Saint Mary Magdalene Orthodox Church - About Us

We are an Orthodox Christian community ...

nospam@example.com (Fr. David) — Tue, 05 Sep 2006 20:35:00 -0700

We are an Orthodox Christian community ...

Icon of Saint Mary Magdalene, one of the myrrhbearing women, and reckoned as "equal to the Apostles." Mary was the first to proclaim the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

We are Orthodox , but not Jewish. We are catholic, but not Roman. We are evangelical--rooted in the Scriptures and preaching the good news of Jesus Christ-- but are not Protestant. We do not consider ourselves simply another denomination of Christianity, nor are we a so-called "non-denominational" group. Rather, we are really PRE-denominational.* We are the ancient Christian Church, but fully alive and in fact living God's Future Kingdom right here and now. "Orthodox" means both true-Faith and true-worship. We don't separate them...because they cannot rightly be separated! As Jesus said, the future People of God worship "in Spirit and in Truth."

We want to know God : We are a community of Christians who want to know and share the love of God in Jesus Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit. Our vision is to proclaim and live the Holy Orthodox Christian Faith. We live and serve in the growing area of Merced and Atwater, in the great Central Valley of California.

We experience God through worship: We have discovered the living presence of God by worshiping Him—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit! We use the gifts of historic Christian worship to center our hearts and minds on God. We worship “in Spirit and in truth” through the structures of liturgy, just as a fire is kept bright and warm in the fireplace. In this worship we use all our senses: seeing, hearing, moving, touching, and tasting.

We want to grow: We want to be made new people by Jesus—a new creation—as He lives in and through us. Our life together is strongly committed to all the spiritual tools and disciplines of following Jesus, so that sin and our passions may be cast away and our minds and hearts transformed by the love of God, by the power of the Holy Spirit.

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What to expect...

nospam@example.com (Fr. David) — Tue, 05 Sep 2006 10:41:00 -0700

What to Expect . . .

A Great Read Before You Come.
A great thing to read before (or even after!) visiting is: “Twelve Things that I Wish I Knew Before I Visited an Orthodox Church.” Our worship is structured, or liturgical, the spirit is both joyful and reverent, the people are friendly, and the focus is God!

Who's Here?
Right away, you’re going to notice that we are folks just like you. Our service may seem really different from any worship that you’ve experienced, but please relax and come in! As our guest, you do not have to do anything outside your comfort zone.

Children of all ages are welcome to all our services: Our worship is intergenerational: the Christian family of God worships together! Children love our services—there’s so much going on!—so don’t worry. We realize they get a little noisy at times; really, it is "holy noise." We have books and crayons for little children if that’s needed, and our members are glad to assist our guest parents. We really believe that this is the way we are meant to gather as the family of God—together. How else will our children learn to worship? To be sure, there is a cross and a challenge at times in leading our children in worship, yet (like any cross in life) the result of our faithfulness is awesome: leading our children to God. (We DO have "Sunday School" classes during most times of the year, but not during our worship.)

Tick-Tock.
"How Long Is Your Service?" When we are asked this very natural question, we Orthodox do feel a bit, well, sheepish. Our Sunday morning services last, more or less, an-hour-and-ahalf to two hours! Hold on, though! Before you ask us to pass the smelling salts, let us help make sense of that for you; there's a method to this madness.

Orthodox worship is heavenly worship; when we gather, we are dipping our spiritual toes into the everlasting praise of God by all the heavenly hosts. So, our worship service prepares and trains us for eternity: it is a "sacrifice of praise" -- and sacrifice (if it is really that) is "costly," even painful. In the end, such worship transforms our hearts and (yes!) bodies for the Kingdom of God. So, put on a pair of comfortable shoes -- this ain't no fashion show! -- and join the assembly of the faithful. After all, if people can stand a couple of hours in line for 10-minute ride at the "Magic Kingdom" (i.e. Disneyland), we can handle the ancient traditions of Christian worship, and so experience God's future Kingdom now!

Make a Beginning.
Each service starts with a time of prayer & the singing of Psalms: While we do have service books for folks, we want to encourage—and even challenge!—our guests simply to listen and unite their hearts to the prayers and chanting of Scripture. Allow our Orthodox worship to lead your heart towards God in praise! Feel free to go and light a candle, offering your special prayers to God.

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FAQS -- Frequently Asked Questions about Orthodoxy

nospam@example.com (Fr. David) — Mon, 04 Sep 2006 12:49:00 -0700

So just what is . . .

THE ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN CHURCH?

On what does the Orthodox Church base its beliefs?

The teachings of the Orthodox Church are based on what God has revealed to humanity through the ages. Through the experiences and writings of the ancient Hebrew people -- in the Mosaic Law and the prophets -- and then, finally and fully in His only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ—as preached by the holy Apostles—God has made Himself and His will known to us. This divine teaching has been preserved, as a deposit of faith, in that Spirit-filled community called the Church, especially in the Bible and holy Tradition.

What do the Orthodox believe about the Bible?

Orthodoxy holds the Bible to be the divinely-inspired record of God’s revelation to us. It is the supreme authority for the Church’s teaching and for living the Christian way. However, Orthodoxy insists that the Bible …

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FAQs about our Merced Orthodox Church

nospam@example.com (Fr. David) — Sun, 03 Sep 2006 13:41:00 -0700

Orthodox Christianity
in Merced?

A Russian style church dome, called a cupola, is a symbol of the presence of the Orthodox Christianity in the lands of ancient Russ for over 1,000 years.

What is the Orthodox Church?

The Orthodox Church is a family of Christian communities directly descended from the churches founded by the Apostles of Jesus. Traditionally centered in the lands eastern Europe and the eastern Mediterranean, Orthodoxy has been in North America for over 200 years, and has been growing rapidly here in recent decades. The Orthodox Church maintains the Christian Faith in its original, undiluted fullness, and thus all Orthodox churches share the same Faith and share a common worship tradition.

What is the history of St. Mary Magdalene Church?

St. Mary Magdalene Orthodox Church has its origins in the mid-1980s. Far from any local Orthodox parish, a handful of Orthodox Christians in Merced banded together and sought help in establishing a mission here. The request was granted, and the Mission grew gradually in those early years. Services were held in various locations around greater Merced, and a part-time pastor arrived in 1988.

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