Your First Visit
If you are planning to visit us for the first time, welcome. We're glad you're coming. This page is meant to answer a few of the practical questions that keep people from walking through the door, and to help you feel a little less lost once you do.
Come as you are. Most of us wear what you'd wear to a family dinner with people you respect — nothing too formal, nothing too casual, nothing too showy, just thoughtful and modest. If you want to wear your Sunday best, wonderful. If you're coming off the ranch, also wonderful; with the caveat that men should not wear shorts or a hat in the church. You will see some women wearing hats or headscarves during the service — this is a traditional Orthodox practice, but not required.
The Divine Liturgy runs about two hours. Orthodox worship is different from what you may be used to. It is sung rather than spoken, it engages all the senses — incense, chant, icons, candlelight — and much of it happens without announcement. You do not need to know what is going on to participate. Simply being present and attentive is a good beginning.
We stand for worship, though benches are available along the walls for anyone who needs them. No one will notice or mind if you need to sit.
You are not expected to cross yourself, bow, or venerate icons. These are things Orthodox Christians do as natural expressions of our faith; visitors are welcome to join in or simply observe.
Children are welcome. Children are expected. You will see many of them peacefully participating—others a little a less peacefully. We do not have a separate children’s space or service.
About communion. The Eucharist in the Orthodox Church is reserved for Orthodox Christians who have prepared through prayer, fasting, and recent confession. This is not a judgment on anyone; it reflects a particular understanding of what communion is and what it means.
Stay for the meal if you like. We share a trapeza — a simple fellowship meal — in the hall after Liturgy. It’s a good way to meet the community and ask questions, but there is no pressure to attend.
Questions before you come? You can reach Priest John by phone, text, or the contact form, and he is glad to talk with anyone.
Further reading
For a longer, more vivid introduction to what a first visit feels like, see Frederica Mathewes-Green's First Visit to an Orthodox Church: Twelve Things I Wish I'd Known.