Almost two thousand years ago, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came to earth and founded the Church, through His Apostles and disciples, for the salvation of man. In the years which followed, the Apostles spread the Church and its teachings far; they founded many churches, all united in faith, worship, and the partaking of the Mysteries, or Sacraments of the Holy Church. Those founded in later years through the missionary activity of the first churches were the Churches of Sinai, Russia, Greece, Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania, and many others.

Each of these churches is independent in administration, but, with the exception of the Church of Rome, which finally separated from the others in the year 1054, all are united in faith, doctrine, Apostolic tradition, sacraments, liturgies, and services.
Together they constitute and call themselves the Orthodox Church. They share a catholic, i.e. universal faith.

The teachings of the Church are derived from two sources: Holy Scripture, and Sacred Tradition. It is within this context, i.e. the teachings of the Church, that Holy Scripture came to be, and is interpreted. The word Orthodox literally means right teaching or right worship, being derived from two Greek words: orthos (right) and doxa (teaching or worship). As the encroachments of false teaching and division multiplied in early Christian times, threatening to obscure the identity and purity of the Church, the term Orthodox quite logically came to be applied to it.

The Orthodox Church carefully guards the truth against all error and schism, both to protect its flock and to glorify Christ whose body the Church is. An astonishing number of religious groups today claim to be the successors of the early Church. A standard for truth is needed to compare what the Church originally believed and practiced with what these groups proclaim.

Certainly we all have the right to believe whatever we choose. But it is also just good sense to be acquainted with the options before we make decisions. It is our hope that this outline of our beliefs will help introduce you to the Christianity espoused and instituted by the Apostles of Jesus Christ.

This is the standard of truth by which choices in Christianity should be measured.As written in the Gospel of St. John, "And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world could not contain the books that should be written" (John 21:20).