John,

Thank you so very much for your kind words and support of this website. It means a lot to me. Your experience of bring brought up in the Church, having a love for it and then not feeling welcome when you realized fully who God made you to be, in not an uncommon story in the Orthodox Church, unfortunately. I would encourage you to once again look at the beauty of the Church that you so loved.  While indeed we can’t always be open in Church, we can live our truth in other ways, challenging the discrimination and ignorance in smaller ways. That is how we will affect change in people’s hearts. Please stay in touch.

I bid you inner peace,

Andriy

Isaac,

Thank you, as always for your thoughts and kind words.  Unfortunately too many in the Church hierarchy, including priests as well as bishops, have been willing to sacrifice gay and lesbian people in order to create an Earthly church created in their image, and not God’s.  I guarantee you that the people, heterosexuals, do feel the pain caused to our community.  This website receives numerous emails from the parents, siblings, relatives and friends of LGBT Orthodox who are tired of the treatment that their loved ones, who happen to be gay, receive from the leadership of the Church. Our mission is to be as honest as we can about who God made us to be and who we are called to love.  With prayer, honesty and our open hearts, we will be able to change the hearts and minds of those who hate us or wish us ill. 

I bid you peace,

Andriy

Thank you for such an insightful reflection. The Church is a body, like a human body. When one part of the body is in pain or injured, the rest of the body feels it too! For instance, if one is sick or bodily injured, the mind will not function clearly, the body will feel physically tired until it has had adequate rest and recovery time. When harm is done to the members, then the rest of the members feel the pain too, in the guise of darkness, ignorance, seclusion, and especially fear. This is why it is important, as you said, to let us accept who God created us to be and use our gifts to serve God and one another. The only sadness I have is that a lot are blinded by their pride yet they do not see it or realize it. I think that Jesus' life is a excellent example of this struggle. 

I really like the Lazarus Saturday troparion, which says, "We are the children who carry the palms of victory, crying out to thee: Oh, conquerer of death, blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord."

We welcome Christ into our hearts just like he was welcomed into Jerusalem before His passion. 

Maria,

Thank you for your very kind words.

I bid you peace,

Andriy