Come, receive the light

For those who are thirsting for the same Church which Christ established nearly 1966 years ago, come and drink of the knowledge that the Orthodox Church is that one and same Church. For those who hunger for the fullness of the original Christian Faith, come and partake of the wisdom of nearly 2000 years of unbroken theology. For those who have felt a sense of something missing in their prayer life, come and experience the depth of Orthodox praise and devotion and feel the real presence of Jesus Christ. For those who have never seen true worship, come and participate in the Divine Liturgy and see heaven united to the earth.

Orthodox Holy Week observance starts Sunday

Looking back, the Rev. Stephen Powley can see many signs that led him away from his Protestant evangelical faith and toward the Orthodox Church, where he believes he finally learned and understood the whole story of Christianity.

He proposed to the young woman who would become his wife following a secret "deal with God" he made during an impromptu visit to a friend's Greek Orthodox church in 1976, on the Friday before Pascha — the Orthodox version of Easter. Although he was deeply moved by the service (and the startling way his silent plea was answered), it would be nearly a decade before they attended (again as guests) a Pascha service that convinced him he'd gone to the wrong seminary.

By that time, he was pastor at a large Evangelical charismatic church, but had become "restless" and very interested in exploring the roots of Christianity, which in most seminaries starts at the Reformation. He wanted to know what happened in the 16 centuries prior to the split that resulted in Catholicism and many of the other major religions the world knows today.

His studies took him back to the Orthodox church, which members believe was created by Jesus and his apostles and which has continued — with no changes in doctrine or liturgy — since then.

"I came out of that service feeling like I had truly celebrated the Resurrection for the first time in my life. It was incredible," Powley said.

(Νow Father Sephen Powley is at St. John Greek Orthodox Church, Pueblo City in Colorado USA).