The Orthodox Church is the original Christian Church, founded by Jesus Christ through his apostles. It has one purpose: to bring every human person into the love of God so that everyone might be healed of their brokenness and woundedness, so that everyone can grow to their true potential, which is to become like God.

How do Orthodox Christians do this? We do it by participating in God. Which means connecting with Him in prayer and in the sacraments where we physically touch God directly and experience his transforming presence in us. This changes us, first cleaning away the junk we’ve accumulated and then raising us to be illuminated and filled with His power and energy. This is possible because the Son of God became human, so through His humanity we can access His Divinity. It’s because God became a touchable man that the Orthodox faith is so physical, so touchable. This is a faith that touches every part of the human person; the mind, the heart, the soul, the emotions, the body, and all the senses. And this is something we do together, which is why Orthodoxy is The Church and not just a private way of life.

The Church is the extension of the love of God into mankind. A lot of people don’t know about the Orthodox Church. They don’t know that it’s the second largest Christian communion in the world. They don’t know that it extends through history with the same faith and way of Christian living for two thousand years. They don’t know that it’s really different from the kinds of Christianity that they may already know. They don’t know that this is the Church for them and their families, where everyone is welcome and everyone is wanted. Have you ever looked us up? Find an Orthodox Church and check it out. You won’t regret it.

Resources

• Eastern Orthodox Christianity – This article by the Encyclopedia Britannica on The Orthodox Church was written by Fr. John Meyendorff, one of the great 20th century historians and scholars in the Church.
• Questions and Answers about Orthodoxy – This page contains hundreds of questions on Orthodox teachings, history, worship, and moral teachings.
• Recommended Readings – Looking for your first books on the Orthodox faith? See this list of recommendations from the homepage of our national Church, the Orthodox Church in America.