St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church

St. John Orthodox Church

Sarah’s (Amanda) Journey to Orthodoxy

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My husband, Chris, and I were both raised in the Protestant Faith: he was raised Baptist and I was raised Lutheran. When we were in high school, we started attending a non-denominational church, where we met and were eventually married. The church was very large, and I was involved in youth ministries and had formed many friendships. I could not see myself ever leaving that church and I was completely content. Chris began reading the writings of the Ante-Nicene Fathers (the Church Fathers ... [Read more]

Michael’s Journey to Orthodoxy

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When I was asked to write about my journey to Orthodoxy, it was a perfect moment to reflect back on what brought me here. In fact I was born and raised as Orthodox Hindu. My journey to Orthodox Christianity began while I was studying at college in Arizona. Prior to my college life, I was just happily lost in illusions and myths (now I can say!). Although the core spiritual teaching of Hinduism seemed similar – about love, prayers, self-denial, overcoming pride, fasting etc. – there were many ... [Read more]

Journey-to-Pascha Calendars for Your Family

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Here are couple of one page, printable resources to help you and your family chart your way to Pascha, with the services offered at St. John the Baptist written in on the appropriate days. We hope you will print one (or both!) and personalize with stickers, color, or added prayers or notes... or simply mark off the days as you go. Journey-to-Pascha I Journey-to-Pascha II For "Journey-to-Pascha II" the dates and times of a couple of the services during the 5th week may change, so double ... [Read more]

Blueprints for the Little Church: Creating an Orthodox Home

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Book Review: Blueprints for the Little Church: Creating an Orthodox Home, by Elissa Bjeletich & Caleb Shoemaker. Reviewed by Paraskevi Whitton. We are all familiar with the need to convert our hearts and minds to become fully Orthodox, and this most useful book helps us to also convert our homes and family life into living fully as Orthodox Christians as well. This book does an excellent job in helping the reader understand not only what the Little Church is, but also how to transform and ... [Read more]

“Come and Read!” – An Introduction to Introductions

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Book Review: The Orthodox Church, by Metropolitan Kallistos Ware. Reviewed by Chad M. As you may have noticed, the “Introduction to Orthodoxy” table at the Logos Bookstore has been growing steadily in recent years and months. This is a truly beautiful time to be exploring Orthodoxy—whether as an inquirer or a “cradle” Orthodox who wants to dig a little deeper— as more and more works are being written and/or translated into English. But this explosion of reading material may also prove a ... [Read more]

Arielle’s Journey to Orthodoxy

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A seminarian from England once spoke at my church in Philadelphia. He had been raised Anglican, become Evangelical, converted to the Roman Catholic Church and eventually found the Orthodox Church, where he stayed and was eventually ordained. He spoke of how grateful he was for each one of those churches, for each had taught him a new way of loving God, until he found the fulfillment in the One True Faith. I was raised Evangelical, and am thankful for the grounding it gave me in the scriptures ... [Read more]

Raising Independent Children to be Dependent on God

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How can parents cultivate a relationship between God and their children? Fr. Timothy Pavlatos, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and a Nationally Certified Counselor, speaks with Emmy Louvaris to tell us how. Listen as they discuss how modeling forgiveness, trust, repentance, and love makes all the difference. You won’t want to miss this episode. From Raising Independent Children to be Dependent on God on the Orthodox Christian Network (OCN) ... [Read more]

Chad’s Journey to Orthodoxy

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I have been asked many times to describe my journey to Orthodoxy, and every time I answer it seems to come out with a slightly different emphasis. I know many people who have had a “road to Damascus” moment, but I was (and am) too stubborn for that. I’m still working to understand my past and the ways, both great and small, that Christ was calling me through it all. So here is the latest version. I was born into an interfaith household: 50% semipracticing Jewish (my father), 50% ... [Read more]

Mandi’s Journey to Orthodoxy

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Over the past five years, I have begun to recognize the grace which God has poured over my life from the very beginning. Becoming Orthodox has been the greatest culmination of so many difficult and beautiful events. At the same time, however, my baby steps in Orthodoxy are the start of a whole new journey which is both brand new and yet, at the same time, intimately familiar. I was raised by two loving parents, both of whom were the first Christians of their families. They became Christians ... [Read more]

Jillian’s Journey to Orthodoxy

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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]