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Surrey, B.C.
Hindi Punjabi congregation celebrates 25 years


Hindi Punjabi Fraserview Gospel Chapel in Surrey, B.C., held a thanksgiving and celebration service, Sept. 11 and 12, marking its 25th anniversary.

The theme of the weekend was “Great is Thy Faithfulness”, based on Lamentations 3:23. Pastor Santosh Raj welcomed those in attendance.

The Sunday school, led by Frieda Neufeld, sang three choruses in English: “This is the Day the Lord has made”, “I will enter His gates” and “Give me oil in my lamp”. Other singers were Victor and Joan Pauls with two songs in English: “To God be the glory” and “Trust and Obey”; Anna A. Jain; and Karuna Jain and Jyotsna Raj. The congregation also sang five songs in Hindi Punjabi. The service ended with the doxology, “Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow”.

B.C. MB Conference minister Ike Bergen brought greetings on behalf of the Conference. Peter Nikkel, pastor of Panorama Community Church in Surrey, delivered a message in English. Harinder Sihota, pastor of Indo-Canadian Christian Fellowship in Abbotsford, B.C., gave a message in Hindi Punjabi. A short history of the church was given.

In 1973, the Board of Church Extension, under the direction of Herb Neufeld, called Raj to work among the Hindi Punjabi-speaking people. Later that fall, Raj and his wife Jyotsna held their first public meeting with a new convert. In 1974, three people were baptized, and meetings were held every other week in the basement of Fraserview MB Church in Vancouver. Regular meetings began two years later. In 1977, Frieda Neufeld started teaching Sunday school with two to four children. During the 1980s, Helen Dyck helped her.

In January 1979, the congregation moved with the Fraserview Church to Richmond, B.C. In 1981, the Hindi Punjabi church had about 35 people attending; the Sunday school had 10 children. The church was chartered in 1984 as Hindi Punjabi Gospel Chapel. In 1985, JK Asna, father of Jyostna, encouraged the church to find its own building and contributed the first $10 to the building fund. In 1986, nine families raised $40,000. An additional $30,000 was raised in 1987. BOCE helped with fundraising and by 1989, monies gathered totalled $320,000.

In 1990, the congregation purchased the Nazarene church in Surrey, and moved to the new site May 16, 1991. “Fraserview” was added to its name. The building was dedicated June 16, 1991. In 1991, a television ministry began that now reaches the entire Lower Mainland via cable. By 1999, the church had grown to more than 100 regular attenders.  – Santosh Raj

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Last modified January 11, 2000.

© 2000 Mennonite Brethren Herald.
Published by the Canadian Conference of MB Churches.
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