The UAOC split off from the ROC in 1921. They ordained their own bishops (long story) which made them completely uncanonical and schismatic. In 1946, their bishops were all corrected by the Polish Orthodox Church, making them real bishops perhaps but when they ended up choosing to stay separate from the rest of Orthodoxy that made them a bit of a fringe element.
The group in the US that you mention is a split off of that split off group and is really somewhat of a joke. The "Metropolitan" Michael is simply a former Byzantine Catholic seminarian who left and was immediately raised to the "episcopate" by "Metropolitan" Stephen. Quite scary.
I'd stay away from these groups. They may be nice and maybe they are Orthodox bishops but that is hard to tell since they have a really questionable background. My advice would be to learn about "regular" Orthodoxy before going off into a study of fringe elements.
I won't define what "regular" Orthodoxy is, but keep looking around and you will figure out what it is.
anastasios
Disclaimer: Many older posts were made before my baptism and thus may not reflect an Orthodox point of view.
Please do not message me with questions about the forum or moderation requests. Jonathan Gress (jgress) will be able to assist you.
Please note that I do not subscribe to "Old Calendar Ecumenism" and believe that only the Synod of Archbishop Kallinikos is the canonical GOC of Greece. I do believe, however, that we can break down barriers and misunderstandings through prayer and discussion on forums such as this one.
