Father John I have one last question why did you choose Eastern Orthodoxy instead of Oriental Orthodoxy I tried asking but it was deleted cause I have struggled with this
I'm going to give you a longer response later today. But a short answer is that the Fellowship of St. Moses the Black gave me a good place to land as an African American in the Eastern Church and I found my parish accepted all cultures.
Firstly, there were no Oriental parishes within a 50 mile radius of my town (West Point VA). There was a Coptic parish where my Antiochian church is located. And that leads to my second reason, national outreach. The (then Brotherhood) Fellowship of St. Moses the Black was made up of African Americans (and others) in the Eastern jurisdictions and is very active in evangelism. Even if a local parish is indifferent (or even hostile) towards the black community, the Fellowship is a safe haven for us. By God's grace, I was connected to RUclipsr John Norman who is a good friend of Fr. Paul Abernathy in Pittsburgh (black movers and shakers there), both of whom are friends of my Priest Fr. James Purdie. Had I not hooked up with them, I found a very welcoming OCA parish, St. Cyprian of Carthage, on the western outskirts of Richmond. The Ethiopians in Tidewater worshiped with the Greeks until they established a Church in Norfolk. By that time, I made St. Basil Antiochian (which had an Ethiopian family), my home.
My husband and I will be keeping you, your family and ministry in prayer! 🙏🏼 🙌🏼God be glorified forever!
Father John I have one last question why did you choose Eastern Orthodoxy instead of Oriental Orthodoxy I tried asking but it was deleted cause I have struggled with this
I'm going to give you a longer response later today. But a short answer is that the Fellowship of St. Moses the Black gave me a good place to land as an African American in the Eastern Church and I found my parish accepted all cultures.
I hope and pray this is not your last question.
Firstly, there were no Oriental parishes within a 50 mile radius of my town (West Point VA). There was a Coptic parish where my Antiochian church is located. And that leads to my second reason, national outreach. The (then Brotherhood) Fellowship of St. Moses the Black was made up of African Americans (and others) in the Eastern jurisdictions and is very active in evangelism. Even if a local parish is indifferent (or even hostile) towards the black community, the Fellowship is a safe haven for us. By God's grace, I was connected to RUclipsr John Norman who is a good friend of Fr. Paul Abernathy in Pittsburgh (black movers and shakers there), both of whom are friends of my Priest Fr. James Purdie. Had I not hooked up with them, I found a very welcoming OCA parish, St. Cyprian of Carthage, on the western outskirts of Richmond. The Ethiopians in Tidewater worshiped with the Greeks until they established a Church in Norfolk. By that time, I made St. Basil Antiochian (which had an Ethiopian family), my home.