Closed church in the heart of Cambridge finds new life as a Gurdwara

By Asia Samachar | Britain |

For more than a year now, a closed church in the heart of Cambridge has found a new life as a gurdwara, a Sikh place of congregation that also offers free cooked meals, seven days a week.

What was previously home to the First United Church, in downtown Galt, is now the Gurudwara Bhai Bachiter Singh Ji.

Opened on Sept 15, 2023, the gurdwara sees an average of 100 visitors daily, with numbers rising to 200 on weekends, reports Cambridge Times.

First United Church had remained vacant for six years before the building was purchased by Puran Tolani and later leased to the gurdwara, while one of the rooms with a separate entrance was taken over by a local dance group.

Operating on a 10-year lease funded entirely by donations, the gurudwara offers free cooked meals, seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m, according to the report.

The church had closed due to dwindling participation, one of an estimated 9,000 churches across Canada expected to shut down in the next decade.

But the transition form a church building to one housing a gurdwara, a focal point of congregation for Sikhs globally, had its fair share of challenges, with members recalling messages like “leave our space” found on the building’s doors.

“But, rather than retaliating, we chose education as a response by reaching out to the skeptics and explaining the tenets of Sikhism, emphasizing inclusivity and universal love. “We provide food to the vulnerable – food on a daily basis” Ranjit Singh, one of the members of the gurdwara, told the local newspaper.

Gurudwara Bhai Bachitar Singh Ji is one of only two Sikh temples in Cambridge, the other being located on 1070 Townline Road.

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