History

The Assumption Greek Orthodox Church of Scottsdale, Arizona was born from a deliberate effort to extend Orthodox Christian witness into the rapidly growing communities of the East Valley. In May 1984, Metropolitan Anthony established the HOME Foundation, the Home Orthodox Missions Endowment, specifically to develop additional Orthodox Churches across the Diocese. Three years later, on September 16, 1987, Metropolitan Anthony approved the formation of an Assumption Greek Orthodox Parish in Scottsdale and appointed Phil Noplos as Chairman of the Interim Parish Council. On November 22, 1987, forty individuals gathered to share their vision for the new parish's future. The Articles of Incorporation were granted on July 13, 1988, and on August 14 and 15, 1988, Bishop Anthony celebrated the very first services of the new Assumption parish.

The early years of the parish were spent in a converted residence at 8202 East Cactus Road, which the City of Scottsdale approved for use as a church facility in June 1988. From those humble surroundings the community grew steadily, and by the late 1990s the vision of a permanent purpose-built church had taken hold. Groundbreaking services were held on May 28, 2000, and on October 28, 2001, the Opening of the Doors celebration of the new Assumption Greek Orthodox Church was held. The building reflects a striking blend of Byzantine and American Southwest Spanish architectural influences, cruciform in shape with a dome crowning the sanctuary, and features a domed outdoor baptistery bearing an inscription from the Hagia Sophia in both Greek and English. The mortgage on the new church was retired through a campaign called Consecrate Your Faith, concluded in March 2005.

A second capital campaign, Building Faith, Family and Future, commenced in February 2015 and raised nearly $2.84 million, financing a Community Center building that broke ground on August 21, 2016 and was completed on November 1, 2017, rounding out a full parish campus and giving the growing Scottsdale community the gathering space it needed.

Assumption Greek Orthodox Church at 8202 East Cactus Road in Scottsdale serves the Orthodox Christian faithful of the East Valley as a parish of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of San Francisco within the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, conducting all worship services in English and welcoming Orthodox Christians and inquirers of every background into a family-centered community of faith.