St. Matthew Orthodox Church

What to Expect When You Visit

Everyone is welcome! A few things you may want to know:

We stand most of the time. Why? Because we are worshiping! We relax at home or elsewhere, but we worship in Church. Think of Heaven, and if you are familiar with the Bible think of the images of heavenly worship it presents, well, we are entering heaven on earth (Isaiah stood in loving awe of God, He did not go make a latte)! Sitting was introduced in western churches after the Protestant Reformation when a more lecture-oriented approach became dominant.  Although, if age or infirmity requires one to sit, that is perfectly fine. 

The priest/pastor almost never faces the congregation. Why? Because we are worshiping the Lord together! In Orthodoxy we all face God and worship Him together. We are a worshiping community. It is not about the pastor (or a band), nor is it about the people. The focus of worship for us is God (you can tell a lot about a group by the way they worship). 

There are no musical instruments. Why? Because mankind is the highest "instrument" of God, though we do not believe musical instruments are bad at all. We bring to Church that one simple sacrifice: ourselves. We believe that in the end everyone will stand before Christ with nothing but one's life and how one lived (no instruments, no career, no riches, no poverty, no false pretenses, etc.) We come to Church as before the throne of Christ the Lord.

We have candles, icons, incense, reverence, beauty, and more!

Most of all know that you are welcome!