Before you visit

Come One, Come All!

As the arms of the Lord Jesus are continually open, He welcomes all into His loving embrace. In the same way, all are welcome to this Church, which is the house of God. St. Moses Church is a com­mu­nity made up of both cradle-born Ortho­dox Chris­tians and those who have con­verted to the Faith. If you are already an Oriental Orthodox Christian (which includes the Armenian Apostolic Church, Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch, Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church, and Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, and Coptic Orthodox Church), this is already your church. 

Any­one who wishes to dis­cover ancient Cop­tic Ortho­dox Chris­tian­ity is also warmly invited to come and make this your church. We sincerely welcome you and look forward to meeting you! Please feel free to ask questions at any time so we can better coordinate your visit.

On Fire for God

When you enter the church, some­one may greet you and direct you to a place to sit. We have large screens that stream con­tin­u­ously and follow the prayers. You may fol­low the ser­vice text, or, if you pre­fer, sim­ply close your eyes and meditate with the congregation (body of Christ) as they wor­ship.

Upon entering a place of worship, many Orthodox will make the sign of the Cross upon themselves, offer a prayer to the Lord, and even light a candle before an icon (holy picture of a Saint) while offering a short prayer. Light­ing can­dles is an impor­tant part of Ortho­dox wor­ship and piety. We light can­dles as we pray, mak­ing an offer­ing to accom­pany our prayers. All are welcome to light a can­dle and pray!

Holy Smokes!

You may notice the priest walking around the church with the censer offering sweet smelling incense before the altar (Ephesians 5:2). St. John the beloved Apostle saw the raising of incense in heaven which, he writes, “are the prayers of the saints” (Revelation 8:5). Similarly, as the priest raises incense around the Church, he gathers the prayers and supplications of the people and offers them to the Lord at the altar. He also asks the Lord to send them blessings in return.

Holy Eucharist

The Holy Eucharist in the Orthodox Christian faith is not a mere symbol or memorial reenactment of the Mystical Supper. Rather, it is truly the Body and the Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. For this reason, in order for one to partake of Holy Communion, one must be a member of the Oriental Orthodox Churches and be prepared to receive the Holy Body and the Precious Blood of our Savior. As a general rule, proper preparation includes keeping the fasts of the Church, being in a continual state of repentance, having confessed recently, being at peace with others (Matthew 5:24), and arriving at the Divine Services on time.

Taking Communion

Orthodox priests may only serve the Holy Eucharist to baptized members of the Oriental Orthodox Churches who are prepared to receive the Holy Mysteries. This is the ancient tradition of the Holy Church for the past 2,000 years of its history. 

We appreciate your understanding and ask that you join us in receiving the Eulogia (Blessed Bread) at the end of the Divine Liturgy after the announcements. 

Are We Done Yet?

On Tuesday evenings, the Vespers Rais­ing of Incense ser­vice is gen­er­ally 20-30 min­utes in length, followed by the Rock Meeting, which is a Book study, ending in some praises and fellowship afterwards.

On Saturday morn­ings, a sim­i­lar ser­vice is prayed before celebrating the Divine Liturgy. After­ the Divine Liturgy, we share in some refreshments and greet each other, then we begin the Eden Meeting, which is a series just for you. We under­stand this may seem like a long service, but we know that when you have par­tic­i­pated in an Ortho­dox ser­vice, you will feel like you have truly wor­shipped and participated in Heaven’s praises to the liv­ing God.

Hymns: Praise & Worship

What are Coptic Orthodox worship hymns like? Between 65–75% of the tra­di­tional Cop­tic Liturgy involves con­gre­ga­tional singing. We praise with ancient instruments of the cym­bals and tri­an­gle, which typically serve to keep the musi­cal time. A liturgical choir leads the con­gre­ga­tion in har­mo­nious chants in English. They lead the people who in turn are active members in the chants, as well. Our hymns are solemn, prayer­ful and intended to lead the faith­ful to wor­ship the liv­ing God. Feel free to sing and praise along with us!

Is there Childcare?

Each par­ent is respon­si­ble for taking care of their child. We encour­age chil­dren to be present in Church for the ser­vices. This par­tic­i­pa­tion is a vital part of a child’s spir­i­tual for­ma­tion. Also, the more they are in the Church, the more they get used to worshipping properly. How­ever, if your baby or child is extremely loud, overly talk­a­tive, or is having a difficult time, please take him or her out of the Church until he or she is ready to return. This is to facilitate a peaceful, reverent environment for all to pray, as well as educate the child on proper worship befitting the House of God. 

After the Service

Following the Divine Liturgy on Saturday, all are invited to join in some light refreshments, brunch of love and fellowship, which is a good time to get to know our parish mem­bers and visitors. New vis­i­tors will find there are many new things to expe­ri­ence in a Cop­tic Ortho­dox Church ser­vice. Feel free to go at your own pace, ask any ques­tions, and know you are most wel­come to come, learn, and pray with us.

Any Questions?

Orthodox Christianity is filled with many treasures and many mysteries. Even those who have been in the Church all their lives still have questions about God, the Church, and the prayers. We would love to help answer your questions and spend time getting to know you. Our beloved fathers, the priests, are also interested in meeting with you personally to help you in any way they can. Please feel free to introduce yourself to the priest after the service, if they are available.