Greetings to you, in the name of Jesus Christ!

The Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America is the jurisdiction of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East in the United States and Canada.

We trace our roots to first century Antioch, the city in which the disciples of Jesus Christ were first called Christians.

Sometimes called the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Orthodox Church is the first Christian Church, the Church founded by the Lord Jesus Christ and described in the pages of the New Testament. Her history can be traced in unbroken continuity all the way back to Christ and His Twelve Apostles. For twenty centuries, she has continued in her undiminished and unaltered faith and practice. Today her apostolic doctrine, worship and structure remain intact. The Orthodox Church maintains that the Church is the living Body of Jesus Christ.

The Holy Synod of Antioch granted the Archdiocese an autonomous status referred to as Self-Rule in 2003, and by 2014 the Archdiocese had grown to over 275 parish churches, with St. Michael Orthodox Church of Dothan, AL being one of them!

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Welcome to the Orthodox Christian Faith!

The Orthodox Church embodies and expresses the rich spiritual treasures of Eastern Christianity. It should not be forgotten that the Gospel of Christ was first preached and the first Christian communities were established in the lands surrounding the Mediterranean Sea. It was in these eastern regions of the old Roman Empire that the Christian faith matured in its struggle against paganism and heresy. There, the great Fathers lived and taught. It was in the cities of the East that the fundamentals of our faith were proclaimed at the Seven Ecumenical Councils.

The spirit of Christianity which was nurtured in the East had a particular favor. It was distinct, though not necessarily opposed, to that which developed in the Western portion of the Roman Empire and subsequent Medieval Kingdoms in the West. While Christianity in the West developed in lands which knew the legal and moral philosophy of Ancient Rome, Eastern Christianity developed in lands which knew the Semitic and Hellenistic cultures. While the West was concerned with the Passion of Christ and the sin of man, the East emphasized the Resurrection of Christ and the deification of man. While the West leaned toward a legalistic view of religion, the East espoused a more mystical theology. Since the Early Church was not monolithic, the two great traditions existed together for more than a thousand years until the Great Schism divided the Church.

We welcome you to our church and we encourage you to attend our services to become part of our family! Becoming an Orthodox Christian is such a wonderful life changing experience! There is a unique beauty in parish life and joy in finding your own personal way to contribute to it. The best part about the Christian life is that there is no limit to an individual’s growth in Christ. Each member of the body of Christ is called to be a saint, that is, a person who becomes united with God by grace.

Explore our website to find more about the Orthodox community of Dothan, Services, and much more!

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Greetings to you, in the name of Jesus Christ!

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Our Community

Services and Blessings

Donate

Become an Orthodox

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