January 20, 2023
1 min read

Old church in Canada transformed into Sikh temple

The Cornerstone Gospel Chapel at 5911 63rd Street is now Guru Nanak Darbar Gurdwara, and will open seven days a week from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m….reports Asian Lite News

An old church has been transformed into a Sikh place of worship — the first in Canada’s Red Deer city after requests from the local Sikh community since 2005.

The Cornerstone Gospel Chapel at 5911 63rd Street is now Guru Nanak Darbar Gurdwara, and will open seven days a week from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.

It will serve around 150 families, 250 international students and temporary foreign workers from India, CBC News reported.

“The community is growing every day. So many people are moving here from B.C., Calgary and Ontario,” Nishan Singh Sandhu, the gurdwara’s president, told CBC News.

“It’s very important, otherwise we don’t have a place to get together. We struggled for the last 20 years to build a gurdwara,” said Sandhu.

The community received donations from neighbouring Sikh communities in Calgary, Edmonton and Surrey, British Columbia, along with private donations to the tune of $450,000, which allowed them to buy the building with no mortgage.

The gurdwara, which opened last month, includes a main floor with a large basement area and kitchen.

The centre’s kitchen provides free vegetarian meals (‘langar’) to visitors and anyone who needs it.

“People don’t know about the turban. People don’t know about Sikhism. Now, at least they know who we are,” Gurcharan Singh Gill, the gurdwara’s vice-president, told CBC News.

Gill told the news channel that the community hopes to organise a ‘Nagar Kirtan’ parade this year and grow the community and its presence in the city.

The community members are planning a kitchen upgrade, construction of a perimeter fence, and installation of the Sikh flag, known as the Nishan Sahib, according to the report.

The Sikh community took over the building last month after the Red Deer County in Alberta province approved requests for a gurdwara in August last year.

Previously, Sikh families gathered once a month at the Bower Community Centre for prayers before the building purchase.

ALSO READ: US hits debt ceiling

Previous Story

Stocks drop as investors assess economic data

Next Story

Kissinger urges US and China to understand each other ‘more fully’

Latest from -Top News

India, France Set to Seal Rafale Deal

Estimated cost of this deal is valued at around Rs 63,000 crore…reports Asian Lite News India and France will on Monday sign the deal for 26 Rafale fighter jets for the Indian

Hamas Mulls 5-Year Deal 

Hamas says open to releasing all hostages for 5-year truce: source  A Hamas delegation led by senior leader Khalil al-Hayya agreed in Cairo to release all Israeli hostages in exchange for a
Go toTop

Don't Miss

India To Face Canadian Sanctions?

India hits back as Canadian Foreign Minister Joly hints that

Canadian firm starts work on Balochistan’s Reko Diq mines

Baloch rebel organisations have not reacted to the latest news