Yes, absolutely. We are a community made up of both cradle-born Orthodox Christians and those who have converted to the faith. We are very comfortable with new comers, inquirers, and visitors. Anyone who wishes to dis cover ancient Coptic Orthodox Christianity is welcome. If you have questions, Our Priests will be happy to answer them, so don’t be afraid to ask questions about what we do and why.
In planning your visit, please email us at welcome@mystjohn.org or call the church ahead of time, and someone will greet you and direct you to a place to sit. In attending the service of Raising of Incense or the Divine Liturgy, we have books available with the text of the prayers, we have a large PowerPoint presentation with the text of the prayers, and you also have the option to simply close your eyes and let your heart and mind enter into the spirit of the Church’s ancient and beautiful worship of God. In addition, a person will be available to sit with you and guide you through the service.
Following the Sunday Divine Liturgy, you are invited to join us for a “coffee hour” which is a good time to get to know our parish members and meet our priests.
On Saturday evenings, the Evening Raising of Incense service (Vespers) is generally 45 minutes in length, followed by a short homily in Arabic (which you need not attend if you do not understand the language). On Sunday mornings, a similar service (Matins) is celebrated before the Divine Liturgy from 8:00-8:30 AM. Afterwards, the Divine Liturgy is approximately 2 hours in length with an English homily at approximately 9:30 a.m. and the Distribution of the Mystery of the Eucharist from 10:30-11:00 AM. We understand this may seem like a very long service, but we know that when you have participated in an Orthodox service you will feel like you have truly worshipped the living God. While following the texts and meditating on the words of the prayers and the story of Salvation, time passes quickly.
The general rule for men and women is to dress appropriately, modestly and respectfully as before the living God. We ask that you not wear shorts, mini-skirts, tank tops, low-cut or strap less dresses (unless covered by a sweater, etc.).
All children are welcome and encouraged to attend our services. Each parent is responsible to take care of their child. Though the children might not grasp the depth of the service, their seeing the icons, smelling of incense, hearing the chants, etc. is an important part of the child’s spiritual formation. If your baby or child gets fussy, talkative, or has a melt-down, just simply step out into the cry room or anywhere outside of the nave until he or she is ready to return quietly.
On Sundays, we provide Sunday school in small groups for children, from the age of 3 through to grade twelve immediately following the service. In addition, there is an English Bible Study in the Nave of the church which goes from about 11:15 AM until 12:15.
