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St. James Orthodox Church Gainesville, Georgia REGULAR WEEKLY SCHEDULE Saturday Evening Vespers 4: 00 PM Sunday Morning Orthros 9: 00 AM Sunday Morning Divine Liturgy 10:00 AM Full Calendar You are Welcome! Contact us, and plan your visit to St. James Orthodox Church First Name Last Name Email Write a message Submit Thanks for submitting! St. James Orthodox Church is located in Gainesville, Georgia, in the northeast metropolitan Atlanta area, serving all of north and northeast Georgia. Founded in 2013, we are a quickly growing mission of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America . Our services are family-friendly and are celebrated in English. "C ome and see." (John 1:46) Daily Readings Weekly Bulletin Listen to Fr. Steven's Weekly Sermon 2024-12-29 Sunday after Nativity 00:00 / 11:38 Click Here! To Hear Additional Sermons by Fr. Steven Ritter More Videos You Can Now Use PayPal to Donate to St. James Orthodox Church

Orthodox Christianity The Orthodox Christian Church, also called the "Eastern Orthodox," "Greek Orthodox" Church, or simply "the Orthodox Church," is the oldest Christian Church in the world, founded by Jesus Christ and with its beginnings chronicled in the New Testament. (Our own Patriarchate of Antioch, one of the most ancient of Orthodox churches, was originally founded in A.D. 34 by Ss. Peter and Paul. All other Christian churches and groups can be traced historically back to it. With roughly 250 million members worldwide, Orthodoxy is second in size only to the Roman Catholic Church. However, in spite of its size, relatively few Americans are aware that it exists. The Orthodox Church has deep and lasting roots in Christian antiquity and is steeped in rich Biblical tradition. It has been the context of Christian living for millions of Christians for almost twenty centuries. Yet one cannot understand the Orthodox Church merely by reading about it. Just as reading a biography about someone is no substitute for knowing the biography's subject personally, Orthodox Christianity must be experienced firsthand to be understood.

About Us “And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.” Acts 11:26 St. James first began as the "Gwinnett Orthodox Mission" and had its first Divine Liturgy in a classroom at Mountain View High School in Lawrenceville on March 3, 2013. The services at St. James are all in English and are meant to meet the spiritual needs of the Orthodox faithful regardless of ethnic, national, or jurisdictional background. Whether you are an inquirer or a visitor from another Orthodox parish, please know that you are welcome at St. James. Whether you are “on a journey” or just wanting to visit a local Orthodox parish, we would be honored to have you join us for prayer and worship. Our Story St. James Orthodox Church was first established to serve those Orthodox Christians in Northern Georgia and Metropolitan Atlanta, and surrounding areas who have been commuting long distances to attend an Orthodox Church (or perhaps even not attending a church at all), and also to serve as a witness to those who are interested in learning about and becoming Orthodox. St. James is part of the ancient Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch, where The Book of Acts tells us the first believers were mockingly called “Christians” (Acts 11:26). We are part of the world-wide Eastern Orthodox Church community, which includes national churches in traditionally Orthodox countries like Russia, Greece, Romania, Serbia, the Middle East, and India but also many other countries that you might not expect. There are over 250 million Eastern Orthodox Christians in the world today and over 1 million in the United States. While many Orthodox churches in the U.S. continue worship in the original language of immigrant populations, an increasing number of Orthodox churches now have their services in all or mostly English. The services at St. James are all in English and are meant to meet the spiritual needs of the Orthodox faithful regardless of ethnic, national, or jurisdictional background. St. James first began as the "Gwinnett Orthodox Mission" and had its first Divine Liturgy in a classroom at Mountain View High School in Lawrenceville on March 3, 2013. It wasn't long before we outgrew that location and moved to a store-front location on Horizon Parkway in Buford. Our attendance has been steadily growing since then, and we are grateful to announce we have finally moved into a permanent location in Gainesville, Georgia in 2024! Whether you are an inquirer or a visitor from another Orthodox parish, please know that you are welcome at St. James. Many of the members of our congregation journeyed to the Orthodox Church from other Christian faith traditions and denominations and some non-Christian religious and spiritual traditions. So whether you are “on a journey” or just wanting to visit a local Orthodox parish, we would be honored to have you join us for prayer and worship. Meet Our Staff His Beatitude JOHN X Patriarch of Antioch and all the East The Most Rev. Metropolitan SABA Archbishop of New York and Metropolitan of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America The Right Rev. Bishop NICHOLAS Diocese of Miami & the Southeast Fr. Steven Ritter Pastor Fr. Anthony Bridges Deacon Khouria Christine Ritter Choir Director Tom Taratsas Parish Council President Tara Freeman Antiochian Women's Group - President Steven Reif Antiochian Men's Group [AMEN] President Our Parish Council Tom Taratsas - President Andy Roussey -Treasurer Beth Green - Secretary Norma Whitten - Member At Large Steven Reif - Member At Large Christine Reindl - Member At Large Sh. Sophia Bridges Librarian and Sunday School Director Kathy Downer Coffee Hour Coordinator Jessica Green Digital Media/Newsletter Editor

