Westlake’s Greek festival brings fun, fellowship, faith

Perched on a hilltop off St. Stephen’s School Road is Austin’s only Greek Orthodox church. This faith community’s journey began in 1985 in a borrowed worship space. In 1990, 4.2 acres of land was purchased in Westlake to build a Byzantine style stone church, with arched windows, red tile roof and views reminiscent of Greece.

Transfiguration Greek Orthodox Church welcomed worshipers in 2004, and is a colorful jewel filled with inspirational icons illustrating sacred scriptures.

Since opening, membership has exploded and now includes 250 families.

“We are mostly a convert church, at least 65% are converts. They come from all backgrounds … and are looking for a church that has significant roots in history and truth and doesn’t change. They love the ritual, the holistic approach to worship, utilizing all of their senses … sight with iconography, smell with incense, taste with Holy Communion, and touch with kissing of the icons and warmth of a close-knit community,” said the Rev. Vasileios Flegas.

One of the congregation’s most joyful activities is hosting its annual Austin Greek Festival every Memorial Day weekend, this year from May 27-29 at the church.

Flegas said the Greek Festival is about “extending the love and fellowship of our community to the broader community through our love of hospitality, food, dance and just plain old fun.”

Guests come for the fresh and homemade Greek food, such as spanakopites, gyros, souflaki kebabs, lamb shanks, pastitsio, baklava, and more, including Greek wines and beer. Parishioners spend many hours preparing the mouth-watering food in the community center kitchen.

During all three days of the festival, chains of dancers will snake through the crowd accompanied by a live band from Greece. The church’s  young adult troop will perform traditional folk dances, joined by cohorts from Houston area Greek Orthodox churches.

No one wanting to dance will be left out. The community will teach Greek circle dancing to anyone yearning for fun.

Scheduled tours of the church also will be given every afternoon during the festival. Vendors will offer Greek arts and crafts, food, fashion, books and more.

“We’re hoping for about 4,000 to 4,500 people this year and can accommodate parking thanks to our wonderful neighbors next door, the Texas Army National Guard who share their parking lot with us for the festival,” said George Bithos, associate priest. There will also be shuttle buses to more free parking nearby.

The festival provides a good source of revenue to the church, and it intends to use the proceeds to address its growing need for space and desire to share it with the broader community.  A top priority is building a new fellowship hall with classrooms, banquet facilities and larger kitchen.

“Our church brings us to God and each other, but after the liturgy, we need to continue to celebrate one another, so this building will bring us together. … It will be an extension of our home.

"It's where we’ll celebrate the most important milestones of our lives: baptisms, weddings, graduation parties, special birthdays, retirements. It’s going to be the source of so many memories for generations to come,” said Bithos.

The congregation currently hosts weekly Greek language classes for children and adults, and biblical language classes to help people understand the New Testament, which originally was written in Greek.

Tours of the church have sparked interest in the faith, leading many to explore or renew Orthodoxy.

“We had a record number of converts this Easter," said Bithos. "Our church speaks to the heart and soul, and our festival gives people the opportunity to experience our real sense of community, Greek spirit and hospitality.”

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Westlake’s Greek festival brings fun, fellowship and faith