Baize to be ordained as Orthodox priest
Look around Hillsboro and you won't find many Orthodox priests.
In fact, you won't find any.
But that's about to change. On Saturday, Sept. 7, Hillsboro resident John Baize will be ordained as a priest of the Orthodox Church — making his official title "Father Baize."
Baize was ordained as a deacon on Aug. 5 at the church he pastors, the Holy Transfiguration Orthodox Church. The church, which is just over a year and a half old, is located on North Washington.
There are three basic "levels" of leadership found in the Orthodox Church, Baize said: reader, sub-deacon, and deacon. As one goes through the levels, he also completes a three-year course of study with the Orthodox Church.
By the time Baize is ordained on Sept. 7, he will have completed two years of study, he said.
What does the new role mean for John Baize?
First, it means that Baize takes a more definite leadership role over his congregation — right now , Father Christopher Holwey of Wichita's St. Mary Orthodox Church is the church's formal priest.
Now Baize will be the "go-to guy," he said.
Also, being a priest means that Baize will wear the priestly garments in public, not just church. That includes a cassock, or robe, and the clerical collar that's familiar to most people.
"In my own Christian life I've always wanted to be a testimony to Christ," Baize said. He sees wearing the clerical garments as "a way to stand up for Christ in the world."
The Church doesn't expect him to wear the garments during work, he said. Baize works for the State of Kansas, helping people with disabilities find jobs. His office is in Wichita.
Baize's journey into the Orthodox Church began in the fall of 1999. At that time he was pastoring the nondenominational Hillsboro Christian Fellowship, a church located in the same building as his present church.
Baize's history and background in seminary was in the Mennonite Brethren denomination, but he became more and more disillusioned with the current state of Protestant churches, he said.
Around that time he picked up the book "Becoming Orthodox," by Peter Gillquist. That book brought him back to what Orthodox followers believe is the original New Testament church as it was founded at the time of Christ, Baize said.
As he studied the Orthodox Church, Baize discussed his findings with his church family — and to make a long story very, very short, his church group eventually was named the Holy Transfiguration Orthodox Church. Bishop Basil of the Antiochian Archdiocese named it during a service in the spring of 2002.
As Baize now approaches the role of priest, he feels very humbled, he said.
"It's a very humbling role," he said. "I feel very unworthy."
