www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Parish Life & Evangelization What makes successful Orthodox parishes?

Originally posted by Vito:
I thought that many of you would find this essay by Federica Matthewes-Green interesting: http://www.orthodoxnews.org/index.c...0&CFID=27141613&CFTOKEN=26458644

Unlike Western Christianity, Eastern Orthodoxy has not been plagued by denominational splintering; it is already "one church" in the most important ways. Administrative unity will make little difference on Sunday morning. Where divisions occur among Orthodox, it is due to basic human sin - pride, power-hunger, greed - rather than disagreement about what the faith entails.

What lies ahead? When immigrants landed on these shores a century or more ago, it was understandable that they would establish congregations based on their language and national background. Much the same happened among Catholic immigrants in the 19th century, who set up separate Italian, German, and Irish Catholic parishes. But with the passage of time all those coalesced into simply-American Catholic parishes, and Orthodox churches are undergoing a similar process.

Deep in the heart of a typical American city there is a magnificent old Orthodox church. The community housed here was founded about a hundred years ago, a gathering of families who had emigrated from Greece, Russia, Syria, or some other ethnically-Orthodox land. [ . . . ] As decades passed, feasts and weddings and funerals were celebrated in this building, and it was imbued with a thousand dear memories. But today, on a typical Sunday, the pews are about a third full. Most of the heads in the congregation are gray.

The range among these converts is vast. Some are leaving "low-church" congregations, because they find that ancient liturgical worship satisfies a longing to worship God with awe and beauty. Some are leaving mainline congregations, because they find Orthodoxy's structural foundation in the early church's faith and practice guarantees stability. Some are leaving a heady, intellectual Christianity for one which provides access to mystery and sacrament. Some are leaving an exuberant Spirit-filled background for one which provides careful discernment, accountability, and spiritual direction - not to mention two millennia of experience - yet is comfortable with miracles, angels, and visions. And some who have been involved in Eastern religions find that Orthodoxy offers a similarly ancient tradition of spiritual transformation, but centered in the compelling presence of the God-man Jesus Christ.

Published by The Clarion-Ledger (Mississippi), July 16, 2005

Orthodoxy on the rise in the South

By Jean Gordon

Greg Jenson/The Clarion-Ledger

Archbishop Dmitri of the Orthodox Church of America's Diocese of Dallas and the South, receives flowers from Abigail Jackson, 4, Sunday upon his arrival at Holy Resurrection Orthodox Church in Clinton. Abigail's father, Matthew Jackson, 27, a convert, was ordained a priest during the service. There are a growing number of Orthodox congregations in the South.

CLINTON � The scent of incense wafted through the air inside Holy Resurrection Orthodox Church Sunday as worshippers gathered inside the small temple.

Behind the icon screen separating the altar from the congregation space, Matthew Jackson knelt before his bishop, who placed his hands on the deacon's head while reciting a prayer that elevated him to the priesthood.

"We're going to make some strenuous, rather hard demands on this man," Archbishop Dmitri, the Orthodox Church of America's bishop of Dallas and the South, said during his homily. "What Father Matthew will be doing is making Christ present in this community."

The Orthodox Church traces its origins to the apostolic community that Jesus called into being. Adherents believe the church is part of an unbroken chain of faith born during the feast of Pentecost, which started 50 days after the first Easter.

Though Orthodox Christians remain a minority in the United States � the Orthodox Church of America estimates there are 2 million believers in North America � Orthodoxy in the South is on the rise.

"We'd like to have more priests because we're growing and we want to start new missions," said the Rev. Paul Yerger, pastor of Holy Resurrection Orthodox Church.

Over the last 30 years, Orthodox churches in the southern United States have multiplied from a handful of congregations located mainly in Florida and Texas to more than 60 churches and missions stretching from Virginia to New Mexico.

"In the Florida area most churches developed from the families from the North," said the Rev. Seraphim Hipsh of the Diocese of Dallas and the South, explaining transplants from such states as Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey � where immigrant groups created a high concentration of Orthodox churches � brought their faith south.

But after the Diocese of Dallas and the South formed in the late 1970s, new Orthodox churches and missions have sprouted throughout its jurisdiction, which includes Mississippi and 12 other states in the southern quarter of the country.

"The South has hands down the greatest growth," said the Rev. John Matusiak, a spokesman for the Orthodox Church of America. "Growth of the church simply mirrors demographics of the country. More people are moving South and West."

There are six Orthodox churches in Mississippi, including a century-old Antiochian Orthodox congregation in Vicksburg and a three-year-old mission in McComb.

Orthodoxy has three main branches in the United States, the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese, the Orthodox Church of America and the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese. Though the church bodies are not administratively linked, most churches are in communion with one another.

Yerger said people seeking answers to questions about historical Christianity are fueling church growth. Converts make up the majority of Holy Resurrection's congregation, and include Yerger himself.

A former Episcopal priest, Yerger, 62, converted to Orthodoxy in 1977 � during an era of great change in the Episcopal church.

In the 1970s, the Episcopal church revised its prayer book that guides the order of services and began ordaining women.

After being ordained an Orthodox priest, Yerger became the first priest to lead Holy Resurrection in Clinton.

He said converts to Orthodoxy discover a tradition long "hidden" in immigrant communities.

