ABOUT
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Our Faith
The Orthodox Church embodies and expresses the rich spiritual treasures of the Christian Faith delivered by Jesus Christ to the Apostles nearly two thousand years ago. Our worship and way of life is not a mere attempt at imitating the ways of the early Church, it is a continuation of that early way of life as it has been preserved unadulterated and unbroken in the life of the Church and its saints by the Holy Spirit.
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The same lands that the Apostle Paul first preached to are the homes of our bishops and spiritual leaders. They are the burial places of the great martyrs who struggled against persecution in the first centuries A.D. and whose relics lie within our altar tables. They are the homelands of the great Desert Fathers and Mothers who shunned the world in order to conquer the passions and pray for our salvation. And they are the pulpits of the Luminaries and Ecumenical Teachers who responded to the heresies of false teachers by articulating the core doctrines of the Christian Church.
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For two thousand years, the Orthodox Church has remained united to the Communion and Tradition of those early exemplars. By God's grace, we have not suffered the schisms and reformations of the West, and our beliefs are expressed concisely in the Nicene Constantinopolitan Creed that was written over a thousand years before the time of Martin Luther. While none of us are perfect participants in that venerable and sacred Tradition, it is nevertheless our daily struggle to live up to it in order to come to attain to the fullness of the love of God the Father, and we welcome any who wish to join us in that walk towards salvation.
Born from the faithful efforts of parishioners of Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Charlotte, our parish received our charter from His Eminence, Metropolitan Alexios of Atlanta in August of 1998. Since then, the Lord has blessed us with a variety of building ventures and community expansions as He continues to bring us new members who enhance our loving church family.
On October 18, 2002 we received a portion of the relic of our beloved patron saint Nektarios from Aegina. The relic is housed in a special reliquary for veneration by Orthodox faithful from near and far.
In 2007, we began a seven-year iconography project led by Tom Clark, and in 2022, we hired our first Director of Music Ministry and Protopsaltis. These major milestones in our short history mark a great honor for our community, and with them comes an awesome responsibility.
Story
Our parish cherishes our rich spiritual heritage and the opportunity to preserve and offer it in our North American context. The center of our life is our worship through which we participate in the holy Scriptures, lives of the saints, and hymnody & iconography that have been passed down by the Holy Spirit across the generations of Greek Orthodox Christians.
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As we seek to continually form ourselves and one another in this legacy of God’s revelation we strive to multiply our share of God’s grace by participating in the philanthropic and evangelical efforts of the Church locally and across the globe.
We thrive on donations of time, talent, and treasure. Our entire operating budget is funded by pledges received from the members of our parish.
Values
Saint Nektarios Greek Orthodox Church is dedicated to the continuation of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ's ministry of salvation through the proclamation and teaching of the Gospel; through Baptism in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; and through loving service to God and mankind.
Misson
Our parish will provide a loving, caring and welcoming environment where all belong and grow in the Orthodox Christian faith through worship, service, witness and fellowship.
Vision
Our...
We are a parish of the Atlanta Metropolis of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, an eparchy of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
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His Eminence, Metropolitan Sevastianos of Atlanta is the spiritual leader of the Greek Orthodox parishes in the southeast region of the United States. He is our pastoral guide and source of accountability to the Holy Eparchial Synod of the Great Church of Christ.
After studying at the Theological School of the University of Athens, Greece, Metropolitan Sevastianos completed a variety of advanced degrees at Columbia Theological Seminary, Emory University, and Vanderbilt University with focuses in Clinical Pastoral Education and Pastoral Psychology.
Since 1974, he has served a variety of communities in Europe and America as a deacon and then a priest (1979), including many parishes in the Atlanta Metropolis. In 2011, Metropolitan Sevastianos was elected by the Holy and Sacred Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate as an Auxiliary Bishop under the title of the once-glorious Diocese of Zela, serving under then-Archbishop of America Demetrios.
In 2018, then Bishop Sevastianos returned to the Atlanta Metropolis to assist His Eminence Metropolitan Alexios in ministering and serving the faithful of the Metropolis. After Metropolitan Alexios' retirement in 2024, the Holy and Sacred Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarch elected Metropolitan Sevastianos to serve as his successor. He was Enthroned as Metropolitan of Atlanta on January 25, 2025, at the Greek Orthodox Cathedral of the Annunciation in Atlanta, Georgia.
Fr. Andreas began his ministry as proïstamenos (head priest) here at St. Nektarios Greek Orthodox Church in October 2020. Prior to this, he served at St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Shrine Church in Flushing, NY. It was there he was ordained to the Holy Diaconate in June 2017 by His Grace Bishop Andonios of Phasiane, and in July 2017 to the Holy Presbyterate by His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios, Geron (Elder) of America.
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From 2014 to 2017, he served as Pastoral Assistant at the Greek Orthodox Cathedral of the Annunciation in Baltimore, MD. He is a 2014 graduate of Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology (M.Div.; Cert. Byzantine Music).
Fr. Andreas is a native of Portsmouth, VA; his home parish is the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Norfolk. He and Presbytera Meredyth (Sophia) were wed there in 2005.
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Fr. Andreas is a board member and the chaplain for The Liturgical Arts Academy. He currently serves on the Metropolis Council of the Metropolis of Atlanta.
