Founded in 1996In the winter of 1996, Mr. and Mrs. Nikitas Damianakis placed their hope in God and made a leap of faith. Despite Nikitas’ advanced emphysema, he and his wife Elaine made the trip from Palm Harbor, FL, to Atlanta, GA to request the Episcopal blessings of Metropolitan Alexios in order to pursue their dream of honoring Saints Raphael, Nicholas & Irene of Thermi, Lesvos. His Eminence Alexios did, in fact, grant his blessings to build the first Greek Orthodox Church in America in honor of these newly manifested saints. With neither the monies nor a priest assigned to the community, the only things certain were the call of God to build up His community and the desire to honor their beloved saints. In the face of uncertainty, the founders moved forward with vision and faith. There were stumbling blocks, but God transformed them into stepping stones. There were doubts, but God transformed them into hope. With perseverance, God took a small group of his dreamers and transformed them into a community of faithful – His Church.
