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This is a segment of an ongoing exchange between Reader Daniel and Joanna Higginbotham about the possibility of continuing ROCOR in Oregon after the ROCOR-MP union had taken all of our people. Reader Daniel lashes out at Joanna because she calls him out for his refusal to receive the Sacraments. [update: 10 years later, 2019, nothing has changed.]
This is a segment of an ongoing exchange between Reader Daniel and Joanna Higginbotham about the possibility of continuing ROCOR in Oregon after the ROCOR-MP union had taken all of our people. Reader Daniel lashes out at Joanna because she calls him out for his refusal to receive the Sacraments. [update: 10 years later, 2019, nothing has changed.]
> Date: Mon, 2 Feb 2009 10:59:31 -0800
> Subject: Oregon Parish
> To: oregdan@hotmail.com
>
> Dear Daniel,
>
> At this point I am inclined to line up closer with your thinking.
>
> Our Oregon parish needs to to made up of individuals who do not compromise
> by going to the OCA or the RTOC in the meantime. If we started a parish
> and attracted all those compromisers - UGH! I'm not interested in
> building a Church for them. Our "parish" is most likely going to have to
> be "buildingless."
>
> It has been almost 2 years since the signing. Everybody who is committed
> to ROCA has revealed themselves. I do not see Maxim as one of us.
>
> I know that sounds hard-hearted. But I'm just not interested in trying to
> entice people. They are either ROCA or they are not. I do not see the
> "Church building" in Oregon manifesting. A traveling priest who comes
> through once a year or even every 2 years or 5 years, well, that sounds
> realistic. But, if he is going to set up temporary "shop" somewhere and
> we are going to invite all the would-be's from Fr. Joseph Sunderland and
> ROCOR(MP) and OCA in Portland, etc - and if our traveling priest communes
> them - then I won't feel like we really have a Church.
>
> When I attended services at Fr. Joseph's I was there as a visitor.
> Everyone knew it. Everyone knew I was ROCOR-PSCA and not going to change.
> I would not consider communing there (or anywhere) without a blessing from Fr.
> Gregory. The people in MY church are just as committed as I am. Maxim is
> not in ROCA(A). It is not a problem if ROCA(A) people want to VISIT other
> parishes - as long as they are open and honest about who they really are.
> That is not a description of Maxim.
>
> I do not know of anyone in Oregon who is in ROCA who is attending services
> somewhere as a visitor. All I hear of is people who MIGHT be tempted to
> join ROCA if we supply them with a convenient building and a blameless
> priest who is beyond all criticism who can please everyone's individual
> ideas of how they think things should be. And, honestly, at the risk of
> you not speaking to me for the rest of my life - I see you and Gregory
> Johnson both without a spiritual father in ROCA(A) - and therefore without
> any solid physical connection to ROCA. I have you both commemorated at
> the altar of Fr. Gregory's Annunciation Church, but many Orthodox are also
> commemorated there who are members of other jurisdictions, even. You have
> both been baptized Orthodox, and you are great and loyal fans of ROCA >
> and YOU in particular contribute immeasurably to the ROCA(A). But that is
> as far as it goes.
>
> In the meantime it is risky to avoid the true sacraments for any reason.
> Fr. Gregory has given me a blessing to go to Etna during Lent for a day or
> two. He has just cautioned me not to get too closely involved - probably
> for the reasons you note. I won't be going in order to find a "spiritual
This is all YOUR personal opinion, it is not mine.
> family" - I'm going for the sacraments that bind us to the Church
> Triumphant in Heaven and to our Master and Head. I'm not afraid of being
> tempted to get "close" to Etna since I have my feet firmly planted in
> Annunciation Parish. If Annunciation Parish disappeared, I would ask Holy
> Trinity in Astoria next.
>
> If anyone wants to ride with me they can.
>
> Love, Joanna who is not always right, but she is not always wrong either.
> And only rarely is she nice.
>
>
_______________
> Subject: Oregon Parish
> From: oregdan@hotmail.com
Since you don't care if you offend me, and since you are trying to end our friendly relationship:
Joanna, so much of what you say here, is totally out-of-order and is not Orthodox, it is the ravings of some sort of a Protestant-sectarian. You have set up yourself and your personal likes and dislikes, and your narrow (supercorrect) version of Orthodox norms, that you are tending to make me believe that YOU cannot be an effective part of any ROCA mission in Oregon, or of ANY Orthodox jurisdiction... anywhere! Your hate-filled and negative unOrthodox attitudes preclude any possibility of it's founding or success.It is yourself? who will decide who is admitted or not??? Rather, you sound like an obstructionist, a church-wrecker, a soul-killer. For one major problem in your attitudes: in the Orthodox church, it is the clergy, bishops & priests who call the shots, not the laity,... not YOU... or ME! We laity are to pay the bills and obey, that's all. (like it or not). And it will be up t o the priest in question, (should such a man ever be found!) as to WHO he accepts or not, where he goes, what he does, what he commands us to do, etc. etc....not you or me. (WE could only.... suggest, not order him!) As to us attending schismatic Fr. Joseph's and others like him, NO! Orthodox canons forbid us to do that. That is a great sin! We are not allowed to pray with schismatics or to even set foot in their temples! Again, who is MY
spiritual father/father confessor, is NONE! of your business, Madam! Just so, who is your priest, is also none of my affair. That is your private affair between him and you.
So, how can YOU suggest that somehow, YOU are more ...in....ROCA than I? How DAMN insulting!!!!!!!... do you find ME as a threat to your imagined-power-trip control.. .of a future ROCA mission here in Oregon? If so, how very very petti and silly and deranged of you. What good, thus, have all your liturgical prayers done for you?... obviously... none. Apparently, they have just made you more of a pharisee, a self-willed self-righteous judgemental unfruitful...'boss'.
You are so, so insulting Joanna....and you make me realize that YOU are only an obstructionist to any real progress for ROCA in Oregon. You seem to want to be our woman ROCA Pope! You are just too damn bossy and dominering and opioninated and super-correct. HUMBLE down, shut up, and improve YOURSELF first, and then...you just might...have a few words to others which might help them. Right now, you do only harm.
Your words here, plus your other past outrageous words, prove to me, that YOU cannot be any meaningful contribution to a stable or actual ROCA parish family in this state, and I plan on warning our church authorities about you. You are the dissembler that Apostle Paul warns us about. In Fr. Joseph's they speak about you as, 'that nutty Joanna'. Why do they think that about you?
Do not respond to this, as of now you are on my automatic reject list. You have finally convinced me, that you are toxic for my life, and that you are NOT an Orthodox sister.
Joanna Higginbotham!...you need psychiatric therapy, your thoughts are so very very unbalanced, and your version of Orthodoxy is on a neanderthal level,... so very undeveloped and uncharitable to others.... and... in disobedience to many Orthodox spiritual and canonic teachings. YOU KNOW ALMOST ZERO! about Orthodoxy!!! And, who needs your blog, anyway? NOBODY! Take my name off it.
P.S. My!... what a limited intellect and a judgemental cold heart you have! My remaining life-span is much too short, for me to waste any further of my precious last few years or time or energies on you.
Mr. Daniel Everiss