The Holy Apostle James the Just Brother of the Lord, First Bishop of Jerusalem, and Author of the Epistle "Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded." (James 4:8) A s one of his last blessings of new church communities, His Eminence M etropolitan Philip of blessed memory graciously granted us a charter and name for our church in honor of St. James th e Apostle, First Bishop of Jerusalem and the Brother of our Lord Jesus Christ, whose feast-day is celebrated on October 23. St. James has a lot of titles, more than most, doesn't he? It can get confusing – there are two other James that are also listed as "apostles." These other two, James son of Zebedee (and brother of St. John the Theologian) and James the son of Alphaeus (and brother of St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist) are of the "twelve" apostles originally called by our Lord Jesus Christ. James the Brother of the Lord (also known as the "just" or the "righteous") is not one of the original twelve apostles, but he is one of four saints from apostolic times whom the church has also designated as "apostles" (of the "Seventy" mentioned in St. Luke's gospel) whose writings are included in the New Testament, the other three being St. Paul, St. Mark the Evangelist, and St. Luke the Evangelist. The four are included in all the collections of the lives of the Apostles, and in fact the life of St. James says that he was appointed Bishop of Jerusalem not only by the other Apostles, but by the Lord also! St. James's authority is confirmed by his mention in Chapter 15 of the Book of Acts, where he makes the deciding judgment at the First Council of Jerusalem, despite the fact that Sts. Peter, Paul, and Barnabas were there and spoke also. His decision was put into the text of the first Apostolic letter that went to the churches with the conciliar decisions. For this reason he is considered an Apostle in equal dignity to those of the "twelve." His piety was a cause of renown everywhere, and he was held in the utmost respect by all for his 26 years of episcopal service. St. James is of course the author of the canonical Epistle of St. James, and of the very first Christian liturgy in existence, which is still served today, and which our church celebrates at least two times a year. St. James is called Brother of the Lord or Brother of God because he is the son of St. Joseph the Betrothed (one of four brothers), the husband of the Most-holy Mother of God, by St. Joseph's first wife, Salome, and thereby a stepbrother of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is both God and man. This appellation leads some people to mistakenly think that the Mother of God had other children aside from our Lord, but this is simply not true, as the term "brother" was much more expansive in apostolic times than our current understanding. Finally, St. James, after incurring the wrath of the Scribes and Pharisees (who admired him, mistakenly believing that he shared their opinions) who asked him to proclaim his teachings from the summit of the Temple during the Passover, was cast down to the ground by the same when he gave an unexpected confession of true faith in Jesus Christ. He survived the fall, whereupon they then stoned him and clubbed him fatally on the head. He reposed in 61 or 62 AD under the reign of the Emperor Nero, and many considered his martyrdom the cause for the subsequent calamities that befell Jerusalem during Vespasian's invasion of Jerusalem in 67 AD, and its fall in 70 AD. Holy Hieromartyr and Apostle James, pray to God for us!

