his envoys reported:

When we journeyed among the Bulgars, we beheld how they worship in their temple, called a mosque, while they stand ungirt. The Bulgarian bows, sits down, looks hither and thither like one possessed, and there is no happiness among them, but instead only sorrow and a dreadful stench. Their religion is not good. Then we went among the Germans, and saw them performing many ceremonies in their temples; but we beheld no glory there. Then we went on to Greece, and the Greeks led us to the edifices where they worship their God, and we knew not whether we were in heaven or on earth. For on earth there is no such splendour or such beauty, and we are at a loss how to describe it. We know only that God dwells there among men, and their service is fairer than the ceremonies of other nations. For we cannot forget that beauty. Every man, after tasting something sweet, is afterward unwilling to accept that which is bitter, and therefore we cannot dwell longer here.

This is how I felt after attending a Vespers service at Holy Apostles Orthodox Church in Tulsa, OK. All I remember is how I was praying all through the Liturgy how I hoped that my wife felt the same way... Please, God! Let her feel as I do! When we got into the car, I remember asking her under a falsely calm voice, "So, what did you think of the service?" And with great relief, she told me that she felt the same way! From then on out, we spent as much time as we could attending the services. The people were amazingly welcoming, engaging, and exactly what we needed. The priest was young, but very devout, and held high standards for himself and his congregation. It was a relief to be welcomed so warmly!

Meanwhile, since I had just quit, I was scrambling to find a new job. I was teaching a couple of classes on Spanish at Tulsa Community College, but those were not enough to pay for much. So, by the grace of God,  I was able to get two jobs in addition to teaching at the College: a full-time job at the local hospital as an Operating Room Assistant, and a part time job during the evening as a night security guard. If all the jobs weren't enough, we only had a month or so of non-fasting time before we entered Great Lent!