Below is the email sent on April 21, 2016.
On Sunday, April 17th, Father Christopher offered a very interesting and informative presentation on Orthodox Architecture. As he said in announcing it:
Before we begin building our own Orthodox church, it is important for all of us to learn and understand why it is we build our churches the way we do. The church building is iconic and meant to portray the mystery of our salvation both in its interior and exterior arrangement. Architecture is a part of our Holy Tradition and we build according to the teaching of the Church. The Church is to present the Gospel to us and be the place where we participate in the fulness of our life in Christ through the liturgy and worship of the faithful gathered around Christ's Throne. This is why we don't build all-purpose buildings that look like assembly halls or gymnasiums.
For those who were unable to attend, a video of this presentation along with the slides used are available on our Raising the Cross website.
Holy Cross Orthodox Church · www.holycrossoca.org