Fr. Panayiotis was assigned as the ephemerios (second priest) of St. Nektarios in March 2024. Prior to beginning his assignment, he was the ephemerios of St. Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Washington, D.C. Fr. Panayiotis was ordained at St. Sophia, both to the Holy Diaconate (February 2021) and Presbyterate (June 2021).
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Originally from northern Virginia, Fr. Panayiotis is a graduate of Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology (Cert. Byzantine Music, 2018; M. Div., 2021). Prior to this ministerial formation and education, Fr. Panayiotis studied Computer Science at the University of Virginia and worked as a software engineer.
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Fr. Panayiotis and his wife, Presbytera Eirini, have been married since 2020 and have been blessed with two daughters.
His Eminence, Metropolitan Sevastianos of Atlanta is the spiritual leader of the Greek Orthodox parishes in the southeast region of the United States. He is our pastoral guide and source of accountability to the Holy Eparchial Synod of the Great Church of Christ.
After studying at the Theological School of the University of Athens, Greece, Metropolitan Sevastianos completed a variety of advanced degrees at Columbia Theological Seminary, Emory University, and Vanderbilt University with focuses in Clinical Pastoral Education and Pastoral Psychology.
Since 1974, he has served a variety of communities in Europe and America as a deacon and then a priest (1979), including many parishes in the Atlanta Metropolis. In 2011, Metropolitan Sevastianos was elected by the Holy and Sacred Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate as an Auxiliary Bishop under the title of the once-glorious Diocese of Zela, serving under then-Archbishop of America Demetrios.
In 2018, then Bishop Sevastianos returned to the Atlanta Metropolis to assist His Eminence Metropolitan Alexios in ministering and serving the faithful of the Metropolis. After Metropolitan Alexios' retirement in 2024, the Holy and Sacred Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarch elected Metropolitan Sevastianos to serve as his successor. He was Enthroned as Metropolitan of Atlanta on January 25, 2025, at the Greek Orthodox Cathedral of the Annunciation in Atlanta, Georgia.
Fr. Andreas began his ministry as proïstamenos (head priest) here at St. Nektarios Greek Orthodox Church in October 2020. Prior to this, he served at St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Shrine Church in Flushing, NY. It was there he was ordained to the Holy Diaconate in June 2017 by His Grace Bishop Andonios of Phasiane, and in July 2017 to the Holy Presbyterate by His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios, Geron (Elder) of America.
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From 2014 to 2017, he served as Pastoral Assistant at the Greek Orthodox Cathedral of the Annunciation in Baltimore, MD. He is a 2014 graduate of Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology (M.Div.; Cert. Byzantine Music).
Fr. Andreas is a native of Portsmouth, VA; his home parish is the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Norfolk. He and Presbytera Meredyth (Sophia) were wed there in 2005.
​
Fr. Andreas is a board member and the chaplain for The Liturgical Arts Academy. He currently serves on the Metropolis Council of the Metropolis of Atlanta.
Fr. Panayiotis was assigned as the ephemerios (second priest) of St. Nektarios in March 2024. Prior to beginning his assignment, he was the ephemerios of St. Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Washington, D.C. Fr. Panayiotis was ordained at St. Sophia, both to the Holy Diaconate (February 2021) and Presbyterate (June 2021).
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Originally from northern Virginia, Fr. Panayiotis is a graduate of Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology (Cert. Byzantine Music, 2018; M. Div., 2021). Prior to this ministerial formation and education, Fr. Panayiotis studied Computer Science at the University of Virginia and worked as a software engineer.
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Fr. Panayiotis and his wife, Presvytera Eirini, have been married since 2020 and have been blessed with two daughters and a son.
His Eminence, Metropolitan Sevastianos of Atlanta is the spiritual leader of the Greek Orthodox parishes in the southeast region of the United States. He is our pastoral guide and source of accountability to the Holy Eparchial Synod of the Great Church of Christ.
After studying at the Theological School of the University of Athens, Greece, Metropolitan Sevastianos completed a variety of advanced degrees at Columbia Theological Seminary, Emory University, and Vanderbilt University with focuses in Clinical Pastoral Education and Pastoral Psychology.
Since 1974, he has served a variety of communities in Europe and America as a deacon and then a priest (1979), including many parishes in the Atlanta Metropolis. In 2011, Metropolitan Sevastianos was elected by the Holy and Sacred Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate as an Auxiliary Bishop under the title of the once-glorious Diocese of Zela, serving under then-Archbishop of America Demetrios.
In 2018, then Bishop Sevastianos returned to the Atlanta Metropolis to assist His Eminence Metropolitan Alexios in ministering and serving the faithful of the Metropolis. After Metropolitan Alexios' retirement in 2024, the Holy and Sacred Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarch elected Metropolitan Sevastianos to serve as his successor. He was Enthroned as Metropolitan of Atlanta on January 25, 2025, at the Greek Orthodox Cathedral of the Annunciation in Atlanta, Georgia.
Our Pastoral Leaders
Metropolitan Sevastianos of Atlanta
Hierarch & Spiritual Father
Father Andreas
Father Andreas Houpos
Proïstamenos (Head Priest)
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Father Panayiotis Steele
Ephemerios (Assistant Priest)
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