[23] Funds were raised only with great difficulty from this largely poor community,[8] but construction began in April 1921 and the first service was held November 20, 1921.

He used English heavily in his Seattle services, partly for the benefit of the many non-Greek women married to Greek men, and the children of those couples.

[29] The Greek community continued to found new organizations, notably, in 1928, a chapter of the American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association (AHEPA).

There were many Greek-language performances of music, as well as theater and lectures, and Greek community banquets were on a par with those of the city's most established ethnic groups.

Further, at almost the same time the economy began to fail, Seattle's Greek community underwent theological disagreements that ultimately split the congregation in two.

[35] In 1932, Father Phoutrides left to take over priestly duties for a congregation in Oakland, California; Archimandrite Germanos Papanugiotou came in the opposite direction.

This was a turbulent time in the church: of Phoutrides' departure, The Washington Hellenic Review wrote: Like the pastors of every community in the country, during troubled days of religious strife, of reform and of reaction, he has faced warring factions, inefficient leadership, self-centered bigotry, and far-fetched idealism falling pitifully short of its makr, but weathered the storms with the steadfast confidence of the believer.

Further, there was great disagreement within the congregation over the new constitution adopted by the 1932 national convention of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North and South America.

[38] Amidst these continuing difficulties, Archimandrite Papanugiotou exchanged positions in the summer of 1934 with Father Haramlambos ("Harry") Skoufis, who came to Seattle from Los Angeles.

[39] One of the few accomplishments of Father Papanugiotou's tenure was the establishment of a women's choir, instructed by Marianne Flanders of the Cornish School; he also introduced an organist.

Archbishop Athenagoras told them that there was only one man in the United States qualified for all three positions: Constantine Miolonopoulos, who thus came to Seattle from Salt Lake City.

[40] Discord continued over the relative role of clergy and laity and over the respective use of Greek and English in services, ultimately splitting the congregation.

[42] Because Greece had already been invaded by Fascist Italy, Greek Americans were generally in favor of America's entry into World War II.

Throughout the war, the church continued to hold picnics, fundraising bazaars, and cultural events, and to host Greek American soldiers and sailors who found themselves stationed in Seattle.

He was succeeded briefly by Archimandrite Vasilios Germanis and then in September 1941 by Father Haramlambos ("Harry") Gavalas (born Tsavalas), who remained for 15 years.

Men still generally sat on one side of the church and women on the other during services, although at least one non-Greek wife violated this custom, which would finally go into abeyance some time in the 1960s.

[51] After an unsuccessful effort to find an appropriate site on Capitol Hill, property—the Dahlialand Gardens, the last remnant of the Wheeler family dahlia farm that had once extended clear to Portage Bay—was purchased in Montlake at 2100 Boyer Avenue East.

Through his efforts and others', on February 18, 1959, Orthodox Christianity formally gained the status of Washington State's fourth "major religion" (along with Protestantism, Catholicism, and Judaism.

He promptly initiated a roughly monthly bulletin, St. Demetrios Logos, which contained religious articles and a journal of community activities.

An additional parcel of land was bought on the north side of the Boyer property, allowing access from Lynn Street to what would become a rear parking lot for the newchurch.

The parishioners boarded buses and cars to their new home; they were preceded by the church's relics, bone fragments of six thousand monk martyrs of St. Sava Monastery.

The Montlake church was formally consecrated by Archbishop Iakovos in on April 28, 1974, and Father Demopulos was raised to the position of Protopresbyter or Archpriest, the highest honor awarded to a married Orthodox priest.

In 1979, the parish decided that they were ready to undertake further construction, the long-contemplated Community Center adjacent to the church, with a larger kitchen, a library, offices and a large hall,[71] also designed by Paul Thiry.

This project, the development of a camp facility on Raft Island near Gig Harbor, Washington, and the continuing expansion of programs for youth, young adults, and the elderly would dominate the 1980s.

[72] The 1980s also saw some tension between secular and religious focus: did All Saints Camp and Retreat Center merit its costs, was there too much emphasis on things like Greek folk dance, should the church hire a business manager or a second priest?

The resulting facility had 16,000 square feet (1,500 m2) of usable floor space and the main community hall could handle 450 people for theater seating and 350 for a banquet.

[77] In May 1987, Michael Dukakis visited the small hall of St. Demetrios in the run-up to his campaign for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States.

Early bazaars were in November and December, with embroidered and crocheted children's articles (intended as Christmas gifts), coffee, and Greek pastries for sale in the church hall.

The preparation of breads, pastries, and other food for the ever-larger bazaars and festivals would become an increasingly large affair, involving George and Jean Macris' bakery in North Bend, Washington (parishioners would head out days beforehand to help bake hundreds of loaves of tsourekia, a sweet bread), Remo Borracchini's bakery in the Rainier Valley south of downtown, and the kitchens of the Broadway Vocational Institute (now Seattle Central Community College) on Capitol Hill.

Beginning in 1983, the festival—it was now far more than a bazaar—was held even earlier, in September, and transformed into a largely outdoor event utilizing multiple tents (one hosted a taverna), with airplane tickets to Greece as first prize in the raffle.