The 125th Anniversary Capital Campaign
Second to none
in America.
Archbishop Iakovos · Thyranoixia · November 19, 1972
That was the Archbishop's judgment the day the doors of this church opened for the first time. Fifty-four years later the building he blessed still has three levels — and a parishioner who cannot manage stairs can reach only one of them.
In 2026 two milestones meet in a single year: the 250th anniversary of our nation's founding here in Philadelphia, and the 125th of this parish, founded in 1901 by Greek immigrants who arrived with little more than their faith. The 125th Anniversary Capital Campaign finishes what 1972 began — an elevator to every floor, a roof over the church, a kitchen and hall equal to the work done in them, and the iconography the founders envisioned but could not fund.
Received Pledged, not yet paid
The new bell tower rises directly above the new elevator — one shaft, carrying both the sound of the bells and everyone who cannot take the stairs. Shown dashed because it is not built yet.
The goal
Six million dollars — and every single family.
One hundred percent participation is not a slogan we added to the number. It is half the goal. A building that belongs to the whole community should be paid for by the whole community, and a hundred families giving what they can is worth more to this parish than one family giving everything.
So the question is not whether your gift is large enough to matter. It is whether your name is on the list. Give at whatever level is right for your household, and the campaign counts you exactly the same as anyone else who did.
There is a Greek word for what is being asked of you here. Philotimo — the love of honour, expressed through generosity and service. It has never been measured by the size of a gift. It is measured by whether you took part.
Why 2026
Five anniversaries meet in a single year.
Our patronal feast is the Annunciation — the twenty-fifth of March. It is also the day the revolutionaries of 1821 and Bishop Germanos chose to raise the banner of freedom. The Χαῖρε of the Archangel became the cry of a people, and faith and freedom have been bound together in the Greek heart ever since. That this parish should mark its 125th in the year Philadelphia marks the nation's 250th is not an accident of the calendar so much as a continuation of it.
- 250The founding of the United States, here in Philadelphia
- 205Greek Independence, born on this feast day in 1821
- 125The Greek Orthodox Community of Philadelphia
- 100Ladies Philoptochos Nausica
- 60The Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate
What the money does
Three priorities, in this order.
Create a modern, safe, welcoming environment that attracts and inspires our parishioners. Everything below serves that, and the order is deliberate — safety before comfort, comfort before beauty.
Priority One
Safety and accessibility
No one — the elderly or the young, a widow with a cane or a mother with a stroller — should have to decide whether they can take part based on how many stairs stand between them and the hall.
- Elevator serving all three levels
- Modern bathrooms for the social hall
Priority Two
Facilities for the next fifty years
The complex was built for a parish of the 1970s. This work sets it up for the parish our grandchildren will inherit.
- Expanded kitchen for the social hall
- Bell tower above the elevator
- Atrium over the social hall entrance
- New roof over the church
Priority Three
The beauty of the church
The 1972 iconography was begun by George Filippakis and George Gleatas and never completed. This finishes their program.
- Additional iconography
- New iconostasis
Order of construction
- 1AccessibilityElevator, structure, ramps
- 2FacilitiesRoof, kitchen, hall, systems
- 3BeautyIconography, iconostasis
Share of the Phase Two budget
- 17% Accessibility — $700K–$900K
- 34% Facilities — $1.275M–$1.9M
- 38% Beauty — $1.525M–$1.925M
- 11% Engineering & site-wide — $450K–$550K
The order above is the order of construction, not the size of the investment. A full icon program for a church this size is the single largest line in the budget — but the elevator and the structural work behind it come first regardless, because no family should have to wait for beauty to have access.
What the building is for
A kitchen is not an amenity.
The hall below the nave and the kitchen beside it are where this parish does its work in the world. That work is the reason the campaign asks anything at all.
What goes out of these rooms
- Ladies Philoptochos Nausica — marking its own hundredth year — cooks out of this kitchen year-round: for the parish's own OPA Festival, for neighbours who are homeless, and for FOCUS North America and the Ronald McDonald House. Philoptochos means friend of the poor; for a century that has meant the hungry, the aged, the sick, the orphaned, the widowed, and the victims of disaster
- Matthew 25 keeps area food pantries stocked through regular deliveries to partners including Seeds of Hope and Somerton Interfaith
- Our Homeless Ministry provides food, clothing, and backpacks to neighbours in need, and feeds local college students facing food insecurity
Why that bears on an elevator
Every one of those ministries runs out of rooms this campaign is asking you to repair. A hundred years of φιλανθρωπία is not an abstraction. It is women who have served this parish for fifty years, and who now cannot easily reach the floor where much of that service happens.
So the elevator is not a convenience added to a building. It is the difference between a ministry that continues and one that quietly stops because the people who carry it can no longer get downstairs.
The building itself
What a hundred and twenty-five years looks like.
Photographed in August 2026 — the church, the complex, and the details the campaign exists to preserve and finish.
Work in hand
Some of this is already finished.
The campaign is not a proposal. The first phase was completed over the summer and fall of 2025 — finished, in use every week, and paid for with a bank loan the parish is still carrying. Retiring that loan is the campaign's first task. What follows it is the second phase.
First, the loan
The only part of this campaign you can already walk through.
