Greek Orthodox Church Experience Essay

I had the privilege to attend the St. Nicolas Greek Orthodox Church, and grasp an understanding and first hand experience on an unfamiliar Christian denomination. Greek Orthodoxy is based mainly or equivalent to Eastern Orthodoxy. The term Orthodox is the denotation of the “correct” or “right belief”, and the church is considered Greek because Greek was the native language of the First Early Christian Church. The start of Eastern Orthodox can date all the way back to the Pentecost in 33AD, in which Christ gave them the order to spread the Word. From there, the 12 holy apostles started to travel to speak the gospel in Eastern Europe, Greece, Asia Minor, and eventually Rome. Apostle Paul was very significant in his spread of gospel in Rome,

Living in a non-denominational Christian home, I never had the opportunity in experiencing a very formal act of worship such as an Eastern Orthodox Liturgy. With the non-denominational church services being more liberal with worship processions, I was a bit overwhelmed by the formality of the service and the conservative views of the church. I personally did not fall in love with the hymnal chants in comparison to modern gospel songs. On the other hand, I really enjoyed the visual and theological beliefs and traditions of the church. The constant reminder of the spiritual icons in the portraits, vestments worn by the priest and altar boys, incents, and eastern architecture tremendously increased my concentration on worshiping Christ, and made me feel as if Christ’s actual presence was among us. I believe that some churches in America could use more reminders of worship such as portraits, incents, and more strict order in services to gain a more intimate connection with Christ during worship and communion. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed experiencing the Orthodox Church, and now have a better understanding and respect for other Christian