Richard Moomjian Church Visit #1

Church name: St. Athanasios Greek Orthodox Church

Church address: 1855 E Fifth Ave Aurora, IL 60504

Date attended: 10/11/15

Church category: Greek Orthodox

Describe the worship service you attended. How was it similar to or different from your regular context?

I attended a Sunday morning Liturgy service at this Greek Orthodox Church. The church building itself was dimly lit, had a dome ceiling, and was covered in icons of Jesus, Mary, and just about every Saint one could think of. The church had a row of door-framed icons that had an entrance in the middle and on the sides. Behind the icons sat the altar with a gold cross, a prayer book, and some other gold instruments. It was difficult to see it all because it was darker and I sat in the back.

 Unfortunately I stuck out like a sore thumb. I wore a button-up plaid collared shirt with khaki pants and leather shoes. Our group dressed similarly. Most of the churchgoers were older and had on black and gray suits. The men wore dress shirts and ties. The women wore darker dresses and nice flats. Most of them did not look like your average Anglo-Saxon American Evangelical Protestant. They looked like Greeks. The priests wore gold-trimmed robes that were bright and holy-looking. I did not fit in.

How did the worship service illuminate for you the history and contours of global Christianity?

            This Christianity isn’t American. After growing up in largely Catholic and Protestant churches, this church cared less about appearance, was less of a “service,” and more about continuing their traditional worship. The church building, icons, and bright robes aren’t as aesthetically pleasing to the American eye. The worshippers didn’t seem that worried about being “seeker sensitive.” This worship service showed me how American Protestant Christianity is definitely a flavor of Christianity globally—not the majority, and maybe not even the ideal. It is a part of a larger global body that doesn’t value the same things we do.

            In addition, the liturgy and theology is old. The words, tunes, and worship style has been practiced for centuries. The church wasn’t looking for the newest Chris Tomlin worship song, or worried about the next guest speaker at their church. The words and tunes have been faithfully recited for hundreds of years—there is something beautiful in deeply repetitive worship.

How did the worship service illuminate for you your personal identity as a Christian?

            It was a gift to be able to experience a different (and ancient) tradition of worshipping God. But I am so glad to be a Reformed Baptist Protestant. Although our worship practices, doctrines, and denomination is only a few hundred years old—I believe it gets to the heart of the gospel. No ornate robes, no memorized recited prayers (as fast as one can speak them), and no religious formalities to get to Jesus. God desires relationships with us now—and I don’t think that was communicated well to the churchgoers there that morning, let alone to myself.

            However, the worship service humbled me in my approach to Christian history. I am not the first one to be touched by the love of God—and there is an ancient tradition of Christian faithfulness to learn from. I was reminded that Christians live forever. And we are always presently following in the theological footsteps of the Christian saints.