Where is the Church?

[Suaidan]

What a loaded question.

It's obvious that he won't get any answers from here, but will only watch us "the orthodox" fighting..

Well, I believe it's with my Bishop, and people are talking about Synods like Pokemon collector cards ("Oh, yeah, well, I have a Kirykos!" "Oh yeah, well, our Kiousis and ROAC cards beat your Kirykos!" "Oh yeah, well, I'll use my grace card on you! Agafangel, I choose you!" and so on and so on.)

That's why I didn't want to answer the question to begin with when I saw it: only two types of people ask. Roman Catholics, and those who act like them by declaring theirs to be the "real" Bishop, whom EVERYONE MUST BE UNDER.

After years of fighting over whom EVERYONE MUST BE UNDER, I joined the Milan Synod. I am happy there. I am sure my Archbishop has grace, and I am sure that I am part of the True Orthodox Church, even though I am also sure that everyone here disagrees.

Especially the Pokemon masters. "Andrei, I choose you!"

[...]

:mrgreen:

Really, just for the record: Where were you before the Milan-Aquileia-Longobarda-Western Europe-Canada - (and Oceans..?)Synod?

[...]

Were you under HOCNA?

http://suaiden.freehostia.com/hocna.html

[Suaidan]

Were you under HOCNA?

http://suaiden.freehostia.com/hocna.html

Yes, until 2001.

[Suaidan]

Were you under HOCNA?

http://suaiden.freehostia.com/hocna.html

I was baptized in HOCNA, having been catechized in ROCOR. I left HOCNA in 2001. I joined the ROAC at around the same time as Gregory of Colorado; hence it was his personal goal to rebaptize me and mine to avoid it. (This did not stop Fr Isaac and others from saying I got rebaptized when I got so much grief-- four months worth-- for refusing.) I was finally chrismated the same weekend that Gregory was being made a Bishop.

In 2002, I couldn't take it anymore, and finally gave up on true Orthodoxy altogether, going to a local world Orthodox parish.

After my separation from my ex-wife at the end of the following year, I returned to the ROAC just as there became an issue of Gregory trying to damage the Synod further. The reverse occurred, and I lived in Russia until 2006, where I heard bad things were happening with the new Bishop in America. In 2006, finally, the new Bishop Andrei of Pavlovskoe began holding a similar ecclesiology, going so far as to say that Gregory's position was "normal".

I had had just about enough, as had most of ROAC in America, except for people who like to talk a lot and have never been under the man (or new people who don't know what Orthodox Bishops act like). So I left, and vacillated on my choices. I considered the Matthewites. Then I changed my mind. I had wanted to join the Milan Synod in 2002, and was dissuaded then, but this time I stuck with it, and I've been pleased ever since.

[...]

Dear suaiden thanks for your post. But I can't see the reason why you changed your mind so easily for Matthewites and you finally end up to Milan Synod! There's a huge gap between the two choices..
Forgive me if I'm intervening into personal matters.

[Suaidan]

Dear suaiden thanks for your post. But I can't see the reason why you changed your mind so easily for Matthewites and you finally end up to Milan Synod! There's a huge gap between the two choices..
Forgive me if I'm intervening into personal matters.

That's a personal question. But ok, what's the "huge gap"?