Show up more often. That’s the short answer. But let me unpack what that actually means.
Parish life isn’t a program you sign up for. It’s the life of the Body of Christ in this place, and you’re already part of it if you’re here. Getting more involved doesn’t mean filling out a volunteer form or joining a committee (though those things exist). It means letting the rhythm of the Church shape more of your week than just Sunday morning.
Come to More Services
Start here. We’ve got Vespers on Saturday evening. We’ve got feast days throughout the year. We’ve got Lenten services that meet multiple times a week. If you’re only coming on Sunday morning, you’re missing most of what happens. And I don’t mean that as a guilt trip, I mean you’re literally missing the services where you’ll see the same twenty or thirty people every time, and those people become your community. They’re the ones who’ll bring you soup when you’re sick or help you move or pray for your kid who’s struggling.
Weekday services are quieter. There’s space to breathe. You’ll learn the services better because there’s less going on. And you’ll start to see that Orthodoxy isn’t a Sunday hobby, it’s a way of structuring time itself around prayer.
Ask What Needs Doing
Every parish has work that needs doing. Someone’s got to clean the church. Someone’s got to count the offering. Someone’s got to organize the coffee hour, teach Sunday school, visit shut-ins, update the website, mow the lawn. These aren’t glamorous ministries, but they’re real ones. St. Seraphim of Sarov said to acquire the Holy Spirit, and all around you thousands will be saved. Sometimes acquiring the Holy Spirit looks like vacuuming the nave on a Saturday morning.
Don’t wait for someone to ask you. Just ask the parish council or a longtime member what needs help. Parishes run on the energy of people who show up and do things without being begged.
Get Involved in Mercy Work
The Antiochian Archdiocese has consistently emphasized that we’re called to serve the poor, the hungry, the homeless, the lonely, the addicted. This isn’t social work with a religious veneer. It’s what Christians do. We feed people because Christ said “I was hungry and you gave me food.” We visit prisoners because Christ is there.
Some parishes run food banks. Some have prison ministries. Some work with refugee resettlement or help people navigate the healthcare system. Here in Southeast Texas, that might mean hurricane relief or helping families whose breadwinner got laid off when the plant shut down. It might mean bringing meals to elderly folks who can’t get out anymore. Find out what your parish does and join in.
Learn and Teach
If you’re a catechumen or a newer Orthodox Christian, you might think you’re not ready to serve yet. Wrong. You can help with the inquirers’ class even if you’re still learning. You can share your story with someone who’s just walked in the door for the first time. You can read a book, try Frederica Mathewes-Green’s “Welcome to the Orthodox Church” or anything by Father Thomas Hopko, and then talk about it with others who are learning.
If you’ve been Orthodox a while, teach. We need Sunday school teachers. We need people who can lead a Bible study or explain the feast days or help someone understand what’s happening in the Liturgy.
Show Up for Fellowship
Come to coffee hour and stay a while. Come to the parish potluck. Come to the feast day celebration. Orthodoxy isn’t a private spirituality. It’s communal by nature. You can’t be Orthodox alone, and you can’t be part of a community if you’re always the first one out the door.
This is hard for people with shift work or long commutes or kids with soccer practice. I get it. But do what you can. The parish is your family, and families need time together.
A Word for the Hesitant
Maybe you’re reading this thinking, “I’m barely keeping my head above water. I can’t add one more thing.” That’s fair. Don’t let this become another burden. Start small. Come to one Vespers this month. Bring a dish to one potluck. Have one conversation with someone you don’t usually talk to. The Church isn’t asking you to be a superhero. She’s asking you to be present.
And if you’re worried you don’t know enough or you’re too new or you’ll do it wrong, stop. The parish needs you as you are right now. We’re all learning. We’re all stumbling through this together. That’s what the Body of Christ looks like on the ground in Southeast Texas in 2025. It’s messy and it’s beautiful and there’s room for you in it.
