Affiliation: Greek Orthodox
Why We Picked This One: Diversity
Sermon: Kind of a Conglomeration of a Lot of Christian Principles
First Church With: Half the Service in a Language that Wasn't English
Rundown: This was the first church I visited where I really felt out of place: Half of the service was in Greek (I don't know very much Greek outside of "pita," "feta," and "gyro"); while many of the traditions followed familiar Christian protocol, there were a lot of little things that I wasn't totally in tune with (their sign of the cross was somewhat asymmetrical); I felt like it was very obvious that we were visitors.
And, sure, no one asked us to leave. No one glared at us as we quietly watched and tried to keep up ("does it matter which hand we kiss?"). In fact, no one even looked at us all that funny; but I still felt a little like I didn't belong there.
Some churches, it seems, are always looking to gain new members - some churches make it their goal to bring in as many new members as possible, and are ecstatic whenever visitors show up. But some, I'd imagine, are happy with their small congregations, only growing when their members have children or when a new identically religion-matching, practicing family moves into the neighborhood.
Churches are sacred places. Should the only people to walk in there on Sunday morning be practicing members that can share their beliefs and customs and full trust with everyone else in there? I remember elementary school - our swimming teacher was a female. It was tough to bare myself in the locker room in front of her.
Is it just as uncomfortable for people in church to bare their souls in front of non-believers? Is this Catholic-raised, not-an-ounce-of-Greek-in-his-body kid from the 'burbs wanted 'round these parts? Or was I a voyeur that they've got no legal grounds to shoo away?
As I've been visiting these churches, I've explained my trek to dozens of folks - both in the churches I've visited, and outside of them. As I move forward into this, though, I've come across a surprising number of people who have expressed something like... unease at my visits.
Most folks seem to think it's great to learn about different cultures by reading about them on Wikipedia. But many, it turns out, stop short of praising you when you try to see them in action in their natural habitat. Should I feel guilty taking a tour of a war- and disease-ravaged area? Should I feel guilty about visiting a Muslim nation just because I want to see Muslim traditions in action? Is it okay to go to a Greek Orthodox service if I know I have no interest in ever becoming a member of the church? Where is the line drawn between academic curiosity and watching animals in a zoo?
Strange thing (to me) about this church: There were only about 25 people at the start of the service. It was a long service - about two hours - and a steady stream of parishioners kept flowing in throughout the entire service. Up to an hour and forty minutes into the service, people were still coming in. By the time it was time to leave, there were at least a hundred folks in the pews.
Also, the Communion wine is served with a spoon out of the chalice.
Address: 146 W. Utica St. Buffalo, NY
Website: www.greekorthodoxchurchbuffalo.org
Attendees: Start of Service: ~25 / End of Service: ~100
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