When I was first asked to write about my journey into Orthodoxy, it was hard to pin down any one particular prompt that eventually led to my becoming Orthodox. Christianity has always been a crucial part of my life, but each tradition (or “non-tradition”) seemed to go about worshiping God and pursuing a relationship with Him in a different way. Some churches emphasized rules, other churches emphasized grace. Some explored the heart, others the mind. All of them had parts of the truth, but I ... [Read more]
Journey Stories
Please enjoy these very personal stories by parishioners who have come to the Orthodox Church from a variety of backgrounds. If you are a parishioner and would like to write your own journey story, please talk with Fr. Matthew. If you wrote one that was published in a past newsletter, but it is not on the Web site, please contact the Webmaster.
Eric’s Journey to Orthodoxy
I have gone to church from the time I was born. As a young kid, the first church I remember going to was the Assembly of God Church. We changed over to a Baptist Church when I was about 7 years old. Most of my life I attended various Baptist churches covering 8 different sects of the Baptist denomination. I was for the most part Baptist most of my life. As I relate my journey, it is important to remember I am only speaking for myself; and the problems and inconsistencies I saw in the ... [Read more]
Lauri’s Journey to Orthodoxy
Have you ever had a gourmet chocolate that you couldn’t wait to bite into? You just knew it was going to be amazing. The outside was beautiful, a dark deep color with just the right drizzle, and you could tell the inside was going to be delicious. Only, once you bit into it, you find it’s all wrong and the one you really hate? I think that was my life for a long time. My outside was all pretty and seemed right, but my heart and soul were empty. Let me back up and explain. I was raised in a ... [Read more]
Kent and Sylvia’s Journey to Orthodoxy
It is a privilege to share our story with others; and, at the same time, it is daunting to reduce the events that have led us to Orthodoxy to a few words; but, we’ll try! By way of background, Patrick and I share a similar past. We were both raised Roman Catholic and attended 12 years of Catholic parochial school (he in Portland, OR; I in Santa Barbara, CA). We each have been married before; and, we each have three adult children (coincidentally, two girls and one boy). Also, we both have ... [Read more]
Karen’s Journey to Orthodoxy
Looking back, I can see that the path that led me to Orthodoxy was one I started on when I was a child. My parents are wonderful, loving, Godfearing people, and they did everything within their power to raise me in a Christ-centered home and church family. I was raised United Methodist, and went to church with my family regularly while I lived with them in a small town outside of Corvallis. The church we attended since I was three-yearsold (and they still attend) followed a very traditional ... [Read more]
Mike’s Journey to Orthodoxy
Despite a seven year enlistment in the Army, I have never been very good at getting in line; especially if the line isn’t moving. It is safe to say that I reject an overwhelming majority of ideas I hear. Sometimes that is based on the ideas themselves; sometimes it is based on who presents them. I suppose this is why I am so fortunate to have begun my journey to Orthodoxy in a somewhat anomalous community. God was very merciful to me in that regard. Growing up, I was not unfamiliar with ... [Read more]
Sophie and Family’s Journey to Orthodoxy
Before the Glendi of 2011, the only exposure to the Orthodox Church I had had was from watching My Big Fat Greek Wedding. My mom had become Protestant in her teens, and my dad was raised Roman Catholic but converted to Protestantism in college. They had raised my three sisters and me in a strong Protestant home. We went to Cedar Mill Bible church every Sunday, my mom led a Bible study, and all of us daughters attended Protestant schools. My whole world was Protestant, and I had no idea there was ... [Read more]
Joe’s Journey to Orthodoxy
My mother and dad did not go to church. Although my mother considered herself a Christian, she did not attend church herself. She did her best to expose me to “the Christian Faith” by having me go to different churches with neighbors and friends. My dad was nonreligious. His mother was Mormon and his dad was Roman Catholic. When they were married both churches excommunicated them. They did not step foot in a church for the remainder of their lives, nor did my dad. Early on he was silent about my ... [Read more]
Mamo and Bella’s Journey to Orthodoxy
Our journey to Orthodoxy began in Ethiopia long before we were born. Orthodoxy was passed on in our families (immediate and extended) from one generation to another for several decades, if not centuries. In fact, most of our friends, neighbors and classmates were also Orthodox Christians. History of Christianity in Ethiopia The earliest and best known reference to the introduction of Christianity in Ethiopia is in the New Testament (Acts 8:26-38) when Philip the Evangelist converted an ... [Read more]
Erica’s Journey to Orthodoxy
My journey to Orthodoxy began when I was born to a Pentecostal family in Miami, Florida. I grew up faithfully attending fiery, revival-loving churches and believed that speaking in tongues and passing out in church were signs that you were in pretty good standing with God. But to my dismay, I couldn’t utter one word in the angelic languages, and I couldn’t bring myself to fake unconsciousness, even when everyone around me dropped like flies. So I accepted that I was a defective Pentecostal and ... [Read more]