Is this your first visit to St. James? First of all, welcome and thank you for taking the time to learn more about St. James Orthodox Church! We are an Eastern Orthodox Christian community located in Gainesville, Georgia. We were founded as a mission of the Antiochian Archdiocese in 2013, and our congregation is growing quickly by the grace and blessings of God. Whether you are a guest, an inquirer, or a visitor from another parish, we are pleased and glad that you are here. As a visitor to St. James, we want you to be as comfortable as possible as you become acquainted with us. This section covers some practical questions that you may have as a newcomer or inquirer. If you have questions that are not answered below, please feel free to EMAIL Frequently Asked Questions Are Non-Orthodox Visitors Welcome? Yes! St. James is largely comprised of converts to the Orthodox Church, and we are always happy to share our faith with newcomers, inquirers, and visitors. We are a diverse and dynamic community and come from a variety of backgrounds. We usually have services throughout the week, and you are welcome to any of them. If you are visiting for the first time, we especially encourage you to attend the Divine Liturgy service, which begins on Sunday mornings at 10:00 a.m. When you arrive, a greeter will welcome you, hand you a bulletin and "Welcome Packet," and help you navigate your way around. All of our services are in English, and usually we use the divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, the same litugical service used by all Eastern Orthodox churches worldwide. We have prayer books available for you to follow along in the book, if you would like. Following the Divine Liturgy, you are invited to join everyone else for Coffee Hour, which is a good time to get to know our congregation and to meet our priest, Fr. Steven Ritter. If you do not wish to stay for Coffee Hour, no problem ... we encourage to follow your own pace and level of interest. How long is the service? The Sunday 10:00 a.m. Divine Liturgy is usually about 90 minutes long. The Orthros service (same as Matins, or morning prayer) which precedes Divine Liturgy lasts about an hour. Other services vary. Is there a dress code? We encourage everyone to dress appropriately, modestly, and respectfully. That can include jeans or suits, long dresses or skirts, dress t-shirts or shirts and ties, dress shoes or athletic shoes. We do ask, however, that you refrain from wearing shorts, mini-skirts, tank tops, low-cut or strapless dresses (unless covered by a sweater, etc.), or shirts with advertisements, slogans, or inappropriate images. Some Orthodox women wear head coverings, especially when approaching the altar, but this is not required. Men are asked not to wear head coverings (baseball caps, etc.) in the church area of the building. Is childcare provided? We do not have childcare because we encourage children to be present in church for the services. We believe that this participation is an important part of a child's spiritual formation. If your child is crying or overly restless, we have a small room close to the church area that is available so that the service will not be disrupted. Is Sunday School for children available? Yes. Sunday School is available immediately after Communion, so children are not expected to stay in the church area for the entire service. When should I stand or sit? The traditional posture for prayer and worship in the Orthodox Church is standing, and in many Old World churches seating is limited mostly to the elderly or disabled. Like most North American Orthodox churches, however, St. James has plenty of seating available, and generally the congregation does a mixture of standing and sitting. We encourage everybody to stand, as they are able, during the Gospel reading, the Little and Great Entrances, the distribution of Holy Communion, when the priest gives a blessing, and at the Dismissal. That sounds like a lot to keep up with, but really it's not hard ... you can just follow the congregation. Should I light a candle? Lighting candles and placing them in the candle box (which is filled with sand) before entering the church area is an important part of Orthodox worship and piety. We light candles as we pray, making an offering to God to accompany our prayers. Orthodox typically purchase candles as an offering when coming to church. You do not have to be Orthodox to light a candle, and if you do not wish to light a candle, that's okay. Can Non-Orthodox Receive the Holy Eucharist? Orthodox priests are only allowed to serve the Holy Eucharist to baptized members in good standing of the Eastern Orthodox Church, who have recently confessed, and who have prepared themselves with fasting and prayer beforehand. This is the apostolic teaching of the ancient Church and has not changed in the nearly 2000 years of its history. Also, it is canon law that priests cannot serve the Holy Eucharist to members of "Oriental Orthodox" churches, such as the Coptic and Ethiopian churches. If you are in any doubt on this matter, please discuss it first with our priest before receiving Holy Communion. He will be glad to answer your questions. Can Non-Orthodox receive the blessing of the priest and the "blessed bread" at the end of the service? Yes! Towards the end of the Divine Liturgy, the congregation will begin lining up to kiss the hand of the priest and to receive his blessing. The Orthodox understand that when they are kissing the hand of the priest, they are really kissing the hand of Christ Himself. If you are uncomfortable with doing this, it's okay not to kiss the hand of the priest as long as you are approaching respectfully. There will be a basket of "blessed bread" nearby, and you are encouraged to take a couple of pieces of the bread. What is Orthodox worship music like? Most of the Orthodox service is congregational singing. Traditionally, Orthodox do not use instruments. Usually, a choir leads the congregation in a capella harmony, with the level of congregational response varying from parish to parish. The music is solemn, prayerful, and intended to lead the faithful to a deeper worship experience. The music that does not change much is printed in the prayer books that we use, and you are welcome to sing along with the rest of the congregation if you would like. What if I have further questions? New visitors will find that there are many new things to experience in an Orthodox Church service. In fact, they are often surprised at how different the experience is when compared to Protestant church services. Feel free to go at your own pace, and don't hesitate to ask questions either at church or SEND US AN EMAIL. Church Etiquette Orthodox Christianity has been around for nearly 2000 years and has developed traditions in many different cultures, so as you might expect, Orthodox church etiquette can vary from church to church. The Antiochian Archdiocese has published a useful FREE E-book BOOKLET ON CHURCH ETIQUETTE that explains some of the general DOs and DON'Ts of attending an Orthodox service. Most importantly, be considerate of others, have a respectful attitude towards the Orthodox church in which you are worshiping, and "in all things give glory to God" (1 Corinthians 10:31). You are Welcome! Contact us, and plan your visit to St. James Orthodox Church First Name Last Name Email Write a message Submit Thanks for submitting!

