Sunday Service times:

Orthros:8:15 am 

Divine Liturgy: 9:30 am 

 

Welcome visitors!  We are glad you are joining us.  The primary focus of our Sunday Worship is the celebration of the Eucharist. We have two services which serve as preparation for the Eucharist. The first, at 8:15am, is called Orthros, and is the ancient morning prayer service of the Church. It consists of several Psalms and prayers, which are the same every Sunday, and a number of hymns and Scripture readings, which change each week. The second service, which follows immediately after the Orthros ends at 9:30am, is the Divine Liturgy, which is the service of the Eucharist. We begin the Liturgy with the reading of an Epistle and Gospel selection, and then continue with the Offering of Bread and Wine to God, the prayers of Consecration, and the distribution of Holy Communion. 

 

Holy Communion is reserved for baptized and chrismated Orthodox Christians in good spiritual standing with the Church. Non-Orthodox visitors are welcome to take part in the blessed bread, called Antidoron, that is distributed at the end of the service, as our offering of welcome and fellowship to you, and as a shared prayer for the union of all Christians in God’s good time.

 

Following most Sunday services, we will have a time of fellowship in our parish hall.  Please come and join us for coffee hour, have a donut, and start getting to meet people!  

 

If you are interested in becoming an Orthodox Christian, please make sure to take a bulletin in the Narthex as you arrive, and introduce yourself to our Parish Priest, Fr. Anthony Cook, at the end of the service. You should then contact the church office during the week and they will help you access the regular Adult Catechesis classes that we hold each Monday evening at 7 pm, and will outline what the process of entering the Church is for you.  

 

Frequently Asked Questions: 

 

Q: Where do I enter the church?  

A: When you first arrive, the main doors of the church are at the Northeast end of the church (the side furthest away from the main dome).  Please enter there, and one of our usher team members will greet you and help you find a service bulletin and any other materials you might need to follow along with the service.

 

Q: Do you have any handicap accessible doors to the church?

A: Yes we do.  On the Northwest side of the church (the side that faces away from the Dayton Art Institute) we have a ramp and a door that enters the church near our choir loft.  This door is not always unlocked before services - if you or someone with you needs to use the ramp, please ask anyone entering the church to contact an usher from the Narthex to unlock the door.  

 

Q: Do you have anyone who can help me find my way to a seat/get what I need for the service?

A: Yes, we do!  We have a team of ushers that volunteer to help at each service.  You can find a member of our usher team at the usher stand in our Narthex (the room you enter from the main doors, before you go all the way into the sanctuary).  They will help you find a bulletin or service book to follow along in the service, show you where the bathrooms are, and answer a lot of your on the spot questions.  

 

Q: You’re a Greek Orthodox church, Is the service in Greek or English?  

A: Our service has prayers offered in both languages, though the majority of it is in English.  Our bulletins still list the hymns and readings in both languages.

 

Q: What do you have for families/children during the service?

A: We strongly encourage families to attend the full divine liturgy with their children.  We grow in our faith by being immersed in the liturgy from a young age.  Encourage your children to follow along in the service book and the bulletin for the week, or to engage with the chants and songs, the icons visible all over the walls, the smells of the incense.  We also do have coloring sheets and activity pages for young children to use throughout the service if they need it.  During the school year, we often have children’s catechism class/Sunday School immediately following communion.  Outside of service times, we have several children and youth programs that you can find more information about here.

 

Q: Is there a dress code for church?  

A: There is no required dress code for our worship service.  For most of human history, people did not have anywhere near the amount of clothes that we now possess, and so they would come to church in the only clothing they owned.  That being said, we do recognize that worship is a time to come together in a sacred space, one that we have put effort into making as beautiful as possible to reflect our thanks and praise to God.  Many members of our congregation will “dress up” a bit to reflect the care they show in worship, and are wearing something that straddles dressy casual or business casual.  

 

Our standard advice is to dress so that you are not a distraction to worship, and so that your clothing will not distract you.  We suggest men might wear slacks or khakis with a nice shirt.  Women are advised to wear slacks or skirts that hit at or below the knee.  The temperature within the church building can be variable - so we do encourage people to bring a layering item such as a lightweight jacket, sweater, or scarf.  
 

Q: Can you tell me more about the service?

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There are two main services that we do on Sunday mornings. The Divine Liturgy starts at 9:30 am and is usually over by 11:00 to 11:15 am. Before the Divine Liturgy starts there is a service called Matins or Orthros in Greek. There is no break between the end of Matins and the beginning of Divine Liturgy, one flows directly into the other, so when you arrive for Divine Liturgy at, or a little before, 9:30 am it may seem like you’re late but you’re not.  You’re probably catching the end of the Matins service.  There are service books that will help you follow along with the Divine Liturgy. There will be greeters to meet you to assist and answer any questions you may have. They will be able to assist you in getting seated and provide you with a service book to follow along in.  An Orthodox service can be overwhelming on your first visit. Vibrant images of biblical events and saints cover the walls. You will see people lighting candles and venerating icons. The smell of incense fills the air. People will not only be using their voices to worship but also their bodies. They will be crossing themselves and bowing, kneeling, or prostrating. It may seem strange at first, but this is how Christians have worshiped God for 2,000 years.

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The word Orthodox means “right belief.”  In an ever-changing world, our Church offers Orthodox values, Orthodox worship, and Orthodox doctrine.  We are Orthodox, but not Jewish.  We are Catholic, but not Roman. We are not non-denominational, we are pre-denominational.  We are the original, ancient and undivided One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. We want to share this awesome gift with you.  Our worship is heavenly, and it is beautiful.  We are a family united by our love for God, and our fellow human beings.  We are doing our best to build the Kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven in Dayton. We strive to practice unity in essentials, diversity in non-essentials, and charity in all things.   

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The video below will walk you through the structure of our worship.