Eastern, Greek, Russian, Syrian - who do I talk to?

ArmyMatt · Jan 13, 2026

ChubbyCherub said:
Thanks all.

Is there a reason I would have to be baptized again? I have already been baptized and was under the impression this was done.

Why would I have to be baptized to be a member of the Orthodoxy? I thought baptism was between myself and Jesus and baptism wasn't something that needed to be repeated between churches/denominations.

you cannot be baptized twice, that’s impossible. generally, if you were baptized with water in the Name of the Trinity, that’s accepted depending on the bishop.

ChubbyCherub · Jan 13, 2026

ArmyMatt said:
you cannot be baptized twice, that’s impossible. generally, if you were baptized with water in the Name of the Trinity, that’s accepted depending on the bishop.

Good to know, thank you!

ChubbyCherub · Jan 13, 2026

Lukaris said:
Here is an overview of canonical Orthodox Church hierarchy in the UK:

Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of Great Britain and Ireland - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Here is a directory of English speaking Orthodox churches in the UK:

English Language Orthodox Church Directory

A complete list of Orthodox Churches in the UK that use English in their services.

www.englishliturgy.org

I would carefully review the second directory. The outlook is sound and positive in a general sense but I don’t know if the provider may fully know canonical from non canonical parishes thoroughly.

Wow, thanks so much!

Very out of my depth with all of this so appreciate all of the assistance, God bless, CC

ArmyMatt · Jan 13, 2026

ChubbyCherub said:
Good to know, thank you!

no problem!

ChubbyCherub · Jan 14, 2026

Husband and I looked at the church that the Father recommended and we are so overwhelmed by the saints, photos of saints, paintings of saints, saints and their place, in general.

The concept of this much decoration and ceremony e.g. kissing the cross, is just so foreign to someone like me, who verges towards the extremely austere (I don't even have a cross/crucifix hanging on the walls of my home), that I don't even know how to overcome what I can only explain as severe aversion.

The teachings of the church seem so sound but how do I overcome this part since it all seems such a large part of TAW?

He told me that converted Anglicans, Pentecostals and Roman Catholics attend their church. The Roman Catholics and Anglicans, I can understand, to a point, being okay with ceremony etc. Pentecostals are demonstrative, so I can sort of understand that, but what about someone like me? And I'm worried about my husband who really wants to be saved but just isn't quite there yet.

I have prayed about it....it all seems so outside of my comfort zone! I am hoping that if I have the opportunity to speak to someone, face to face, they can help with this but, in the meantime, I have a lot of maybe Calvinistic tendencies. Not the doctrine so much as the behavior i.e. not drawing attention to self, quiet prayer, no decorations etc.

I did not know things would be so complicated! I'm just trying to find the church that represents the Truth and I'm over here overwhelmed by things I never considered!

jas3 · Jan 14, 2026

ChubbyCherub said:
The concept of this much decoration and ceremony e.g. kissing the cross, is just so foreign to someone like me, who verges towards the extremely austere (I don't even have a cross/crucifix hanging on the walls of my home), that I don't even know how to overcome what I can only explain as severe aversion.

The teachings of the church seem so sound but how do I overcome this part since it all seems such a large part of TAW?

I had a similar reaction the first time I watched a video of a priest chanting during a liturgy. I closed out of the video within five minutes and decided Orthodoxy wasn't for me. Three years later, that priest baptized my family and me into the Church.

Obviously a lot happened during that time, but the main thing was just repeated exposure. Some people go to one Divine Liturgy and "know they're home," but for me it took a while to get past the culture shock, probably a few months, and then some more time to work through the theological questions I had. In that time I alternated every few months between going to an Orthodox Divine Liturgy and a Roman Catholic Mass, part of that time an English new mass and part of it in a traditional Latin mass. I read books, some Orthodox, some Catholic or Protestant. I listened to podcasts about Church history and theology and watched debates.

A lot of that is unnecessary, and I'd say going to Divine Liturgy was the biggest thing that helped overcome the culture shock, but all of it together helped me understand that things like iconography, ceremony, and veneration of the Cross are traditional aspects of Christianity that we lost as Protestants and regain as converts to Orthodoxy.

ChubbyCherub · Jan 14, 2026

jas3 said:
I had a similar reaction the first time I watched a video of a priest chanting during a liturgy. I closed out of the video within five minutes and decided Orthodoxy wasn't for me. Three years later, that priest baptized my family and me into the Church.

