History

The story of Kimisis Tis Theotokou Greek Orthodox Church of Holmdel begins with a small group of devout families in 1973 who shared a vision of bringing a Greek Orthodox church to the Bayshore area of central New Jersey. These early members formed the Bayshore American Hellenic Association, known as BAHA, organizing for the purpose of attracting Orthodox families, raising funds for a new church complex, and providing temporary religious services and a Greek language school for children. The community met in members' homes, motels, a real estate office, and the Shore Point Inn while building toward something permanent.

In 1975 Greek language classes began at the Beer Street School and the first Divine Liturgy was celebrated at the Holmdel Motor Inn. In 1976 the community formally requested and was granted recognition and sanctioning from the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese, and at the first General Assembly meeting the name Kimisis Tis Theotokou, the Dormition of the Theotokos, was officially adopted. Father George Prassas was assigned as the first parish priest, and the first official Divine Liturgy was held at Christ Church in Middletown. The first annual Greek Festival was held at Pleasant Valley Farm in Colts Neck that same year, launching a community tradition that has grown across five decades. Church services and Greek language classes were held at the Beer Street School in Hazlet until 1988.

On Sunday, September 21, 1986, groundbreaking ceremonies were held for the church building, and on December 18, 1988, the first Divine Liturgy was celebrated in the completed church, marking the day when Kimisis Tis Theotokou finally became a reality in the Bayshore community. A Community Center was added in 1999 and blessed on the nameday of the church, August 15, officiated by Bishop George of New Jersey. On October 21, 2007, Metropolitan Evangelos of New Jersey consecrated the church, completing its canonical standing nearly three decades after the community's founding.

Kimisis Tis Theotokou Greek Orthodox Church in Holmdel serves the Orthodox Christian faithful of the Bayshore area of central New Jersey as a parish of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of New Jersey within the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, a community of more than 400 families built from bake sales and festivals and the shared dream of a handful of devout families who refused to worship anywhere but their own.