Letter From a Convert

Dear Father Huneycutt,

I have read many of your articles on the Antiochian Archdiocese’s website, and I was particularly moved by your essay about Orthodoxy in the South. I was raised in New Mexico, and I’m currently a freshman at Fordham University in New York City. I was raised a Methodist; I began questioning my Methodist beliefs early into high school, and I started studying the Church Fathers and Church History. Originally, I settled on the Catholic church, in part because no one knew anything about the Orthodox Church—there were almost no resources on it in a town of 30,000 in Eastern New Mexico. But I soon became disillusioned with particular Catholic doctrines and practices—I never converted, but I entered a crisis of faith—questioned my Christian beliefs entirely. But, thanks to the grace of God, I rediscovered Orthodoxy, and I discovered an Orthodox Church two hours from my home. I found my home, but as you can imagine, two hours is quite a journey. I went as often as I could, and now that I’m in New York, I’m preparing for Chrismation, a blessed event that will occur in a matter of days… I was able to relate to a particularly Southern (or in my experience, Southwestern) Christian experience. Most people back home, learning that I’m soon to be an Orthodox Christian, think I’m converting to Judaism. While it’s certainly funny, it also is quite disheartening that so many people back in New Mexico know nothing about the Ancient Church. Perhaps, being inflamed with the convert’s passion, I have a great desire to bring Orthodoxy to my small community, and I know that many people have asked and are asking many of the questions that I asked, but unlike me, they haven’t found the answers yet—it was an act of God that I DID! I thank God for your efforts to bring Orthodox Christianity to the South, and you will remain in my prayers…I wanted to share my story with you, because your desire to share Orthodox Christianity with the South has had an impressive influence on me!

Used by permission. The author shall, God allowing, be Chrismated on October 31st. May God grant him many years!