Barbara wrote:I am wondering the same : we are probably ALL curious to hear the LONG version of the story,
if and when you would feel up to it.
At least the medium one ...
Was it actually PEOPLE who lured you to their Protestant habitats?
I mean, like, PEER PRESSURE of sorts that pulled you away from the Russian Church Abroad ?
Was that the epoch of Fr Steven _____ [mnn, I can't remember his last name] that you were chrismated at that All Saints of Russia parish ?
Are you sure you want to hear this? It is a little bit complicated. I don't think I have ever told it before. I grew up going to a protestant church called the Church of Christ and I was baptized when I was 11. In college, I was briefly involved in a cult led by a fellow named Kip McKean, who was convinced that his church was The True Church. I was baptized there because I wanted to be accepted, but I didn't really believe in it, so I left in a few months. I was really hurt by my experience there.
I did a lot of thinking and reading. Somewhere along the line I read something about evangelicals converting to the Orthodox Church, and this piqued my interest. I decided to visit an orthodox church and there was one just a few miles from my house. In 1999, I went to St. Luke's Antiochian Orthodox Church, and had a very positive experience. The greeter knew my brother, and he gave me some books about Orthodoxy, one by Frank Schaeffer (son of the famous Francis Schaeffer), and another by a Baptist preacher who had converted. The priest was a former Episcopal priest and was very friendly, and of course the service was all in English.
I did some more research and discovered an internet email group about orthodoxy which I joined, and a website called "orthodoxinfo.com", which looks pretty much today like it did 12 years ago. I became aware of ecumenism and the old calendar and ROCOR and Fr. Seraphim Rose, and that there was actually a Russian parish in Denver (All Saints of Russia). I visited it and was amazed - the iconography was incredible, these old Russian women with veils were lighting candles in front of icons, no pews, the deacon censing, and the service was almost all in Slavonic. I loved it. I didn't think anyone there spoke English, and no one talked to me at all the first time, but it was so incredible that I decided to keep going and to learn Russian. After going a few times, I noticed this guy that I initially thought was a hippie because of his long hair and beard, but was actually a deacon - Fr. Christopher (Johnson). I soon found out that all the priests and deacons there were American converts. The priest was Fr. Steven Allen and Fr. Alexey Young was also there, and there were some monks living in the basement. It was a magical time. I wish I could just stop the clock right there. I went to catechism class with Fr. Christopher and became a catechumen, and was chrismated by Fr. Steven a few month later. (I'm not sure why they didn't baptize me). About the same time I took a business trip to San Francisco and visited the cathedral there and venerated the relics of St. John of Shanghai. Also about the same time, I took a trip to Tulsa and visited the parish of Fr. Mark Gilstrap and had a nice talk with him. Now about this time (Spring of 2000), Fr. Steven and Fr. Christopher had some Sunday afternoon lectures about ecumenism. I believe that Fr. Steven actually took a trip to Suzdal and had a book about Metr. Valentine and ROAC.
Then everything crashed. The bishops of ROCOR proclaimed their intent to re-unite with the MP. Fr. Steven and Fr. Christopher couldn't in good faith remain there so they resigned and decided to start a new parish, and Fr. Christopher built a beautiful chapel in his basement. I met Fr. Gregory, who drove down from his monastery in Buena Vista. I think the new parish was named after the Transfiguration and it was under the Greek bishops in the Lamian synod. I and my girlfriend were baptized by Fr. Gregory (Orthodox-style - 3 immersions) and my godfather was John Mills. Dormition Skete, I believe is a copy of a church on Mt. Athos, and has gorgeous icons inside painted by Fr. Gregory. I think Fr. Steven was also baptized by Fr. Gregory, (because he was a Roman Catholic convert and had never received an Orthodox baptism before). I thought it was cool having 2 possible churches to visit.
But then something happened, and I don't understand what. There was some sort of rift between Fr. Gregory and Fr. Christopher, even though they were under the same bishop (I think Metr. Niphon). It might have been a personality conflict. Anyways, the rift really disturbed me and I was suddenly thinking that I was in a cult. My girlfriend and I broke up and she went back to her former church. I went back to All Saints and talked to the new priest, Fr. Boris, and he was understanding and welcome me back. Fr. Alexey was still there and I had a good talk with him. I remember thinking that Metr. Vitaly was still the First Hierarch and that he was almost a saint. I was called "devilish" by Fr. Steven and I haven't ever talked to him since, although I hope to some day. I also had an argument with John Mills over ecclesiology. I still had some of the Cyprianite mentality and he was hard-core - heretics don't have grace. He also called me "devilish". A few months later, Metr. Vitaly was forceably retired and Metr. Laurus took over. At that point, I couldn't stay in ROCOR anymore (my whole justification for going back was that Metr. Vitaly was still in charge). I went back to Fr. Christopher's chapel, but something felt odd, and I never took communion there again.
Then I got laid off from my job, and moved to Florida. The monks moved to Missouri and then to Holy Cross Monastery in WV. (I have never visited there but would like to some day). Fr. Steven moved to Dallas, and then to Michigan, where he is a priest. Fr. Christopher moved to Massachusetts and I think divorced his wife who became an atheist. I think he is still a priest in a ROCOR-MP church there (St. John the Russian). I don't know what happened to him - he was very hard-core. I think Fr. Alexey is in a ROCOR monastery in NY.
I didn't mean to write my whole life story here. I will stop for now and need to write another part later.