A week before Christmas, as the new Assyrian Church of the East Mar Yosip Khnanisho Parish in Gilbert, Arizona prepared to open its doors to the public for the first time, a technicality threatened to keep the building closed until 2019.
Church officials were informed they could not use the facility for public services — including all upcoming Christmas celebrations — until city inspectors visited the property and issued a permit. Although the inspection had originally been scheduled for the week before Christmas, city delays pushed the visit back.
“Wednesday morning was our final hope of doing the inspection before the holiday,” said Shamasha (deacon) Andrew Aziz.
And as if by fate, that morning as Qasha (priest) Khoshaba Sholimun sat inside his car in the church parking lot, praying for a miracle and waiting to learn whether the doors could open, a contractor approached his car window and said, “Rabi, are you ready to celebrate Christmas?’”
That Christmas week, the newly opened church celebrated three masses. One of the most emotional moments, according to the parishoner Nenwe Geeso, was seeing the flowing fabrics covering the altar for the first time.
“If you looked around the room, everyone had tears in their eyes when the curtain first opened,” Geeso said. “We have celebrated mass for years without curtains in the altar. It’s a big deal for the Assyrian Church of the East to have curtains covering the altar. As soon as those curtains opened and we celebrated our first mass, we were so thankful to have the opportunity to finally have our own church to call home.”
Building a mission parish
In the early 2000s, nearly 30 Assyrian families in Gilbert had grown tired of traveling over an hour to St. Peter’s church in Glendale. They reached out to Bishop Mar Aprim Khamis, and by 2005, the Mar Yosip Mission Parish was established.
At first, the parish celebrated Eucharist twice a month, renting a school auditorium and bringing in a priest from a sister parish. Within a year, the mission had its own priest and a church committee that began building membership and spreading awareness.
By 2012, the committee began searching for land. After two unsuccessful attempts, a new plot was approved by the congregation in 2015. The land was purchased for $240,000, and with construction and design costs, the total came to just over $1 million.
“A majority of the money came from donations, and we also received loans for the rest of the payments,” Aziz said. “We had clergy send us things. They would send us a chalice and the paten that we now use for Eucharist and different sets of books that we needed for the liturgical services.”
The church belongs to the Assyrian Church of the East Western Diocese, led by His Grace Bishop Mar Aprim Khamis, which includes seven churches and three mission parishes across California, Arizona, Nevada, and Texas.
Organizing a youth group
In 2009, Goriel Yaro gathered five young parish members to attend the Assyrian National Youth Conference.
“Gorial was that older figure, the role model that we all looked up to,” Aziz said.
A few years later, youth leader Julie Benyamin encouraged even more participation.
“When Julie came around, she shaped us to take leadership on our own,” Geeso said.
But the greatest challenge, both admitted, was not having a church building.
“You look at other youth groups and they’ll be at church every night of the week, whereas we were renting a rec center for youth bible studies that we could only use for an hour and a half on Friday nights,” Aziz said. “But once we were all 18 or 19, we had this drive to get the church and it came with the help of thousands of other people that were able to donate and support.”
Today, the youth group has 25 active members who help organize major events and fundraising efforts, including a telethon that boosted the church fund.
Raising funds to grow the church
Two months before the church’s scheduled opening, the parish began exploring news fundraising ideas. Inspired by telethons held in California’s Central Valley Diocese, they reached out to Assyrian Sat and producer Steven Lelham from Turlock, who helped with recording and livestreaming.
On Oct. 20 and 21, the telethon streamed speakers including clergy, Sunday School teachers, the choir, and youth members. Viewers were encouraged to donate, and those who gave $200 or more were eligible for prizes. In two days, the videos generated over 3,000 views on Facebook and raised $55,000, with contributions coming from across the U.S., Iraq, and Australia.
Additional fundraising included a “Brick Campaign,” allowing families worldwide to purchase engraved bricks now lining a wall near the main entrance.
Making a church sacred
The new church, which seats 272, is now preparing for its sacred consecration, during which the bishop, priests, and deacons will anoit the altar.
“The consecration is a very historical and memorable day for the church,” Aziz said. “When the altar is anointed, it’s sort of sealed. It’s sacred for the church and the faithful of the church.”
After nearly a decade of effort, as the Gilbert community awaits the consecration, Geeso reflects on that first mass.
“Seeing the congregation come together in the name of our Lord to put their efforts in building their own home goes to show what can be achieved when you put your faith in God,” she said.