Establishing Orthodox Community

[vanshan]

On a different message board several people expressed how great it would be to establish an Orthodox community in the U.S. where we could live the Orthodox life more faithfully and raise our children accordingly.

Do you think this would be helpful?
Would you consider moving to a community like this if it was healthy, canonical (i.e. not extremist)?

 

[Oblio]

Interesting idea.

I can just imagine the coverage the press would give it given the track record of other religious communities. Jonestown, Waco, Nuwabians (here in Ga) ...

 

[vanshan]

Well, okay that could be bad. I don't mean with walls, Kool-Aid, etc. Just a settlment, maybe near a monastery community.

 

[Oblio]

Maybe we could pioneer and evangelize Utah, like the monastics in Eastern Russia.

 

[vanshan]

Covered wagons, long flowing beards and pony tails, wow, what a sight we would be. We would probably get as much flack as the Mormons received as they crossed the country to Utah.

Maybe we could ride Harleys. That would make us look menacing and we could be left alone.

 

[nicodemus]

I belive such a community exists near the St. Isaac of Syria Skete in Wisconsin. I don't think its formally a "community" in the sense of communal living or anything, but some laymen work at the monastery's mail order business, they have an Orthodox school, and daily services, etc.

http://www.skete.com/about_community.cfm

 

[nicodemus]

Maybe we could ride Harleys. That would make us look menacing and we could be left alone.

Our priests already look like bikers so that could work

 

[ufonium2]

I would go for it, if only to make dating easier.

 

[Photini]

On a different message board several people expressed how great it would be to establish an Orthodox community in the U.S. where we could live the Orthodox life more faithfully and raise our children accordingly.

Do you think this would be helpful?
Would you consider moving to a community like this if it was healthy, canonical (i.e. not extremist)?

It would be an enormous help for me and my kids.

 

[Rilian]

I think you all need to consider moving to Pennsylvania.

 

[Oblio]

Is that because it ends in ia ?

Like Romania, Lithuania, Estonia ....



j/k - I know there are alot of Eastern immigrants in that area

 

[ufonium2]

Is that because it ends in ia ?

Like Romania, Lithuania, Estonia ....

You forgot Russia! Is outrage!!!

 

[Rilian]

Is that because it ends in ia ?

Like Romania, Lithuania, Estonia ....

Oh yeah that too. I meant we stopped allowing the Baptist missionaries in.


Seriously, I think the highest density of Orthodox churches I've seen was in Alaska.

 

[Photini]

Just thinking about such a place makes me feel....homesick.

 

[Nickolai]

All should come to PA. It's fun here

 

[Oblio]

Woohoo

Party at Nicks place.

/me grabs Ouzo and Mom and Anna and heads for I-75

 

[Eusebios]

Woohoo

Party at Nicks place.

* Oblio grabs Ouzo and Mom and Anna and heads for I-75

I'll bring the burgers and beer!!
Eusebios fires up the SHO and heads for I-80

 

[Rilian]

Hey Oblio, I saw a picture of a church being built in Georgia based on a Georgian Church (that makes sense right?). Is that your church?

 

[Matrona]

I think doing something like that in Utah is a great idea--they have a vast number of non-Christians. I was watching City Confidential the other night and it was about Salt Lake City and the Mark Hofmann scandal. They noted how much control the mormon religion has over the city--they own the newspaper and at least one local TV station--and I thought of how nice it would be if the Orthodox Church evangelized there, since there are so many lost people there who believe themselves to be pious Christians already. We Orthodox are the ones who have to help them see the light of Jesus Christ, in the absolute fullness of the Christian faith.

 

[xenia]

There is a community a little like this up in the Santa Cruz mountains in Felton. The Church is St. Lawrence's, and they encourage the people to live near the Church. They have a K-12 school and from what I can tell, they are all very involved with each other. I visit this wonderful Church when I can- it's an hour away from here.

Love, Xenia

I should add that Felton is in California.