Welcome To Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church
Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Bluff City, Tennessee is under the spiritual supervision of His Eminence Metropolitan ALEXIOS and the Greek Orthodox Metropolis (Diocese) of Atlanta and ultimately, the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. Our parish belongs to the larger Christian communion known as the Eastern Orthodox Church. The Eastern Orthodox Church is currently the second largest Christian church in the world with 250-300 million members. The Eastern Orthodox Church is organically the same church (or ecclesia) which was born at the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in Jerusalem on Pentecost- a direct continuation from the Apostles by laying on of hands from each generation of presbyters and bishops to the next.
We at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church recognize and live our ancient Christian heritage. Historically, the entire New Testament was composed in the ancient Orthodox Christian communities which today constitute the Orthodox Churches of Jerusalem, Antioch, Alexandria, Greece, Crete, Cyprus, and Constantinople. Moreover, most tenets of Christian Theology common to Catholics, Protestant, and Orthodox Christians alike, were formulated in the Eastern Churches. Around 1100 years ago, the Orthodox Church spread into what is today Russia, the Ukraine, Serbia, and Bulgaria and continues to be the predominate form of Christianity in Eastern and Southern Europe and the Middle-East.
The Eastern Orthodox Church arrived on American shores during the 1700 and 1800's starting with the colonization of Alaska by the Russians and the immigration of Greeks, Ukrainians, Serbians, Romanians, Syrians, Lebanese, Bulgarians, etc., to cities in the Eastern and Southeastern United States. Today, the Orthodox Church continues to flourish and spread throughout our nation. However, it is no longer the faith of only Greeks, Russians, or others of traditional Orthodox descent. Increasingly, people of all races, colors, and ethnicities are entering the Eastern Orthodox Church. In fact, on any given Sunday morning at our parish here in Upper East Tennessee, one may witness people of Greek, English, Scots-Irish, Albanian, Georgian, Bulgarian, or German descent worshiping Jesus Christ together.
An Orthodox Christian has been baptized in the name of the Holy Trinity and follows the ideals and beliefs of both the Holy Scriptures and the oral traditions of the ancient church. He or she believes in a living and loving God, Whose Grace protects and guides them on the path of redemption and salvation. He or she believes that God has revealed Himself in the Bible through the Prophets and especially in the Person of Jesus Christ, His only-begotten Son who is man's Savior. He or she believes in the Incarnation of Christ as God-Man, in His Crucifixion and Resurrection, in His Gospel and Commandments, and in the world to come.
I invite you and your family to come and visit with us and experience the wonder and beauty of Ancient Christian worship. Our Sunday Services times are: Orthros (Matins) at 9:30 AM, the Divine Liturgy at 10:30 AM.
Your Servant in the Lord,
Rev. Presbyter Kevin Millsaps