Our Parish Library St. James has a small but very functional and well-organized parish lending library to serve both adult and children's Orthodox religious educational needs. Our library is conveniently located in the Coffee Hour area, and a volunteer library helper is available there every Sunday morning after Divine Liturgy to help patrons find and check out books. Please refer to the St. James Parish Library Collection document (last updated on April 22, 2015) for a list of books that are available. See Our Library Collection New Titles to Borrow at St. James Parish Library Children of my Heart: Finding Christ Through Adoption by Ashley Lackovich Van-Gorp Rock and Sand:An Orthodox Appraisal by Fr. Josiah Trenham Face to Face: Knowing God Beyond Our Shame by Fr. Stephen Freeman Apocrypha: An Introduction to Extra-Biblical Literature by Fr. Stephen de Young

Issue #32 November -December 2024

Welcome Visitors! Whether you are a curious inquirer or a visitor from another Orthodox parish, please know that you are welcome at St. James. Many of the members of our congregation journeyed to the Orthodox Church from other Christian faith traditions and denominations and some non-Christian religious and spiritual traditions. So whether you are “on a journey” or just wanting to visit a local Orthodox parish, we would be honored to have you join us for prayer and worship. 3579 McEver Road, Gainesville, GA 30504 Phone Mail (770)639-3641 frstevenr@gmail.com St. James Facebook Page You are Welcome! Contact us, and plan your visit to St. James Orthodox Church First Name Last Name Email Write a message Submit Thanks for submitting!

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Video Collection What is the Orthodox Church? with Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick An Introduction to the Orthodox Worship Space with Frederica Mathewes-Green The Chasm Between What We Read and How We Live - Abbot Seraphim A Heart on Fire for All Creation (Chronicles of the Desert Episode 11) The Holy Fire of Jerusalem (The Reliquary) St. Arsenios the Seeker of Silence Holy Ground - St. Catherine's Monastery on Mt. Sinai with Fr. Justin Sinaites Cloaked in Faith and Humility: the Life of St, Gabriel, Fool for Christ St. Hermione Of the First Unmercenary Healers A Wellspring of Humility Saint Nektarios of Aegina Elder Joseph the Hesychast and the Jesus Prayer With the Eyes of the Soul: The Life of St. Porphyrios Vessel of Grace: The Life of Saint Paisios the Athonite A Visit to the Holy Mountain Athos (60 Minutes Documentary) Modern Demons: How Politics Breaks Us Apart Saint Spyridon the Wonderworker (and Champion of Orthodoxy) You Shall Not Partake: Abbot Tryphon Holy Ground: St. Catherine's Monastery on Mt. Sinai with Fr. Justin Sinaites Is Christian Forgiveness too easy? Bishop Irenei Answers:

With Father Steven Ritter This weekly series features the lesser known saints of the Orthodox Church, Narrated by Fr. Steven Ritter, Pastor of St. James Orthodox Church in Buford, Georgia Holy Martyr Charitine (October 5) Holy Martyrs Isaac and Joseph, the Brothers of Georgia (September 16) Holy Martyr Sozon (September 7) The New-Martyr Angelis (September 1) Vassa of Edessa (August 21)