Our Byzantine church has coffee and donuts once a month after liturgy, come join us we are always happy for new members.
I was a little perturbed at the title of the tread when I first saw, it seems like a stereotype but the more I thought about it the more I understood and somewhat agreed with it. I am a cradle Byzantine Catholic I can go into any Byzantine and to a somewhat lesser extent Roman Catholic church, never say one word to anyone the entire time feel but feel at right at home, that is the beauty of our religion. I periodically go to an Evangelical Church and bible study with my husband and they are extremely welcoming and I feel very close to them definitely part of their family when I am there. To a stranger their informal style is probably 100 x more welcoming than ours, we (my church) have some responses and hymns in Slavonic and some our icons are downright creepy if you are not used to them, to me the language and icons fill my soul with warmth, a connection to past generations and closeness to God, I would not change a thing. I do periodically feel the desire to attend services with my extended religious in laws (so to speak) I must admit they do fill a little part of something that our church is missing which it would be difficult for me to put in to words. The preacher and members of my husband's church are such a genuine, loving group of people I do miss them sometimes, but I must say I have issues with their dogma and at times things I hear makes my skin crawl, I just make the sign of cross upon entering and leaving the church and after each prayer and smile, it is not for me to for me to judge them in their home. Catholicism and Protestantism both have their own advantages and disadvantages some are more comfortable with one than than the other, for me I will stick with the cold Catholics but continue to visit the warm Protestants on occasion.