Deciding to Visit the Greek Orthodox Chuch Free Essay Example, 1750 words

My decision to attend Greek Orthodox Chuch was partly based on what I knew of it from the outside. It is a beautiful mostly white structure built on a rectangular frame. Facing the street is a great inset arch highly decorated with carvings, a set of small circular windows and masking the main doors, which appear tiny by comparison. Just in from each corner is a tower. These are topped by domes in the front and more traditional sloped roofs in back. The main dome rises from the center of the building in the back and the roofs are covered in green. The emphasis is always on the vertical and the church seems to be attempting to reach up to God on its own. Inside, the church is just as beautiful. There are many wall paintings that depict the stories of Jesus for people walking in. There is also a very large painting of the church s patron saint, Saint Sophia, placed near the front of the church. Although this was a beautiful painting, very well executed, it made me somewhat un comfortable. I felt as if she were watching over me the entire time I was there and this feeling was a bit intimidating. Otherwise, it was decorated with gold fixtures and painted glass windows, obviously very well maintained and everything in place to emphasize the glory and majesty of God and his people. The church maintains a very busy schedule, but I opted to attend the 10 AM Divine Liturgy service because my friends had told me this was one of the more sacred services the church offers. When I arrived, I discovered that the church community was almost all white, I presumed most of the Greek origin, and that they tended to attend church as part of a large family group. At first, it seemed the congregation was comprised of a great number of young couples with small children, but then I noticed there were several people who seemed to have come alone and many old couples. What surprised me was that even though this is considered a more important service, there were very few y oung couples who did not also have children with them and the people did not worry about arriving on time. We will write a custom essay sample on Deciding to Visit the Greek Orthodox Chuch or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now