"In America it was mainly known for a long time as a church for various ethnic groups," he said. "People still say to us, 'Is your mother Greek or is your father Russian?' "

Indeed, Orthodoxy encompasses a variety of cultural distinctions including Greek, Ukrainian, Russian and Romanian. The Orthodox Church of America dates back to 1794, when Russian monks founded the first Orthodox mission which later became Alaska.

Yerger said the majority of Orthodox churches now conduct services in English.

Called the Divine Liturgy, worship services consist of a series of songs and chants that offer praise and prayers to God. All of the words are from Scripture or ancient Christian texts.

Worshippers venerate icons, which are paintings of Jesus and the saints. The icons symbolize how God revealed himself in a physical form through Jesus.

"All Orthodox churches do the same services," said the Rev. Theoharis Theoharis, pastor of Holy Trinity-St. John the Theologian Greek Orthodox Church, which opened in 1957 on West Capitol Street in Jackson.

Founded by Greek immigrants, it's the oldest Orthodox church in the metro area. There are some 85 families in the congregation, including people from Greece, Lebanon, Russia, Romania, Ethiopia and the United States.

Like other Orthodox churches, many of its members are converts.

"There is a lot of interest," Theoharis said, adding he requires people seeking conversion to read the history of Orthodoxy and to take their time discerning whether the church is for them. "I'm a strong believer it's got to be you making the decisions and not me pushing you."

Jackson, 27, started attending Holy Resurrection in Clinton while a student at Mississippi College. The Jackson native grew up a Southern Baptist, but drifted from the church as a teenager.

"There were so many questions that weren't answered," he said. "Like what was the early church? I wasn't able to find anybody who could answer any questions for me to show we were connected."

But after Jackson and his wife's first child was born, the couple started looking for a church. They sampled several until discovering Holy Resurrection.

"We never looked back," he said.

After he completes his final year in a Pennsylvania seminary, Jackson plans to return to Mississippi and serve the state's newest Orthodox church in McComb.

Though Orthodoxy traces its origin to the first century, many people are still unfamiliar with the tradition. Some confuse the faith with Catholicism, also a liturgical religion with roots in early Christianity.

Though they share common beginnings, the two traditions diverged in the 11th century due to differences in theology and practice.

Other people hear the word "Orthodox" and may conclude Jackson is Jewish � despite the large crucifix he wears on a chain around his neck.

"The biggest problem is not misconception but lack of conception," he said. "They just don't know who you are and what you're doing."


� A closer look

The Clarion-Ledger

� Origin: The Orthodox Church has existed continuously in the Middle East and Greece from the time of the apostles. It is the faith of the majority of Christians in the Middle East, Greece, Romania, Serbia and Russia. With the exception of Rome, the local churches mentioned in the New Testament, such as Corinth, Thessaloniki and Damascus, have existed continuously until today and are Orthodox.

� Worship: The beauty of Orthodox worship must be experienced to be understood. The Divine Liturgy expresses the entire Christian faith in a continuous song of praise and prayer addressed to God.

Since much of the service is the same every week, worshippers know it and can participate personally, either by singing along or by prayerful attention.

The entire service (except for the sermon) is sung, mostly to Russian chants and melodies. No organ or other instruments are used. The words are all from Scripture or ancient Christian texts. No rhyming metrical hymns are used.

� Icons: Icons are paintings of Christ and the saints. They must be painted according to a strict tradition because they are an important way the faith is handed down and taught.

Icons and crosses are kissed ("venerated"), but not worshipped, as a sign of the belief that in Christ God took a physical body and became part of the physical world so we could know him. Other human beings who unite themselves with Christ become holy and the image of God becomes visible in them, so their icons are honored as well.

� Incense, vestments and candles: These are part of the imagery of heavenly worship in the Book of Revelation. In the liturgy we participate while still in this world in the worship of the angels and saints in heaven. Many people buy candles and place them in the church as an offering of light to the Lord, who told us to let our light shine.

� Prayers and hymns: Standard prayers and hymns are used rather than extemporaneous or modern ones because they contain the accumulated insights of many centuries of Christians. Most are packed with biblical quotations. They are repetitious so they become rooted in our minds. They are chanted or sung rather than spoken so worshippers are less conscious of the personality of the individual reader.

Source: Holy Resurrection Church, Clinton.

Originally posted by Zenovia:

Hee, hee, hee! Now that's the way to get them.

Greek boys are usually good catches.
Zenovia

Originally posted by Scott Arbuckle:
"successful parishes marketed themselves by keeping themselves in the public eye"
This is a very important point! What would you suggest for the small dying Byzantine Catholic parishes? Scott

Originally posted by Rilian:
"What Father Matthew will be doing is making Christ present in this community." [ . . . ] There are many ways parishes can be successful or might grow. Different things probably work for different communities. I think the words of Bishop Dmitri that I bolded are the essence of what will make parishes grow and be successful in the truest sense though.
Andrew

Originally posted by Pavel Ivanovich:
[ . . . ] there has to be life in the community at all levels of a parish, clergy and laity, who are enthusiastic at being the living Church. It is how people treat each other and how they make their community and support each other as a manifestation of the faith that is celebrated at the altar that indicates success to me.