History

Saint George Greek Orthodox Church of Ocean City, Maryland came into being through the perseverance of Greek Orthodox Christians scattered across the Delmarva Peninsula who had long dreamed of a permanent house of worship on Maryland's Eastern Shore. For years before a church existed, Father Michael Yachnis conducted worship services in Salisbury, Maryland one Saturday a month, and during the summer months celebrated Sunday services in a nearby parish along Coastal Highway, a faithful arrangement that sustained the community but could not fully meet its needs.

The dream of a permanent church in Ocean City was realized through the extraordinary efforts of Michael Cappy, a commercial artist and local businessman who drew on more than thirty years of construction experience to make the project possible. Working through the autumn of 1984 and into the spring of 1985, Cappy enlisted local subcontractors and suppliers who donated or reduced the cost of their labor and materials, transforming what had seemed an impossible undertaking into a tangible reality. Nearby Greek Orthodox parish communities in Washington, D.C., Baltimore, and Virginia contributed religious items to furnish the new sanctuary. The church was built as a labor of love and named in honor of Saint George the Great Martyr and Trophy-Bearer. On June 22, 1985, Father George Gallos celebrated the first Divine Liturgy in the new church, with Father John Tavlarides assisting. The second service followed on June 30, 1985, celebrated by Father Michael Yachnis, who had worked tirelessly alongside Cappy toward the goal of a church in Ocean City.

Saint George Greek Orthodox Church at 8805 Coastal Highway in Ocean City serves the Orthodox Christian faithful of the Maryland Eastern Shore as a parish of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of New Jersey within the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, known affectionately as the Church by the Sea, a diverse and welcoming community of cradle Orthodox Christians and converts who gather to worship in the ancient tradition of the Church within sight of the Atlantic Ocean.