Lansing State Journal Matthew Miller April 8, 2007
East and West mark Easter on same date this year
Christopher Stampfly preached his last sermon at Springbrook Hills Church of Christ in DeWitt in November.
Today, the former pastor, his wife Deanna and their three children will become members of St. James Orthodox Church in Williamston, entering an ancient branch of Christianity on one of the rare occasions when Orthodox believers celebrate Easter at the same time as other Christians.
This change in their religious lives, their decision to trade their evangelical Protestant faith for a church of elaborate liturgy and centuries-old traditions, began 1 1/2 years ago, and it began on the Internet.
“Someone had posted a link explaining the difference between Protestants and Orthodox,” Christopher Stampfly said. “I thought, ‘Oh, that might be interesting,’ so I clicked on it and started reading. And then I thought, ‘Oh wow, this man is making a bunch of sense.’ ”
The Stampflys aren’t alone. According to researchers, Orthodox churches in the United States are growing and converts comprise a significant part of that growth.
The number of converts doesn’t compare to other fast-growing denominations, such as the Assemblies of God, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or the Roman Catholic Church.
Orthodox churches have about 1.2 million members in the United States, divided between more than a dozen jurisdictions (akin to denominations), many of which are linked to national churches in other countries.
But adherents say the interest is real, and it’s growing.
According to Alexei Krindatch, research director at the Patriarch Athenagoras Orthodox Institute in Berkeley, Calif., more than half of the students at the country’s three largest Orthodox seminaries are converts, most of them coming from Catholic and evangelical Protestant churches.
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