Source: St. Petersburg Times
On February 7, 2000, the St. Petersburg Times reported that the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America has given its blessing to the formation of a new congregation in Palm Harbor, FL to meet the growing demands of Orthodox migration to the Northern Pinellas region. The new St. Raphael, St. Nicholas and St. Irene Hellenic Orthodox Church celebrated its first liturgy on Sunday, February 6th at its temporary home in the Palm Harbor Library. Members of the new congregation specifically left the word "Greek" out of the church's name so that it would have a wider appeal. E. Vasili Ehrhard, council president of the 50-family parish, stated: "It makes the faith more approachable...All of our events will mostly be conducted in English." Jill Wernicke, a second-generation Greek-American who lives in Tarpon Springs, FL, stated: "We are a growing community of diverse families, and many of us aren't Greek, so it's important to reach out to us." Though there are three Greek Orthodox churches in Pinellas County, they can't meet the needs of the rapidly growing English-speaking Orthodox population in the area.