Moving churches

One of the biggest pieces of news for me this semester is that my dad and therefore, family are transferring parishes within the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Chicago. Instead of serving at Saints Peter & Paul in Glenview, he will be the head priest at Annunciation in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 

When my sisters and I were younger, we were used to moving every three years. Until 5th grade, we had moved homes, states or schools just about every three years and moving was normal. The move to Chicago became the foundation for where we would stay, graduate high school and never have to worry about leaving friends or parishes. Our family has lived in Northbrook and attended Ss. Peter & Paul (SSPP) for 11 years now--pretty much half of my life and the longest time we have been anywhere. 

So the strangest thing about this news is that it should not really have an effect on my sisters and I as individuals. We grew up in the suburbs of Chicago, had a solid foundation at a Greek Orthodox church of friends, youth group and somewhere to attend services, and now as all of us are in college. It's time for us to move on, right? What makes things upsetting is our PK (priest's kid) status--the constant flow of nosy questions, others' opinions and complaints that become part of a transition. 

The first takeaway from this move is to appreciate the religious environment where I grew up. It's been incredibly comforting to have a second family at SSPP every time I come back into town from college, and worth thanking all of the people that have contributed to this experience. My sisters and I have all met some of our best friends and "Greek friends" through Sunday school, youth group and young adult get-togethers. We have so many stories from over the years that we spent over an hour before the Anastasi service during Holy Week walking to every room in the church hall and telling our favorite stories from it. 

Some of the younger SSPP crew on Pascha

Although the social aspect of church has been great, this move has been incremental in teaching people that going to church is about going to church. The intentions are to celebrate a service, learn about the gospels and saints, pray to God and grow in your faith. Throughout college, I have attended a Greek Orthodox church in Columbia by myself for the past three years. It's the only parish in mid-Missouri, and people of all jurisdictions come from up to two hours away to attend the service. They don't all come to hear a specific sermon, participate in an archdiocese event or be social--they're there for church. The move means that regardless of where my Dad is serving, I should go to church to go to church. Sure, being with family is a huge part of one's religious development, especially as a child. But once you have graduated high school, you are old enough to decide how you want your faith to progress. If I want to attend a church where my family is, I can go to Milwaukee and see them after the service. If I want to meet up with friends from Chicago after church, I can encourage them to go to lunch after church. But no one's decisions or parish assignments should influence whether or not I am celebrating the prayers and service. 

Our family goodbye

The last service I watched my Dad serve in at SSPP

Hence, thank you to anyone who has taken part in my positive experience at SSPP. We look forward to meeting new people in Milwaukee, and will see where we want to celebrate the service each week. People will keep in touch and relationships will progress, and they will grow in their faith doing so.