The Backstory
Pilgrim [Baptist] Church was started officially in 1965. Our mother church was Immanuel Baptist Church a mere 2 kilometers away in South Vancouver.
We began as a mono-cultural, post-World War II German immigrant church.
Over the decades Pilgrim Church transitioned first to an English-language ministry, and then became a multi/many cultural congregation. Like many churches that started as minority language and immigrant communities of "new Canadians" in Vancouver, the unstated mission of the church involved outreach to a single cultural group. Overtime, two factors moved Pilgrim to break out of the mould:
First, second and third generations in immigrant churches are confronted with choices to make as they become more bi-cultural within their own people.
Secondly, the waves of German-speaking immigrants decreased significantly in the 1970s (and beyond) as prosperity and stability in Europe increased.
Pilgrim Church chose the hard and faithful path of diversity beyond its founded group and chose the common language of English over the original cultural and "heart language" of German (God speaks everyone's language and more!). Into the 1980-2000s, we expanded outreach to all people, merged in a Portuguese congregation, had Arabic Bible studies, and welcomed new immigrants from Hong Kong and other parts of Asia.
This means today we are continuing to live into the dream of Jesus, written about by the Apostle Paul to the Galatians among others in the diverse ancient world of the New Testament. A many vocal, many-cultured congregation—valuing our families/cultures of origin, but putting Jesus-centred spiritual family at our centre—the Jesus family of choice across time and space and cultures.
Today, we continue to live into being a church that looks like Vancouver! There are around 15 or so different nationalities and more sub-cultures represented in our church, people with roots on every inhabited continent (except Oceania as of this writing). If you are looking to grow into being part of a new humanity, rooted in God's love made personal in Jesus, YOU belong here!
We began as a mono-cultural, post-World War II German immigrant church.
Over the decades Pilgrim Church transitioned first to an English-language ministry, and then became a multi/many cultural congregation. Like many churches that started as minority language and immigrant communities of "new Canadians" in Vancouver, the unstated mission of the church involved outreach to a single cultural group. Overtime, two factors moved Pilgrim to break out of the mould:
First, second and third generations in immigrant churches are confronted with choices to make as they become more bi-cultural within their own people.
Secondly, the waves of German-speaking immigrants decreased significantly in the 1970s (and beyond) as prosperity and stability in Europe increased.
Pilgrim Church chose the hard and faithful path of diversity beyond its founded group and chose the common language of English over the original cultural and "heart language" of German (God speaks everyone's language and more!). Into the 1980-2000s, we expanded outreach to all people, merged in a Portuguese congregation, had Arabic Bible studies, and welcomed new immigrants from Hong Kong and other parts of Asia.
This means today we are continuing to live into the dream of Jesus, written about by the Apostle Paul to the Galatians among others in the diverse ancient world of the New Testament. A many vocal, many-cultured congregation—valuing our families/cultures of origin, but putting Jesus-centred spiritual family at our centre—the Jesus family of choice across time and space and cultures.
Today, we continue to live into being a church that looks like Vancouver! There are around 15 or so different nationalities and more sub-cultures represented in our church, people with roots on every inhabited continent (except Oceania as of this writing). If you are looking to grow into being part of a new humanity, rooted in God's love made personal in Jesus, YOU belong here!
