History

Holy Resurrection Greek Orthodox Church of Salem, Oregon was founded in 1998 by a small group of Orthodox Christians who recognized that the nearest Orthodox communities lay thirty miles to the north and south, leaving the Willamette Valley capital without a parish of its own. For more than two decades the young community rented space for worship from local churches and schools, sustaining its liturgical and parish life through the generosity of host congregations while it worked toward a permanent home.

Father Jerry Markopoulos, proistamenos of Saint George Greek Orthodox Church in Eugene, provided for the spiritual needs of the Salem faithful for ten years, joined by area clergy who helped shepherd the mission through its formative period. His vision and steady leadership helped the community articulate a clear sense of purpose centered on the worship of the Holy Trinity. The mission reached two significant milestones in November 2019: the purchase of land on which to build a permanent church, and the formal naming of the community as Holy Resurrection Greek Orthodox Church by Metropolitan Gerasimos. That same weekend, Metropolitan Gerasimos ordained Steve Tussing to the Holy Diaconate, a moment of particular significance for the young parish.

With land secured and its name formally bestowed, the Salem community pressed forward toward the dream its founders had carried since 1998: a dedicated church of its own, built up not only in brick and mortar but, as the parish describes it, in the Body of Christ.

Holy Resurrection Greek Orthodox Church serves the Orthodox Christian faithful of Salem and the Willamette Valley as a mission parish of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of San Francisco within the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America.