Preparing to attend my first Orthodox worship

[shamu]

I am a new christian, and in my search for a church
which began with reading the new testament, i realized
that it seems that the many denominations have deviated in many
ways from the first century church.
And there are so many of them.
Then I read a little about the eastern orthodox churches.
The tradition and unbroken lineage going all the way back
to the apostles.
I've only read websites and watched you tube clips of orthodox worship.
Many asspects of Orthodox Faith seem alien to me, and I attribute that to my
midwestern united states german lutheran upbringing, and our differing cultural roots.
I'm very excited, and am planing to go to a orthodox church in
South St Paul Minnesota soon.
What surprised me was that the beliefs and theology of the Orthodox Faith are so scriptural,
while the worship is so.......Holy and Sacred, with such a anchaint and mysterious asspect to it all.
I've talked a little with other non denominational born again christians.
But really this is a more personal journey.
I guess I'd like to here from others who have followed this same path?

[ialmisry]

I am a new christian, and in my search for a church
which began with reading the new testament, i realized
that it seems that the many denominations have deviated in many
ways from the first century church.
And there are so many of them.
Then I read a little about the eastern orthodox churches.
The tradition and unbroken lineage going all the way back
to the apostles.
I've only read websites and watched you tube clips of orthodox worship.
Many asspects of Orthodox Faith seem alien to me, and I attribute that to my
midwestern united states german lutheran upbringing, and our differing cultural roots.
I'm very excited, and am planing to go to a orthodox church in
South St Paul Minnesota soon.
What surprised me was that the beliefs and theology of the Orthodox Faith are so scriptural,
while the worship is so.......Holy and Sacred, with such a anchaint and mysterious asspect to it all.
I've talked a little with other non denominational born again christians.
But really this is a more personal journey.
I guess I'd like to here from others who have followed this same path?

I was raised German Lutheran in Chicago. Close enough?

[HandmaidenofGod]

I just wanted to say welcome to the forum! Feel free to ask any questions you may have!

[findingfaith]

I am a new christian, and in my search for a church
which began with reading the new testament, i realized
that it seems that the many denominations have deviated in many
ways from the first century church.
And there are so many of them.
Then I read a little about the eastern orthodox churches.
The tradition and unbroken lineage going all the way back
to the apostles.
I've only read websites and watched you tube clips of orthodox worship.
Many asspects of Orthodox Faith seem alien to me, and I attribute that to my
midwestern united states german lutheran upbringing, and our differing cultural roots.
I'm very excited, and am planing to go to a orthodox church in
South St Paul Minnesota soon.
What surprised me was that the beliefs and theology of the Orthodox Faith are so scriptural,
while the worship is so.......Holy and Sacred, with such a anchaint and mysterious asspect to it all.
I've talked a little with other non denominational born again christians.
But really this is a more personal journey.
I guess I'd like to here from others who have followed this same path?

Welcome

very good to see another unsure person such as myself, found their way to the Truth.
I myself am planning on attending my first live liturgy soon.
So far i've been watching it live on OCN.net, every sunday for the past month or so, to familiarize myself with as much as is available.
Might be a good place to start if you would like to view a full service first.

Off topic
my wifes sister lives in owatanna, and has been bugging me for years to move there, looks like thats in the works now, but timescale is up to Gods will.

Again Welcome, and may God guide you to the answers you seek.

George

[scamandrius]

Welcome to the forum.  I hope that we will be able to answer any questions you may have.

There is no substitute for actually experiencing Orthodoxy through the gift of the Divine Liturgy or the prayer offices.  Reading about Orthodoxy will only get you so far so let me encourage you to get involved with the spiritual aspects of the faith.  Of course, pace yourself.  You may easily find yourself overwhelmed (as I did) and not able to understand.  The lack of understanding is actually a good thing since that is humility at work.  How can any of us actually understand the total ineffability of God?  After going to the Liturgy, make attempts to contact the priest (if you feel so inclined) to talk further.  Hopefully, he will be welcoming of your inquiries and your needs and try to help set you on a course.  As with anything, be patient.

As always, if you do have questions about things you have seen or heard please feel free to ask anyone here.

[Alpo]

What surprised me was that the beliefs and theology of the Orthodox Faith are so scriptural,
while the worship is so.......Holy and Sacred, with such a anchaint and mysterious asspect to it all.

Yep, sounds familiar. I was born and grew up in a pentacostal family but Finland is one of the most Lutheran countries in the whole world (over 80% of the finnish are Lutherans) and I used to attend Lutheran worship quite regularly.

[Thomas]

Welcome to the Forum,

I hope that your first visit to an Orthodox Church was a pleasant one. Archpriest Peter Gilquist of the Antiochian Orthodox Church Missions Department recommends that one attend a month of Liturgies to get the full impact.  You may also wish to read a pamphlet called First Visit to an Orthodox Church: Twelve Things I Wish I'd Known  You can find a free copy located at the following website:

www.antiochian.org/node/16963

Once again welcome to the Convert Issues Forum, I hope you will find this a good place to addresssome of your issues in your search.

Thomas
Convert Issues Forum Moderator

[Mister Jim Dude]

I am a new christian, and in my search for a church
which began with reading the new testament, i realized
that it seems that the many denominations have deviated in many
ways from the first century church.
And there are so many of them.
Then I read a little about the eastern orthodox churches.
The tradition and unbroken lineage going all the way back
to the apostles.
I've only read websites and watched you tube clips of orthodox worship.
Many asspects of Orthodox Faith seem alien to me, and I attribute that to my
midwestern united states german lutheran upbringing, and our differing cultural roots.
I'm very excited, and am planing to go to a orthodox church in
South St Paul Minnesota soon.
What surprised me was that the beliefs and theology of the Orthodox Faith are so scriptural,
while the worship is so.......Holy and Sacred, with such a anchaint and mysterious asspect to it all.
I've talked a little with other non denominational born again christians.
But really this is a more personal journey.
I guess I'd like to here from others who have followed this same path?

Hi,
I, too, am an inquirer and what you said about the Orthodox Faith being so scriptural surprised me, too....I haven't made the leap to attend a divine liturgy yet...but, give me time.
jim

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