by Elsie Walker

From June 5th-7th, people will be able to experience the taste and culture of Greece at the Big Greek Festival held at St. Andrew Greek Orthodox Church, 1447 Sussex Turnpike in Randolph.  The festival will include Greek food, music, Greek dancing, vendors, games for kids, a raffle and a tour of the church. Admission is free. There is free parking onsite and at the County College of Morris (with a free round trip shuttle); there is paid parking across the street at Casa de Pasta.  Festival hours are Friday, June 5th:  11am-2pm and  5pm-11pm, Saturday, June 6th: 11am – 11pm, and Sunday, June 7th: 12pm – 7 pm.  An events schedule for each day can be found at BigGreekFestival.com   The proceeds of the festival will help the church to continue its outreach in the community which is part of its mission.  Recently, Michael Serghiou, of Chester, the President of the Parish Council, shared about what will be at the festival and how the church helps in the community.

The festival will offer a variety of Greek food.  Serghiou said it is like going to a Greek restaurant. Offerings include leg of lamb (roasted lamb au jus with rice, served with Greek salad and bread), gyros, moussaka (baked eggplant, potato and ground beef, topped with béchamel cream, served with Greek salad and bread), Greek salads and more. Serghiou  noted that the food covers a broad spectrum of dietary needs.  Food will be available in the church gymnasium and outside in a tavern area.  The tavern will also have traditional drinks such as Greek beer and ouzo.   There will also be a Greek bakery (found in the gymnasium) with items including Baklava (phyllo layered with cinnamon, sugar and chopped walnuts drenched in honey and syrup),   Loukoumathes  (hot fried dough puffs drizzled with honey and topped with chopped walnuts) and more.   Friday lunch can be ordered ahead online at https://standrewgonj.square.site/s/order

Entertainment will be in the church gymnasium, provided by the Greek Dance School, a live band, and a DJ.  The Greek Dance School is part of GOYA (Greek Orthodox Young Adults).  Goya is a fellowship of youth from different Greek Orthodox parishes in the area.  The Greek Dance School has members as young as 5 or 6 up to the later teens.  The live Greek Music will be provided by Nicos Nicolaides and the DJ is Hellas Entertainment.  The later provides both Greek folk music and more modern (American style) Greek music.

There will be items on sale. Serghiou shared vendors will be selling Greek-related items and maybe some other things.   The church’s bookstore will be open. It sells books, tapes, etc. in both English and Greek which deal with Greek Orthodoxy and Greek music.

Tours of the church will be given by the church’s priest, Father John Theodosion.  Talking about the highlights, Serghiou shared that one is the life of Jesus shown in high murals and another is that when people look up at the dome, they can see Jesus looking down with the apostles.  Father Theodosion will briefly answer questions about the Greek Orthodox faith.

There will be a variety of kids festival games and a chance to buy tickets to the church’s raffle. Serghiou described the kid games as those that would typically be at a festival.  The raffle is for a Mercedes- Benz Model GLC 300 W4 – MSRP $54,585.  Tickets are $25 each and the drawing will be held on September 27, 2026, at 12:30 pm.  All ticket sales benefit St. Andrew Greek Orthodox Church. The winner need not be present at the drawing.

Reflecting on the event,  Serghiou  noted, “It is a festival but is all about the missions we support.” He noted that the mission statement of the church is this:  “Our St. Andrew Greek Orthodox Church is a welcoming place where our family is committed to God, and salvation through Orthodox worship, Christian education, philanthropy, and sharing of Hellenic culture, for the benefit of those whose lives we touch.” St. Andrew Greek Orthodox Church is not just a church but a vital member of the community and it gives back to that community.   Serghiou  shared a few ways the church does that. It provides 120 meals every month(1440 meals a year) cooking for Faith Kitchen [in Dover]. The church’s Daughters of Penelope Philanthropy includes donations for cancer research. Examples of other outreach include 400 Toys Collected for Toys for Tots and 1300 Pounds of food collected for the Interfaith Food Pantry.

For more information on the festival or the raffle, see the church’s festival website (BigGreekfestival.com), its Facebook page (search for Big Greek Festival – St. Andrew Greek Orthodox Church), phone (973) 584-0388 or email info@standrewgonj.org