Obviously a lot happened during that time, but the main thing was just repeated exposure. Some people go to one Divine Liturgy and "know they're home," but for me it took a while to get past the culture shock, probably a few months, and then some more time to work through the theological questions I had. In that time I alternated every few months between going to an Orthodox Divine Liturgy and a Roman Catholic Mass, part of that time an English new mass and part of it in a traditional Latin mass. I read books, some Orthodox, some Catholic or Protestant. I listened to podcasts about Church history and theology and watched debates.

A lot of that is unnecessary, and I'd say going to Divine Liturgy was the biggest thing that helped overcome the culture shock, but all of it together helped me understand that things like iconography, ceremony, and veneration of the Cross are traditional aspects of Christianity that we lost as Protestants and regain as converts to Orthodoxy.

Thanks so much for sharing your experience! That helps a lot!

ArmyMatt · Jan 14, 2026

ChubbyCherub said:
Husband and I looked at the church that the Father recommended and we are so overwhelmed by the saints, photos of saints, paintings of saints, saints and their place, in general.

The concept of this much decoration and ceremony e.g. kissing the cross, is just so foreign to someone like me, who verges towards the extremely austere (I don't even have a cross/crucifix hanging on the walls of my home), that I don't even know how to overcome what I can only explain as severe aversion.

The teachings of the church seem so sound but how do I overcome this part since it all seems such a large part of TAW?

He told me that converted Anglicans, Pentecostals and Roman Catholics attend their church. The Roman Catholics and Anglicans, I can understand, to a point, being okay with ceremony etc. Pentecostals are demonstrative, so I can sort of understand that, but what about someone like me? And I'm worried about my husband who really wants to be saved but just isn't quite there yet.

I have prayed about it....it all seems so outside of my comfort zone! I am hoping that if I have the opportunity to speak to someone, face to face, they can help with this but, in the meantime, I have a lot of maybe Calvinistic tendencies. Not the doctrine so much as the behavior i.e. not drawing attention to self, quiet prayer, no decorations etc.

I did not know things would be so complicated! I'm just trying to find the church that represents the Truth and I'm over here overwhelmed by things I never considered!

keep praying and attending, don’t overthink it. don’t fret about not doing that right now.

Lukaris · Jan 14, 2026

There is a good, short book on the Orthodox Church from 1980 by the late Archbishop Paul of Finland. It is titled; The Faith We Hold. It is only about 100 printed pages long, spiritually pure & rich ( there are no secular, historical distractions in it). If the parish library has it, it is a nice read.

The Faith We Hold (English and Finnish Edition)

An unpretentious little book by the former head of the …

www.goodreads.com

All4Christ · Jan 14, 2026

Food for thought:

I came from a Pentecostal church, so I was used to a very plain sanctuary. It helped me to think about God’s direction for the Temple in the Old Testament. In fact, the Orthodox temple has many similarities with it.

Take a Peek Inside an Ancient Temple! - The Metropolitan Museum of Art

1 Kings 6 NKJV

Bible Gateway passage: 1 Chronicles 22-28 - New King James Version

David Prepares to Build the Temple - Then David said, “This is the house of the Lord God, and this is the altar of burnt offering for Israel.” So David commanded to gather the aliens who were in the land of Israel; and he appointed masons to cut hewn stones to build the house of God. And David...

www.biblegateway.com

rusmeister · Jan 16, 2026

I think an attitude of obedience, submission and acceptance is more important than any legalistic calculations about issues such as whether a prior baptism was valid. It’s not magic, even the act of Baptism is less salvific than attitude. Was the thief on the cross properly baptized? Of course not. So going with your bishop’s decision is the best call; sometimes the local priest will tell you what the bishop’s standing rule is in the local Church.
Don’t worry, be happy, don’t look for or try to generate any feelings, just do what you are supposed to do.

And remember that at some point, other people in the Church are liable to disappoint you, to be less than what you hoped for. They’re just messed-up sinners, too, and not the reason you came to the Church.

ArmyMatt · Jan 16, 2026

YourOnlySunshine said:
In my day, everyone just went to the church nearest to them on the map.

you can’t do that if you’re looking into Orthodoxy

ArmyMatt · Jan 16, 2026

rusmeister said:
even the act of Baptism is less salvific than attitude.

not true here, rus.

rusmeister said:
Was the thief on the cross properly baptized? Of course not.

right, because he died before Pentecost. just like all of the saints who reposed before the Resurrection.

rusmeister said:
So going with your bishop’s decision is the best call; sometimes the local priest will tell you what the bishop’s standing rule is in the local Church.

bingo

ChubbyCherub · Jan 16, 2026

YourOnlySunshine said:
In my day, everyone just went to the church nearest to them on the map.

So, as a Pentecostal in Oklahoma, you just went to the nearest Catholic church?

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Eastern, Greek, Russian, Syrian - who do I talk to?

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