I grew up an American "Greek Orthodox," and please forgive me if I hurt anyone by my words. Much of the historic Greek Orthodox Church in America experience was spent trying to "fit in" -- and I did not live in the early days of the Church in America, so I don't know what things were like -- but I fear that the Greek Orthodox Church in America has not yet transitioned from the "fitting in" stage to a Christian leadership stage -- one where the Greek-American Orthodox Christians offer their faith to the American people. (We Orthodox have a responsibility to do that!) The other Orthodox Churches in America are miles ahead in this respect!
Very true indeed -- few Greek Orthodox churches in America offer Saturday evening (or other weekday evening) vespers. Regards to confession.... I never even confessed till I was at university - where the local Orthodox Church was OCA and the priest required it. My home Greek Orthodox parish never required it (or at least I never heard of it). I still don't know why this is -- I've thought that perhaps it was an effort to "fit in" to the overwhelming protestant culture in America, and confession was considered by many to be a "Roman Catholic" practice. Again, I think it's time to move beyond this, and I'm hopeful -- things in the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America seem as if they are changing (very slowly). I've read of Confession being encouraged in the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese newspaper (Orthodox Observer).
Father Dionysi, you wrote above about the removal of Archbishop Spyridon a few years back -- I couldn't agree more. This effort suggested to me that perhaps my Orthodox home for a time should be other than the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese in America. If our Church leaders are sent by God, then what right do we as the faithful have to demand their removal?? Some of the things that Archbishop Spyridon championed -- such as the removal of organ music from Greek Orthodox parishes -- are good things that (in my opinion) the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese should adopt. Unfortunately, my opinion was in the minority 
Interestingly, I have traveled in Greece and the Orthodox practices in America don't parallel those in the "homeland" -- no organ music, very faithful, traditional folk was my experience.
I do think it's extremely important to not be judgmental -- loving our neighbor is our foremost duty. If however, some (as I did) feel that leaving the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese for another Orthodox home is important, then I recommend doing it gently, with utmost attention to family/friends feelings. Truly, to the Orthodox Christian, the most important thing should be that one stays Orthodox Christian -- definitely not which "ethnic parish" one feels most comfortable in. As Father Seraphim Rose wrote, "comfortable Christianity" is a modern entity that our Christian fathers would not have advocated.
Oct 13, Martyrs Carpus (bishop) and Papylus (deacon) in Asia Minor, 251. Chrisa, New Marytr, Bulgaria, massacred by Turks, 1795.
