As I look around the nave of my church it is clear as day that there are not many people in my age demographic. There are plenty of people 10+ years older than me and, Glory to God, an abundance of younger adults, most who are converts to Orthodox Christianity.
My age demographic is Generation X, those born 1965-1980. I know there are Gen X Orthodox Christians out there. I went to summer camp with a whole bunch of them and there were quite a few in my parish growing up. I can count on one hand how many have remained active in the Church.
To be clear, these posts are not meant to guilt or demand explanations from anyone. I know what happened. I was there and I am not in least bit surprised in the situation in which the Church finds herself. It is my intent with this series of writings is to explore why so many are missing and what it is that keeps them away.
My vantage point:
I am of Russian/Slavic ethnicity born in the United States, as were both of my parents and two of my grandparents. We have been in the U.S. for 110+ years and I only speak English (and whatever French I can recall from high school and college). However if you looked at my 10-letter maiden name and looked at my face, I definitely fit the bill as someone from Eastern Europe. And that's where the first post will start. Ethnicity and acceptance in American society.
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