Phase One cost $1,500,000 and was financed by a bank loan. Parishioners have pledged $554,000 against it, of which $399,000 has been received. The balance is still outstanding, and the parish pays interest on it every month — money that leaves the building instead of going into it.
Debt is usually the hardest thing to raise money for, because there is nothing to see. That is not our situation. The work is done. You can stand in the renovated classrooms and the new entrance and see exactly what your gift pays for. Every dollar given toward the loan stops accruing interest the day it arrives, which makes it the highest-returning dollar in the campaign.
Safety, access, and the education wing
- New bathrooms on the main floor
- New main entrance with ramps and seating areas
- Electronic security system
- Classroom renovation — new windows, heating and air conditioning, lighting
- Office upgrades, Philoptochos area, additional storage
- Church plaster repairs, fresh paint, new lighting systems
The elevator, the roof, the hall, the icons
- Elevator to all three levels of the facility
- Modern bathrooms and expanded kitchen for the social hall
- Bell tower over the elevator; atrium over the social hall entrance
- New roof over the church
- Additional iconography and a new iconostasis
Why 125 years matters
From a rented room on Chestnut Street.
Founded in 1901 by Greek immigrants who arrived with little more than their faith, ours was the sixth Greek Orthodox parish established in America and the first in the Philadelphia region. From a rented room on Chestnut Street, to a converted church on South Twelfth Street, to the sanctuary that rises today in Elkins Park, it has served the Delaware Valley without interruption for a century and a quarter.
Two ways to take part
A pledge and a gift are different things.
The campaign needs both. Choosing the right one keeps our records honest and lets the committee plan against real numbers.
Make a pledge
A pledge is your statement of intent — a total you commit to give over time, on a schedule you set. It is not a payment and no card is charged. Pledges are what let the committee sign contracts and start work.
Give now
A one-time or recurring gift processed immediately. If you have already pledged, this is how you fulfil it. If you are giving without a pledge, this is all you need to do.
Giving levels
Named recognition, and a place for everyone else.
Giving levels apply to any gift, regardless of designation. They are there to make recognition consistent, not to set a floor — the goal is one hundred percent participation, and that is measured in families, not dollars.
| Level | Minimum commitment |
|---|---|
| Distinguished Benefactor | $100,000 |
| Grand Benefactor | $50,000 |
| Benefactor | $25,000 |
| Grand Patron | $10,000 |
| Patron | $5,000 |
| Every household | Any amount |
Naming opportunities — Phase One
Specific rooms and systems, ready to be named.
These are the naming opportunities tied to the first phase of work now underway. Additional opportunities will be added as future phases of the project are scoped.
| Naming opportunity | Commitment | Availability |
|---|---|---|
| Hellenic Education Cultural Center | $150,000 | Named — no longer available |
| Education and Safety Disciples | $75,000 | Available |
| Education Disciple / Classrooms | $50,000 | Available |
| Church painting | $50,000 | Available |
| Father’s office | $50,000 | Available |
| Administrative office | $50,000 | Available |
| Conference room | $50,000 | Available |
| Internet and security systems | $50,000 | Available |
| Church lighting systems | $25,000 | Available |
| Classroom furniture and TVs | $10,000 | Available |
| Safety Disciples | $10,000 | Available |
The pledge card
Your commitment, in your own hand.
A pledge is a statement of intent, not a contract, and it can be revised at any time by contacting the church office. Pledge information is held by the campaign committee and is not circulated to the Parish Council or the clergy.
Received
Thank you.
Your pledge has been recorded and a member of the campaign committee will be in touch to confirm the details. If you would like to make your first payment now, you can do so below.
Give now
Make a gift or fulfil a pledge.
Gifts are processed securely. Bank transfer carries the lowest processing cost to the parish, so more of your gift reaches the work.
Questions
What parishioners ask.
How is this different from my stewardship?
Stewardship funds the daily life of the parish — clergy, utilities, catechism, everything that happens week to week. The capital campaign funds the building, once, and does not recur. A capital gift is in addition to stewardship, not instead of it.
And the 125th Anniversary Gala on October 10?
The Gala is a celebration with its own sponsorships, and its net proceeds carry forward this campaign. Sponsoring the Gala and pledging to the campaign are both welcome, and they are recorded separately. Gala tickets and sponsorships are handled at celebrate125.com.
Is my gift tax deductible?
Annunciation–Evangelismos is a tax-exempt religious organisation and you will receive written acknowledgement of your gift for your records. Please consult your own tax advisor regarding deductibility in your circumstances.
Six million dollars is a great deal of money. Is it realistic?
The first phase was completed and paid for in 2025, which is the honest answer to that question. The second phase is costed, and the campaign is built on broad participation rather than a handful of very large gifts — which is why one hundred percent participation sits alongside the dollar figure as half the goal.
Who sees my pledge?
Only the small designated campaign team that maintains the pledge ledger. Individual giving records are not circulated to the Parish Council as a body or to the clergy.
Can I change or pause my pledge?
Yes, at any time and without explanation. Contact the church office and it will be adjusted.
What if I would rather give by check?
Complete the pledge card above and choose “check by mail.” Make checks payable to Annunciation–Evangelismos Greek Orthodox Church with “125th Capital Campaign” on the memo line, and mail to 7921 Old York Road, Elkins Park, Pennsylvania 19027.