“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matt 11:28)

The Church, often referred to as a spiritual hospital, serves as our spiritual home to help discover our God-given potential, and to help heal and reconcile those who are called to repentance. We welcome new friends and visitors for Sunday morning worship and fellowship. If you have never been to an Orthodox Church, just let one of our greeters know, and they will help make your visit more enjoyable and memorable.

The Divine Liturgy

In an Orthodox church there is only one Eucharistic service (Divine Liturgy) each Sunday, and it is preceded by an hour and a half service of Matins (or Orthros). There is no break between these services; one begins as soon as the previous ends. Matins is a preliminary service celebrating the good news of the Resurrection of Christ which makes the liturgy possible.

Orthodox worshippers arrive at any point from the beginning of Matins, which starts at 8:45am, through the beginning of the Liturgy, which starts at 10:00am and ends around 11:30am.

Following are some things to know if you join us.

In the Orthodox tradition, the faithful stand for much of the service believing that when in the presence of God we should all stand. If you find the amount of standing too challenging you’re welcome to sit at any time.

Sign of the Cross

During Liturgy we Orthodox make the sign of the cross whenever the Holy Trinity is invoked, whenever we venerate the cross or an icon, and on many other occasions. However, no one is expected to do everything the same way. Some cross themselves three times in a row, others only once, and some not at all. You will also see people making the sign of the cross and kissing an icon, kissing the hand of the priest at the end of the service as we receive the blessed bread, this is “Venerating”, crossing ourselves and kissing it.

Holy Communion

We greet each other before we take communion (“Greet one another with a kiss of love,” 1 Peter 5:14) when the priest proclaims; “Let us love one another, that with oneness of mind we may confess”. The usual greeting is “Christ is in our midst” and response, “He is and shall be.”

Only Orthodox may take communion, but anyone may have some of the blessed bread offered at the conclusion of the liturgy. Visitors are sometimes offended that they are not allowed to receive communion. Orthodox believe that receiving communion is an acknowledgment of faith in the Orthodox doctrine and a commitment to a particular Orthodox worshipping community. Everyone is invited to make this commitment to the Orthodox Church, but the Eucharist is the Church’s treasure, and it is reserved for those who have united themselves with the Church.

We believe it is truly the Body and Blood of Christ. We ourselves do not receive communion unless we are making regular confession of our sins to a priest and are at peace with other communicants. We fast from all food and drink Sunday morning before receiving communion.

The Virgin Mary

Orthodox address the Virgin Mary as “Theotokos,” which means “Mother of God.” In providing the physical means for God to become man, she made possible our salvation. She is honored as Scripture prophesied (“All generations will call me blessed,” Luke 1:48). We ask for her prayers for our protection and growth in faith, along with other saints as well. Icons on the walls remind us of the saints and that they are with us in worship.