Our first experience with the orthodox church happened in late May 2009. We were visiting Kyiv while considering where we might relocate Titus Project in Europe. As part of our visit, one of our hosts by the name of Tim Huddleston, now a treasured friend, took us for a tour around Kyiv.
As we learned, one of Tim’s hobbies was really understanding Kyiv’s history. It turns out to be very rich and interesting (but more on that later). Anyway, one of the landmarks on his tour was St. Volodymyr’s Cathedral. Writing this nearly two years later, I barely remember anything. I will briefly introduce two things that I do remember because they really struck me, but we will only go into depth in subsequent posts.
The first thing I remember was how different it was. Angela and the ladies put on scarves before we entered. There was the paintings and the dim light with candles and a few other things that I really hadn’t experienced, even in the old catholic churches I’ve entered in other European countries.
The second thing I remember was Tim’s comment. It was a teachable moment and he took the opportunity. He said that although worship may be very different than what I am used to, do not quickly pronounce judgment on it because there are many many positives to it and things we can learn from. It was, and remains, wise advice.
So why begin recounting our experiences with the Orthodox Church here? There are a few different reasons, but probably the most important is that the Christian church is vast, and vastly diverse in its style and character. To breathe Ukrainian air is to breathe a mixture of Christian faith. Need a picture? Consider how puppies are tied to the same pole, yet as they run around and around, they get tied together even while they run in many directions. So while we are all rooted to the same Christ, the atmosphere and experience of his worship may be very different, sometimes crossing, sometimes running in parallel. I want to explore this relationship more fully, understand these other worship experiences without prejudice and with love. And in turn, hopefully, bring my own experiences to people who might benefit from them.
Well, I recently wrote a great blog on this movie entitled “The Island”, but it got deleted along with our recent stuff … and I just can’t remember it. But its an interesting movie, that for me raised a lot of questions about the Orthodox Church here in Ukraine.
