History

The Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church of North Miami was born from a practical problem and a community's determination to solve it. Many Greek Orthodox families living in North Miami, North Miami Beach, Miami Shores, and surrounding North Dade communities belonged to St. Sophia Greek Orthodox Church in Miami, but the distance of ten to twenty miles made regular attendance difficult for many families. Some had drifted to churches of other denominations simply out of geographic necessity. In 1962, a committee of North Miami residents formally approached St. Sophia's parish council requesting a chapel in the area. A real estate agent found suitable lots the very next day, but months passed with no action taken.

Determined to make the vision a reality, a group of twenty-one local Greek Orthodox residents organized the North Miami AHEPA Chapter 421 in 1963, with the explicit goal of establishing a church. The chapter formed a Special Projects church committee of fourteen members, conducted a survey by telephone directory and personal contacts across the broader area, and gathered 179 signatures on a petition. A Community Corporate Charter was obtained from the State of Florida. In April 1964, Bishop Aimilianos met with the committee alongside Father Mekras and gave the community straightforward counsel: if you have the finances, you can move ahead. You have the blessings of the Church.

The committee identified an available property at 12250 N.W. 2nd Avenue in North Miami, a complex of buildings and land priced at $55,000. Each committee member donated fifty dollars as a deposit. A parish assembly raised $7,500, a subsequent dinner-dance raised another $3,000, and Father Demosthenes Mekras of St. Sophia assisted in fundraising. On August 10, 1965, the down payment was made. The application to the Greek Archdiocese was approved, and the Very Rev. Archimandrite Constantine Statheros was assigned as the first priest. The first Divine Liturgy in the new church was celebrated on December 19, 1965. Members of the parish built the altar and iconostasis themselves, removing classroom partitions from the converted school building with their own hands.

The church received its name in a memorable community event. In the fall of 1966, parishioners of all backgrounds were invited to vote for their patron saint, with donations accompanying each vote. On March 25, 1967, the Feast of the Annunciation, Mrs. Sophia Laskaris cast the deciding votes for the Blessed Virgin, and the church was formally baptized the Church of the Annunciation, Evangelismos. His Eminence Metropolitan Aimilianos of the Ecumenical Patriarchate officiated at the Baptismal Ceremonies, and Mrs. Laskaris was proclaimed the Nouna, or Godmother, of the parish. Fifteen thousand three hundred eighty dollars was raised during the naming drive alone.

Today, the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church of North Miami stands at 12250 N.W. 2nd Avenue as a member of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Atlanta, serving the Orthodox Christian faithful of Miami-Dade County with worship, education, and community life rooted in the faith its founders built from the ground up.