St. Elias Antiochian Orthodox Church — Local services in Austin

I visited the downtown campus and I valued the experience. I attended the Vespers Service. The churchgoers were friendly, especially one guy. They seemed to love the Orthodox faith, a faith I haven't experienced much of.

At many churches, you need to drink wine to participate in services, so since I am a teetotaler, I liked that Vespers didn't require drinking.

The downtown campus requires two bus rides for me, so it's not feasible to go back. The new Northside campus is off the bus line.

One day, while browsing the phone book, I saw they had an office in the Large Oaks Plaza on Research Blvd, so I visited one Saturday, but the building was locked.

Then I visited on a weekday, and managed to get into the Large Oaks Plaza building, and find the office. I knocked thrice, but I got no response. I emailed the church about that, and they said they moved the office to the North campus. Bummer! It seems the Large Oaks Plaza management has delayed removing the St. Elias signage. I loved the vibe and tranquility of that Large Oaks Plaza building, so I would have entertained attending a St. Elias event or program in the...

Life long Protestant Baptist boy that knew there was more. Orthodox faith is a great expansion of knowledge of the Christian faith.

Father David Barr it's a special man. I felt at ease with him walking into a new situation. My wife head up Evangelical and charismatic. She was not a fan of the idea of going "Catholic". Father David was the key. No push at all but he made my wife do 180 when they met.

Great place to get answers. The Orthodox as a whole are the most educated Christians in America and the highest educated according to this year's Pew Research Poll on religiosity in America.

The Orthodox Priest and Bishops after the smartest guys in the room. Masters and Seminary at a minimum.

More importantly they truly exemplify Christ love.

I never get to Austin anymore and I miss him and this church and Father David. He still checks on me and I appreciate home more...

A loving and beautiful people in a beautiful place with a beautiful faith. An oasis of unbroken tradition in a post-modern world. Spiritual truth and spiritual beauty with wise and compassionate priests. These are just some of the things that come to mind when I think of what this faith has meant to me in this parish. Quite literally, the spiritual guidance has saved my life on several occasions when I thought all...