The First Church: 1932

15 DeCamp Street (currently Academy St), Greenville SC.

 

Purchased in 1932 as an existing house from Mr. Cureton, this home was converted into the first Saint George Greek Orthodox Church in Greenville, South Carolina. 

The ground floor contained a folding partition converting the space between the Sanctuary and Social Hall. The second level comprised the Greek School and Sunday School facilities. 

Starting with only 11 Greek families, our small Greek Community incorporated in 1929, and became known as The Greek Community of Greenville, Inc. Like we still do today, our original Greenville community possessed a strong desire to sustain their religion and their language, building a strong foundation for our future growth.  

This holy house reached its limits in the late 1930s when the community grew to 30 to 40 families. 

 

The first Church 1932 Building Sign showed the name as follows: 

Ελληνική  Ορθόδοξη Εκκλησία 
Άγιος Γεώργιος   
“Greek Orthodox Church 
     Saint George” 

The church was the center of social life for most Greek immigrants in the area. It was important for the newly established citizens to preserve their Orthodox faith and rich ethnic heritage. Because the community was too small to support a church, local Protestant churches allowed the Greek community to use their facilities. 

In 1926, a group of women in the Greek community organized the first Greek Ladies Club. They elected Mrs. A.K. (Eugenia) Manos as the first President. Although a social club, they organized committees for fundraising and Greek relief, providing clothing and donations for the starving population in Greece. 

A mission church was started in Greenville in the late 1920s. Visiting priests from the larger cities came periodically to hold church services and performed the sacraments at Christ Church Episcopal Chapel. 

The first Parish Council President was Gus Bambakos in 1929. 

A meeting was held in April 1930, to decide if there was enough interest in building a Greek church. James Petropoulos was elected chairman of the meeting. Forty-two members of the community attended and voted unanimously to build a local house of worship for the growing number of Greek immigrants in this area. A committee was appointed to draw up a constitution. The committee consisted of George Manos, George Cheros, and James Rekas. 

The state of South Carolina issued a Certificate of Incorporation titled “The Greek Orthodox Community of Greenville, INC” on June 5, 1930. This document listed George Manos as President, Henry Theodore as Treasurer, and Charles Efstration as Secretary. Other names listed on the document as Trustees were George Cheros, James Raftakis, and George Cavounis. The community purchased a house on 15 DeCamp Street in 1932, renovating two rooms for a chapel. These were enormous milestones and became the foundation for the establishment of a permanent Greek presence in Greenville, South Carolina. 

A constitution was accepted by the members attending a meeting held in April 1931. The first officers of the newly organized church were elected; George Manos was President. The President of the Parish Council for 1932 was George Cheros. 

In 1933, George Poulos served as President of the Parish with Sam Kondouros in 1934 and George Manos in 1935. Mr. Manos served as President of the Parish continuously until 1948. It was in 1935 that the community felt that they were able to afford a permanent priest who could also assist in teaching Sunday School. 

Prior to that time, Mrs. Katina Efstration and Mrs. Fevronia Raftakis had served as teachers. 

Classes for Sunday School were held in other rooms of the house on DeCamp Street until 1942, when the house next door to the chapel was purchased to add additional space. 

The small mission chapel not only provided a spiritual life for the Greek community in Greenville, but also served neighboring communities such as Anderson, Seneca, and Greenwood. The community was continuously growing in numbers and in areas of support. 

The church on DeCamp Street during this time was surrounded by a pleasant neighborhood of homes and tree-lined streets. Academy and Elford Streets had not been cut through yet. Behind the church and beyond the large oak and pine trees were the grounds of the Women’s College (currently Heritage Green Campus). 

Facing the church on DeCamp Street were neatly kept homes occupied by Greek families. DeCamp Street, narrow and steep, led down to Marshall Avenue. As more Greeks continued to make their homes in Greenville, they settled here and on the adjoining Central Avenue and Barrett Street. 

On Sundays, entire families would stroll along the street to the church, The savory aromas of Greek cooking permeated the neighborhood. This atmosphere was appealing to the Greek immigrants who had made Greenville their home. The community was wholesome and tight knit. 

Father Michael Merkouris became the first regular priest for the community of St. George, arriving in September 1936, and serving the parish until he was reassigned in June 1940.