Hindi Punjabi Gospel Chapel (Surrey, British Columbia, Canada)
In 1972, Fraserview Mennonite Brethren Church and the British Columbia Mennonite Brethren Board of Missions and Church Extension initiated programs for and made personal contacts with recent immigrants from India. Four people (two people of Hindu background and two people of Sikh background) were baptized at Fraserview, which was the instigating factor in starting a new church for the Hindu and Sikh community; it was at this time that services began at the Fraserview facilities.
The attendance grew to 20 by 1977, and the church was named Hindi Gospel Chapel, meeting at Fraserview on Sunday afternoons. The following year saw a name change to Hindi Punjabi Gospel Chapel in an effort to reflect the large Sikh component that existed in the congregation. The Fraserview congregation moved from Vancouver to Richmond in 1979, and the chapel moved with it, beginning services on Sunday mornings on 1 January 1979. From this location, the congregation continued to grow, and the congregation formally organized in 1981. Ten years later, Hindi Punjabi Gospel Chapel occupied its first building.
The founder of the congregation is considered to be Santosh K. Raj, who has worked with the congregation since its inception in 1973. He was later ordained in 1978, and continues to lead the congregation as Hindi Punjabi Gospel Chapel's only senior pastor. The languages of worship are Hindi and Punjabi, with Sunday School and youth programming in English. The congregation has also been known as the Hindi Punjabi Fraserview Gospel Chapel.
Bibliography
Centre for Mennonite Brethren Studies. "Hindi Punjabi Gospel Chapel." http://www.mbconf.ca/home/products_and_services/resources/published_genealogies/mb_provincial_conferences_and_church_congregation_records/british_columbia_archives/hindi_punjabi_gospel_chapel_archives/ (accessed 1 December 2009).
Mennonite Brethren Herald (27 May 1988): 19; (19 July 1991): 14-15; (6 March 1992): 16.
Archival Records
Centre for Mennonite Brethren Studies (Winnipeg, MB): Volume 394.
Additional Information
Mailing address: 2095 E. 40th Avenue, Vancouver, BC V5P 1J4
Meeting address: 14630-107 A Avenue, Surrey, BC
Phone: 604-582-2650
Denominational Affiliation:
British Columbia Conference of the Mennonite Brethren Churches (1981-present)
Canadian Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches (1981-present)
General Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches (1981-2002)
Hindi Punjabi Gospel Chapel Membership
| Year | Members |
|---|---|
| 1985 | 21 |
| 1991 | 45 |
| 1995 | 39 |
| 2000 | 53 |
| 2005 | 58 |
| 2010 | 55 |
Maps
Hindi Punjabi Gospel Chapel, Surrey, BC
| Author(s) | Andrew Klager |
|---|---|
| Date Published | November 2010 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Klager, Andrew. "Hindi Punjabi Gospel Chapel (Surrey, British Columbia, Canada)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. November 2010. Web. 31 Oct 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Hindi_Punjabi_Gospel_Chapel_(Surrey,_British_Columbia,_Canada)&oldid=167432.
APA style
Klager, Andrew. (November 2010). Hindi Punjabi Gospel Chapel (Surrey, British Columbia, Canada). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 31 October 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Hindi_Punjabi_Gospel_Chapel_(Surrey,_British_Columbia,_Canada)&oldid=167432.
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