Beyond spooky church: Part 4

Jim and I continued to discuss our church feelings, and set a date to discontinue attendance at our then current church. We were both a little uneasy, yet relieved with the idea of having no church home for a while. I don’t remember thinking much about our decision to discontinue church attendance accept for relief at not having to go and put on the “church face.” During this time of non-church attendance, which only lasted about a month or so, Jim began a short email exchange with the Orthodox deacon we had met on the aforementioned web forum. Jim continued to push this man for answers and eventually the deacon sent Jim an email with the Amazon listing for a book called, Becoming Orthodox: A Journey to the Ancient Christian Faith by Fr. Peter Gillquist.

The bull was being taken by the horns so to speak and Jim ordered the book and several others. We began reading it aloud chapter by chapter in the evenings after the kids had gone to bed and it was an eye opening experience for both of us. The book essentially revealed to us that the church Christ started existed today, and it was to be found in Holy Orthodoxy. Initially, Jim took issue with some Orthodox beliefs. I particularly remember him questioning the Marian Dogmas. Jim would say it was because right after he was born, some well meaning Baptist person began whispering in his ear, “She’s just a woman.” It took Jim a while to be able to accept the idea of venerating Mary and that she was the most blessed of all women. I on the other hand, accepted the truths about the Theotokos fairly easily. Perhaps it was because the Blessed Mother is a woman and a mother, as I am.

The biggest area of concern I had was with the idea of icons, and of venerating them, of standing in front of them and praying. Part of me understood the idea of them being windows to heaven and that the saints are in heaven pulling for us here on earth. It was still a strange idea and part of me felt it was idol worship to an extent. However, I have lately come to understand that in venerating the icons we are simply showing respect due for men and women who have fought the race well. It’s really not all that different from kissing your grandma when you think of it.

Jim and I finished reading, Becoming Orthodox, A Journey to the Ancient Christian Faith and then decided we should “do something about it.” We asked our deacon friend if he knew of any Othodox churches in our area and Holy Cross Antiochian Orthodox Church was suggested. Jim emailed the priest, Fr. Gregory Matthewes-Green and we made an appointment to meet with him in the evening. Holy Cross is housed in a small stone church about 2 miles from our home, a seven minute drive. The church had been viewed countless times in our marriage as we passed by it traveling to Jim’s parent’s house and I had often felt drawn there. We both couldn’t help but recall when we had first started praying over the summer for a church that would be just around the corner…and here it was!

What I also found very comforting in a strange sort of way was that I had grown up attending a little stone church myself, in Danville, VA. That church was bigger than this one, but the architecture was somewhat similar. Upon meeting Fr. Gregory and taking a tour of the church, we discovered it had originally been a Methodist church. There was even a big stained glass window depicting Jesus as a shepherd similar to one I had talked to in church as a child. Goosebumps abounded…I was spooked….