Our Clergy
Fr. Jerry Markopoulos - Serves Wednesdays
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Father Jerry serves full-time in Eugene at St. George Greek Orthodox Church, where he resides with his family. In addition to serving at St. George, Father Jerry currently serves, on a part-time basis both the Greek Orthodox Mission Church of Salem and Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Mission of Roseburg.
He was born in Philadelphia, PA and is the oldest of three children born to Greek immigrant parents. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accountancy (Villanova University); a Master of Divinity degree (Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Theological School); a Master of Social Work degree (California State University at San Bernardino) and a Master’s certification in Health Services Administration (Eastern Washington University). Father Jerry worked with at-risk children and adolescents in numerous capacities prior to pursuing an interest in hospital work. Starting out as an Emergency Room social worker, Father worked his way to becoming an administrator of several hospital departments. In January of 1997, Father was ordained to the Holy Diaconate and served the Church on a part-time basis. In November of 2002, Father was ordained to the Holy Priesthood and entered into full-time ministry work. Prior to coming to St. George, Father served as the Associate Priest at Holy Trinity Cathedral in Portland, Oregon. He has led many youth and adult retreats, summer camps, and has devoted himself to hospital ministry, prison ministry, visiting shut-ins, supporting his brother priests, the study of church growth, strategic planning, and renewal. While in Portland Father was instrumental in the founding of Agia Sophia Academy, an Orthodox Christian School. He and Presbytera Maria are blessed with two sons and a daughter. |
Fr. Steve Tussing - Serves Wednesday's, Saturdays, and Sundays.
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Fr. Steve serves at St. George Greek Orthodox Church in Eugene and assists at Holy Resurrection Greek Orthodox mission in Salem. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in both Accounting and Psychology (George Fox University); a Masters of Divinity (Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Theological School); is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA); is a Certified Information Systems Security Profession (CISSP); and holds several other technology and information security certifications.
Outside of the Church, Fr. Steve has worked in multiple industries including public accounting, government, financial sector, and sports apparel. Likewise, he has helped with various youth ministries and administrative functions in the Church including parish council and treasurer roles. In November of 2019 Fr. Steve was ordained to the Diaconate and ordained to the Holy Priesthood in September of 2020. He is currently Fr. Jerry's assistant. Fr. Steve is native to the Northwest and enjoys living in Keizer with his Presbytera and four kids. In addition to enjoying time with his family, playing basketball, trips to the beach, tinkering with technology, and playing board games are a few of his hobbies. |
Fr. Edward Hillhouse - Serves Sundays
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Fr. Edward Hillhouse, was born in Wisconsin, then soon traveled to Virginia and ended up in 13 different schools from San Diego to Alaska, as a Navy brat. These enriching experiences helped make him a better teacher, which he had had a vision of doing by the age of 14. He pursued his goal of becoming a school teacher through the education department at California Baptist University. After seven years teaching third grade in Riverside, California, Fr. Ed moved to the Santa Cruz area where he worked in the cleaning, landscaping, and hardwood floors businesses before helping to start an Orthodox school. He taught grades five through eight in his parish school for 16 years before moving to the Portland area. He currently teaches at Agia Sophia Academy since 2006, a position he feels privileged to fulfill. He also serves as an assistant priest at St George Orthodox Church in Portland and serves once per month at the Greek Orthodox Mission Church of Salem. |