JOURNEY TO ORTHODOXY
by Philip Taylor

Have you ever heard the expression "Things happen in three"? I think that sometimes we look for the third thing, and I think that sometimes we become superstitious about fulfilling that expression. Yet, when Father Dean asked me write about our conversion to Orthodoxy, there was that Principle of three. Perhaps the line between superstition and Holy Coincidence is a fine one.

In 1987 I entered Gordon College, an Evangelical Protestant Liberal Arts College. I chose as my major, Biblical and Theological Studies, hoping to prepare for Seminary and, eventually, "the Ministry". That Fall, the Bible Department held an informal informational meeting for the students majoring in Biblical Studies, and one of the professors (my advisor, in fact) mentioned that around 2,000 Evangelicals had just become Orthodox. That "chance" statement, that off-hand observation is what I consider my introduction to the Orthodox Church.

Later, another of my professors stated in class that it was acceptable to refer to the Virgin Mary as "the Mother of God" because a Church Council had decided that particular issue. (The reaction of those Protestant students would probably be akin to the reaction of an Orthodox parish having the priest tell them that the prayers of the Theotokos weren't any more effectual than their own.) Why this professor didn't mention the Council that decided that icons were acceptable (in fact, instructional) is (to me anyway) an intriguing question.

Lastly, third for those keeping count, one of my fellow students in the Bible Department was a member of the Greek Orthodox Church.

It was these three things that prepared me for my encounter with Orthodoxy at Great Lakes Naval Training Center.

Sundays at Boot Camp and Corps School (a training school) were a free day (if you didn't have duty) and Chapel attendance was, at the least, a nice break from the monotonous routine. One Sunday, as I entered the large Chapel building, saw a placard announcing the time of the service for the Hasten Orthodox Chapel. The juxtaposition of those two words, Easter] and Orthodox, caught my eye. My Greek friend from Gordol also came to mind. I remember thinking, "I wonder if this I anything like what Theo believes?" Having grown up in the Episcopal Church, and dabbled extensively in different denominations while at Gordon, I felt confident that I would b comfortable in this service.

Nope. The Liturgy was familiar enough, yet very different; and there was a sense of holiness, light and airy. And yet, despite this sense of holiness, in my sinfulness I went forward to receive the Eucharist which, of course, I could not receive because I was not an Orthodox Christian. The manner I which the priest handled my faux pas was gentle and loving such that I did not feel personally rejected. Father Paul also gave me several books to read. Becoming Orthodox (Father Pete Giliquist's account of the 2000+ Evangelicals' journey toward Orthodoxy that I had heard about at Gordon) and The Orthodox Way by Bishop Kallistos Ware, among others. During this time of training, I was able to return home for my wedding to Stephanie. I am not sure if it was at that time or later, as I continued to attend the Divine Liturgy at the Great Lakes Chapel, that I told Stephanie that I thought we should become Orthodox. Stephanie, who had grown up in the Baptist and Presbyterian traditions, was less than enthusiastic. "I've only just gotten used to the Episcopal Church!" After we had moved to the Memphis area, Steph's parents came to visit. She and they went to Texas to visit family, and I seized my chance. I went to visit one of the two Orthodox churches in town. Saint John Orthodox Church of the Antiochian Archdiocese. Father Paul at Great Lakes had mentioned this church to me before I left, encouraging me on my journey.

The smell of incense greeted me at the door of the church, and I knew I was home. All else was a formality.

Steph would lake a little longer; after all, she hadn't even set foot in the place. I brought home past issues of Again magazine, pamphlets, and brochures hoping to overwhelm her with information. The Holy Spirit had other plans. It was through the music, the hymns, and the prayers of the Church that God converted Stephanie. As she has said, "There is a sense of other worldliness in the music." Providence above all played a part in our conversion. The people of Saint John were members of that 2000+ (now former) Protestant group that began searching for the historic Church, and found her in His Holy, Catholic, Apostolic, and Orthodox Church.

            We have seen the true light; we have received the heavenly Spirit.
            We have found the true faith, worshipping the undivided Trinity, who has saved us.