History

Saint Andrew Greek Orthodox Church of Miami traces its origins to the 1960s, when the continued growth of Miami's Greek immigrant and Greek American population created demand for a second Greek Orthodox parish in South Florida alongside the established Saint Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral. A group of determined families stepped forward to make it happen. In February 1971, the South Dade Hellenic Community Center, Inc. was formally established, giving the community a legal foundation and a shared mission of worship and cultural preservation. Early services were held in a shared chapel in South Miami while the community raised funds and searched for a permanent home.

In June 1977 the community was renamed the Greek Orthodox Church of Kendall, and on February 10, 1978, the property at 7901 North Kendall Drive was purchased, providing the parish with a home of its own. The building on that site was originally a Dutch Reformed church, converted for Orthodox worship. In October 1980, in a spirit of celebration and community, the parish was renamed Saint Andrew Greek Orthodox Church by lottery, the name chosen from among the membership. Saint Andrew was also the first Greek parish in South Florida to establish a Greek Festival, the Miami Greek Festival, which became a beloved South Florida tradition.

In 1992, the parish reroofed its distinctive A-frame church with a bronze metal roof topped by a cross. Months later, Hurricane Andrew, a Category 5 storm, devastated Miami and the surrounding communities. The new roof was torn away and its sections scattered down Kendall Drive, but the church's cross remained standing at the peak of the building, a visible beacon of faith in the midst of the destruction, and an image the community has never forgotten. As Miami rebuilt in the years that followed, so did Saint Andrew. In 2003, in recognition that the church had never been formally consecrated, a three-day celebration was held marking the Baptism and Chrismation of Saint Andrew Greek Orthodox Church, during which Metropolitan Alexios placed holy relics within the altar table.

Today, Saint Andrew Greek Orthodox Church serves the faithful of Miami's Kendall area at 7901 North Kendall Drive as a parish of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Atlanta, a diverse and welcoming community whose services are celebrated in Greek, English, and at times Spanish, reflecting the rich multicultural fabric of South Florida.