St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church

St. John Orthodox Church

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.

John’s Journey to Orthodoxy

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In 2006, I moved to Beaverton and down the road from my apartment was a Baptist church where I decided to attend. The worship pastor had written some of his own compositions, one of which was titled “Come, Lord” which was based on The Invocation of St. Symeon. What was even more strange to me was the idea that any Baptist church celebrated Lent. Wasn’t that a Catholic idea? As I slowly started exploring more of the ancient Church’s ideas and trying to answer the typical questions a Protestant ... [Read more]

Seth’s Journey to Orthodoxy

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It had been six months since we had been to church. Our daughter—our second child—was now six months old. Unlike most children, my children scream in the car, no matter how long of a drive it is. So my wife and I made a habit of not driving more than ten minutes at a time. Our church was thirty minutes away, and we would then have to sit with our children in the nursery the whole time, after hearing them cry all the way across town. These impediments inspired us to try some churches around us. ... [Read more]

Stephen’s (Kurt) Journey to Orthodoxy

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My wife Tammy says that through our life together, I have never surprised her until the day she (gently and with trepidation) broke the news to me: She and my son Taran had determined that the Orthodox Church had the best, deepest and truest theology. They had found a local church that seemed—from its website!—welcoming, and they were going to approach the priest (Fr. Theodore) to learn more. I shocked her by offering no argument, and telling her I wanted to go, too! She was amazed! So let me ... [Read more]

Gracie’s Journey to Orthodoxy

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As a child I grew up in a Christian household and attended many different parishes from Methodist to Catholic, but primarily non-denominational. In high school I had the desire to become a missionary, which led me to Nepal when I was twenty. I was there for almost three months and I worked at a hospital, led a children's Bible school at church, and helped an American missionary family who lived there. As much as I fell in love with the humanitarian side of things, I also left the country with ... [Read more]

Christina’s (Melissa) Journey to Orthodoxy

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Before becoming Orthodox, I was a Protestant Christian my entire life. I was not raised in a family where we necessarily went to church every Sunday, but I was always a part of the Christian faith. I attended a Methodist church as a kid and went to many different VBS camps growing up. I moved to Oregon City when I was entering 8th grade and eventually made friends who attended an Evangelical church, which I attended throughout high school. After high school, I started attending a ... [Read more]

Simeon’s (Spencer) Journey to Orthodoxy

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My Orthodox adventure started when my Uncle Billy (Steven) talked with me about church at a family BBQ more than a decade ago. My wife Crystal and I weren’t attending church at the time. I was lost about what church to attend. He suggested we come visit the Greek Orthodox Church, of course my first response was, “Do we have to get togas?” I talked to Crystal about it. We went to a few more family events and talked more about Orthodoxy. Then we went to Vespers for our first service. At Vespers ... [Read more]

Tim J’s Journey to Orthodoxy

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I was raised in a Protestant Christian home by wonderful God-fearing parents (who are now Orthodox too)! Growing up, I attended a non-denominational Bible study where the theology was primarily Baptist. I remember attending church for most of my childhood and enjoyed studying the Bible. When I was a very young child, I remember praying the “printed prayer.” I distinctly remember feeling like there was still something missing from my understanding of the faith and as I grew older, my feelings ... [Read more]

Tim’s Journey to Orthodoxy

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Like all the amazing stories that fill this page mine is yet another that displays the miraculous providence of God. I was raised in the Episcopal church as a child and, after my family stopped attending church, I was taken to Southern Baptist church by neighbors who were concerned for my spiritual well-being. I wandered aimlessly through adolescence from a spiritual standpoint always believing in God and trying to look good to others from a worldly standpoint but not really connected to ... [Read more]

Paisios’ (Cameron) Journey to Orthodoxy

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I grew up nondenominational Protestant, attending Baptist, Evangelical, Assembly of God, and Foursquare churches, along with Christian schools. There was an emphasis on Bible study, avoiding sin, politics, evangelizing, and the end times. To me, this was authentic Christianity. I thought of “being saved” by “asking Jesus into my heart” as a one-time event, and I struggled with doubt, wondering if I had prayed the “sinner’s prayer” sincerely enough. After moving away to college, I stopped ... [Read more]

Elizabeth’s (Elspeth) Journey to Orthodoxy

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I grew up in a Protestant home, attending a variety of different denominations, but feeling most at home in the moderately charismatic Foursquare denomination. I felt like my faith was pretty solid until tragedy hit my family: my youngest sibling passing at 13. I was angry at God and pushed Him away. However after some years, I came to the conclusion that I needed God whether I liked Him much or not. When I met my husband John, he helped me work through that. After John and I got married, John ... [Read more]