PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. \u2014 The Greek Orthodox Church is known for its traditions and rich history dating back to the apostles.\u00a0It\u2019s not the kind of thing leaders in the church have known to be a huge draw for the younger generation who didn\u2019t grow up in the church, but lately it has been.<\/p>\n
Is it the gold-plated dome, the beauty inside covering the walls or the traditions that are bringing young people like David Guerrero to the Greek Orthodox church?<\/p>\n
In his case, not quite.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe YouTube algorithm started sending me all of these Orthodox videos. So, I just kept learning and learning, and I came to the conclusion that this is God\u2019s church, and I stepped foot in this church Aug. 18 of last year on my birthday and I never left since,\u201d Guerrero said.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s what brought him to The Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Clearwater, but what he felt when he got there is what keeps him coming back.<\/p>\n
\u201cVideos can only take you so far. It\u2019s something you have to experience with all your five senses. The touch, the feel, what you see around you. It is truly something that is not of this world,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Guerrero is a 29-year-old military veteran. He\u2019s one of dozens of young men who have joined the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church this year.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think they want reality. I don\u2019t think they want bells and whistles anymore,\u201d said Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church priest Father Jim Paris. \u201cYou get so much of that on TV.\u201d<\/p>\n
Father Paris said new membership went from four to five new members a year, to 30 to 35 this year alone. And he said almost all of those new members have something in common.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re finding a lot of young people coming. That\u2019s very impressive, and a lot of young men, which it\u2019s usually the women in faith. I\u2019m not putting the men down. I\u2019m admiring the women for that, but now the men are coming. And young men at that. Young men from the military,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n