History

Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church of Virginia Beach, Virginia began with a single meeting. On November 19, 1980, a small gathering of Orthodox faithful came together with a shared conviction: Virginia Beach needed its own Greek Orthodox church. From that inauspicious beginning, everything that followed moved with remarkable speed and purpose.

In the months that followed, the community organized rapidly. Petitions from 121 households were hand-delivered to the Archdiocese on March 4, 1981, requesting a charter for the new church. On April 5, 1981, the first General Assembly meeting was held at Plaza Junior High School, presided over by Rev. Father Theodore Chelpron. At that meeting the initial parish charter was presented, an altar was set up for the first time, and all those in attendance became charter members. An interim Parish Council was elected, with Thomas C. Kyrus as president. Rev. Father George I. Paulson, recently retired from the United States Navy and residing in Virginia Beach, became the parish's first pastor. On May 3, 1981, the first Divine Liturgy of the new Greek Orthodox Church was celebrated at Plaza Junior High School. The first Sunday School and Bible Study classes were held that same day.

The milestones of those early months accumulated quickly. The Ladies Philoptochos Society was organized on July 1, 1981, with Thalia Tsantes as its first president. The first baptism, the first wedding, and the first Easter all took place within months of the parish's founding. The congregation worshipped at Plaza Junior High School as it worked toward a permanent home, raising funds through bake sales, fashion shows, dinners, craft shows, and individual pledges.

On October 11, 1981, the General Assembly unanimously approved the purchase of a former roller rink on First Colonial Road. Metropolitan Silas authorized the purchase on October 28, and through the teamwork and dedication of the young congregation, the new location was ready for its first Divine Liturgy on February 14, 1982, less than eighteen months after that first gathering. The first Easter service at the new site followed on April 17, 1982.

The community then set its sights on building an entirely new church on the First Colonial Road property, undertaking years of sustained fundraising. The building was designed and constructed by Greg Dragas, and the first Divine Liturgy in the new building was celebrated on Palm Sunday, 1997. The original roller rink structure was converted into the fellowship hall, which was later named in honor of founding pastor Father Paulson and his beloved Presbytera Evangeline for their essential contributions to the parish. Father Paulson served as pastor from 1981 until 2004, shaping every aspect of Saint Nicholas through its most formative decades.

Today, Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church stands at 621 First Colonial Road in Virginia Beach as a member of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of New Jersey, a vibrant community that grew from a November evening gathering of determined faithful into a full parish life of worship, ministries, and outreach serving the Orthodox Christian faithful of the Virginia Beach area.