Date: Wed, 21 Feb 1996 10:47:47 -0500 Reply-To: Orthodox Christianity <
[email protected]> Sender: Orthodox Christianity <
[email protected]> From: Kenneth Udut <
[email protected]> Organization: SOUP Leaf off of ritz.mordor.com (Jersey City, NJ, USA) Subject: Re: Curious Anglicans In-Reply-To: <
[email protected]> On Tue, 20 Feb 1996 23:36:23 -0500, "Michael D. Malloy" <
[email protected]> writes: [...very inspiritational words by Michael...] >Among our early superficial concerns - The Ethnic issue. A language other >than English. Unfamiliar music. The fear of leaving familiar music and >worship styles. >These things are NOTHING compared to the eternal bliss of Holy Orthodoxy! >Adaptation has been very stimulating. Even as a musician I say, if you >think you will miss the old Anglican style music BUY GOOD RECORDINGS. In >the part of the U.S. where we live that music is long gone anyway. >Orthodox Li
turgy is complex and simple. The beauty is incredible and the >theology is always there and solid. > >It's late at night. I've lost my focus. I hope you don't mind my >rememberances. > >Mike Malloy While I am not yet Orthodox, I am finding a very common thread with converts to the Orthodox Church in the USA, something I *never* would have expected! For one thing, I am glad for the Methodist Church of my upbringing and the various churches that attracted me strongly but always fell short in some way. My friends and family are probably sick and tired of hearing me say, "I loved the Unitarian Universalist church, but something was missing..." or "The Episcopal Church is *nearly* what seems right... but it's missing something..." and again, and again, each church that I visit, study, all are wonderful spiritual communities.. but there is always something missing. The Roman Catholic Church, so far, has come closest to what seems right, but, for some reason, it seems *too* far... too much of something. And
I can't place my finger on it. I haven't yet attended a service at an Orthodox Church, but that is coming very soon. I spent three/four hours talking/listening to an Orthodox Priest (Father John) of St. Nicholas Church in Elizabeth, NJ... what a wonderfully patient and fastinating man! As many sports trophies as icons and crosses in his office! [he's a well rounded fellow, as far as interests go, even though I'm not the sports type myself]. He was wonderful enough to take me into the church, and show me around, explain the icons and their meaning, why things are placed where they are, how confession takes place, what to expect, the length of the liturgy, and... oh, the ICONS! When I stepped into the church, I was bowled over! Mike, you've mentioned something that others have asked me. I talked to some people about the Orthodox church and the lack of a piano or organ, and how the service involves mostly singing. I would hear, again and again, "Won't you miss the music?" "Hey Ken, you play the piano -
won't you miss hearing a piano or being able to play during a service?" "Ken, you *love* pipe organ and boy choir music... how can you live without?" Well, I keep saying, "I have a piano in my home, and I can play there. Also, I'm invited to play at some other churches in the area, so I can get my "warm fuzzies" from pats on the back and "good job, Ken - come back anytime to play"... And if I want to hear pipe organ and/or boy choir music, there are many excellent recordings out there from England and elsewhere - I can hear it at home." I laughed out loud, Mike, when you said, "BUY GOOD RECORDINGS!" I can relate! I don't think pipe organ or choir music is going anywhere within the next 1000 years or so, or at least the next dozen or so generations of people. And if/when it does, the Orthodox church will be worshipping in the same way it is worshipping now, and has basically worshipped for the past 1900+ years. Even that fact alone is something that is pulling me towards the Orthodox church far far m
ore quickly than any other church body has over the past few years!
