For the first thousand years of her history the Church was essentially one. Five historic patriarchal centers – Jerusalem, Antioch, Rome, Alexandria and Constantinople – formed a cohesive whole and were in full communion with one another. The Church of Jerusalem was founded by Sts. Peter and James, the Church of Antioch by St. Paul, the Church of Rome by Sts. Peter and Paul, the Church of Alexandria by St. Mark, and the Church of Constantinople was founded by St. Andrew. Those founded in later years through the missionary activity of the first churches were the Churches of Sinai, Russia, Greece, Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania, and many others. There were occasional schismatic groups going there own way, to be sure, but the Church was unified until the 11th century. Then, in events culminating in A.D. 1054, the Roman Patriarch pulled away from the others.
Today, the Orthodox Church is a family of “autocephalous” (self governing) churches. The unity of the Church is preserved in common faith and communion in the sacraments.
Each of these churches around the world are independent in administration and all are united in faith, doctrine, Apostolic tradition, sacraments, liturgies, and services. The word Orthodox literally means right teaching or right worship, and quite logically came to be applied as the false teachings and divisions multiplied in early Christian times.
It was during the difficult martyric times that the early church was formed and established, and where the worship, the arts, and the music of the Church found their beginning. These all naturally sprang out of the Old Testament and flowed into the New. The form of worship began in the time of Moses; the arts originated in the depictions of the cherubim appointed to adorn the Hebrew Sanctuary; the music had its beginning in the Psalms of David. Even the Liturgy finds its beginning in the Old Testament, and the first communion service composed by the Apostle James, was based on his firsthand experience at the Last Supper, and is still used in the Orthodox Church today.
This group primarily serves as an educational program. There are core subjects that are discussed, including tradition,iconography, ecumenical councils, and more.
