Holy Transfiguration Orthodox Church
Wisps of smoke hung heavy in the still air, bringing with them a sweet aroma. The bright tintinnabulation of the bells on the censer sounded over the congregants. Deep voices read through prayers and passages of scriptures in response to the sing-song call of the priest.
These, amongst others, are aspects encountered at services of an Orthodox Church.
Being a protestant of the Anabaptist vein, anything high church appears like another world. Holy Transfiguration Church in Hillsboro, Kan. provided a new experience in worship. From the iconography, to the incense, to the liturgy and practice, it engaged all of my senses.
During both of my visits, I felt a sense of otherworldliness in the service. The whole service is conducted in reverence and you stand most of the time. At the end announcements were made, informing congregants of services throughout the week.
After both services, I was invited to stay for a potluck. The members were friendly and patient with my rampant curiosity.
“Orthodoxy is not a religion, it’s a way of life…There is so much more than just showing up on a Sunday morning,” Ruth Kliewer explained in an interview.
So, What is the Orthodox Church?
While, there are many Orthodox Christians in America, few people know who they are, or what they believe.
“It’s the church of the apostles. The Orthodox Church, we say, is the Church. The Christian Church that we understand to be unbroken, tradition, inspired tradition, that has existed since the apostles,” Father Isaac defined.
In following unbroken tradition, one might expect some differences from an average evangelical service. Walking into the nave (in a protestant church, it would be called a sanctuary), the eye is soon met by images of the Christ, the Theotokos (mother of God), and other saints. Candles are lit around the room and everything leads to the Iconostasis at the front.
The iconostasis is a wall between the altar and the rest of the nave. It is adorned with icons of various saints but will always have the Christ, Mary, and John the Baptist.
The service is carried along by a call and response between the priest, readers, and congregation. A sweet incense is burned and bells are rung at certain parts of the service. These elements engage the whole person in worship. A passage of Scripture is read and a short homily is given. The whole service culminates in the Eucharist (or taking of communion).
Some History
Many people are drawn to the Orthodox Church for a variety of reasons. Like Theron Matthis, who was raised Baptist and attended two Baptist seminaries and was a Baptist pastor, before turning to the Orthodox faith.
Holy Transfiguration was not always an Orthodox church. They have had a long history of searching before finding the Orthodox Church.
It wasn’t until 2001 that the Hillsboro church began Catechumen classes to learn about the Orthodox Church. Before then they were a nondenominational church, which emerged from a Vineyard Fellowship. The Vineyard movement is a charismatic, experience focused denomination that is rooted in both historic evangelicalism and pentecostalism. Before that, the church was Mennonite, which is pretty common for the Hillsboro area, having five Mennonite churches in the area.
This transition began when John Baize became the pastor of the then, Hillsboro Christian Fellowship. He became interested in Orthodoxy after reading Peter Gilquist’s book, Becoming Orthodox.
The author, Peter Gilquist was able to speak at Tabor College, introducing the congregation to the world of Orthodox Christianity. Pastor Baize started teaching a class on church history and many members read books on Orthodoxy.
“We began to go, as a church, to visit other Orthodox churches,” said Duane Kliewer, a member of Holy Transfiguration. After these services they were invited to meals where they could ask questions and discuss the beliefs of the church.
“The more we looked at it, the more we felt that it was the fullness of the faith,” said Kliewer.
In the article “Why Would a Protestant convert to Eastern Orthodox Christianity,” Ben Cabe says that he was drawn to Orthodoxy by the consistency of the worship and the life-encompassing practice and theology.
“She also mentioned that it was encouraging to see that worship wasn’t based on stylistic preference (strange fire, maybe?). When we enter the church and participate in the liturgy we are stepping out of time and into the kingdom where the king is being worshiped 24/7,” said Cabe about his wife.
Kliewer said that if we can trust the early church to give us the scriptures, we can trust them with holy tradition. This, amongst other things, was a major factor in his accepting of Orthodox beliefs. His wife, Ruth Kliewer, growing up Lutheran, was drawn by the liturgical aspect of the Orthodox Church.
Ruth Kliewer points out, that this was not an easy transition.
“It was the most stretching experience that I have ever gone through; to make the transition from Protestantism to Orthodoxy. It made me question everything I believe,” said Ruth Kliewer.
Entering an Orthodox Church is an experience that encompasses one’s entire being. It is a mystical experience.
“They could expect a number of things: to be engaged in all of their senses. What they see, what they smell, what they hear, what they taste…The liturgy itself, we say, allows the person, allows all of those who are worshipping on that day, to enter into the eighth day. To enter into a heavenly day. The day that is to come,” said Father Isaac.
