Diocese: Diocese of the West
Deanery: Missionary District
Address
1763 N Gilbert Rd
Mesa, Arizona 85203-2802
Mailing address:
St. John the Evangelist Eastern Orthodox Church
PO Box 27447
Tempe, AZ 85285-7447
Email:
Website: stjohnaz.org
Office: 480-427-0630
Parish Contacts
Lay Leadership
Directions
From the East Valley:
Take US-60 West to Gilbert Rd exit
Turn right (north) onto Gilbert Rd
Continue north past Brown (but before McKellips Rd)
Turn right onto Jensen St to access the parking lot
From Florence:
Take Hunt Hwy/Florence-Mesa Hwy north
Continue as it becomes Higley Rd
Turn left onto US-60 West
Exit at Gilbert Rd and turn right (north)
Continue north past Brown (but before McKellips Rd)
Turn right onto Jensen St to access the parking lot
From Central Phoenix or West Valley:
Take Loop 202 East (Red Mountain Freeway)
Exit onto Gilbert Rd heading south
Continue south past McKellips Rd
Turn left onto Jensen St to access the parking lot
From Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport:
Exit airport heading east on E Sky Harbor Blvd
Take AZ-202 Loop E (Red Mountain Freeway)
Exit onto Gilbert Rd heading south
Continue south past Adobe St
Turn left onto Jensen St for parking
Note: The building is located on the east side of Gilbert Road, just south of McKellips Road. The parking lot entrance is off Jensen Street.
Schedule of Services
All services are in English.
5:00 PM Great Vespers
Saturday Evening
9:00 AM Hours, 9:30 AM Divine Liturgy, followed by fellowship meal
Sunday Evening
6:00 PM Daily Vespers & Jesus Prayer
Wednesday Evening
6:00 PM Vigil
Eves of Great Feasts
9:30 AM Divine Liturgy
Mornings of Great Feasts (Monday-Saturday)
Bible Study & Adult Education is also held on most Wednesdays after Daily Vespers.
Please always verify the above general schedule with the definitive calendar on the Calendar page on the parish website.
Parish Background
St. John the Evangelist Eastern Orthodox Church was established in February of 2005 to bring the Orthodox Christian Faith to Tempe, one of the largest cities in the country without an Orthodox Church and home to one of the largest state universities in the country. Our parish is part of the Orthodox Church in America (a self-governing church with historical roots in Russia). The Mission continues under the care of His Grace, ArchBishop Benjamin, Diocese of the West (OCA).
The services at St. John’s are all conducted in English. Our common musical tradition is rooted in Russia; however, we also sing hymns in the Byzantine style. We are blessed to have a number of talented singers in our Mission who work very hard at making our services beautiful, and hope our visitors find worship inspirational.
Visiting today, you will find us approximately 40 or so people struggling to live the fullness of Christian life together as it has been preserved and handed down to us. The members of St. John’s Mission come from a wide variety of a wide variety of religious and ethnic backgrounds – more than half of us are relatively new to Orthodoxy. Some of us are “cradle Orthodox,” but most of us have come from traditions like Evangelical Protestant, Roman Catholic, Episcopal, Baptist, non-denominational, Presbyterian, Disciples of Christ, etc.. St. John’s is a multi-generational, “kid-friendly,” and welcoming place to explore the Orthodox Faith, and to make a parish home with a fellowship of new friends.
As a local parish, we are devoted to the apostles’ teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayer. We encourage the ministry of the laity through the recognition and use of spiritual gifts, an understanding of the priesthood of all believers, and an emphasis on spiritual disciplines given by the church, including fasting, almsgiving, and prayer. We retain the traditional understanding of the church as a spiritual hospital where we can receive divine help in the struggle to purify our hearts and to be healed in soul and body.
