Bishop of Amritsar Diocese

The Rt. Revd. P.K. Samantaroy.

Our Mission

We seek to reach people for Christ, to integrate them into the church; to nurture them toward Christian maturity, to equip them to use their spiritual gifts, and to encourage them to do God’s work. We strive to make a difference in people’s lives by reaching them with the love of Christ, providing for their needs, praying with them, and encouraging them.

Our doors are open for you. Just walk right in to join the friendly people who really care and accept everyone with the love of Jesus Christ. Let us work together, encourage each other, and learn together to have a clear understanding of the purpose and plan that God has in store for us. Remember this my friends, God loves you and He cares for you. He wants to have a personal relationship with you.   We promise to provide you with the opportunity to know Him, to grow in Him and to face the world with confidence.

The Church of North India as a United and Uniting together is committed to announce the Good News of the reign of God inaugurated through death and resurrection of Jesus Christ in proclamation and to demonstrate in actions to restore the integrity of Gods creation through continuous struggle against the demonic powers by breaking down the barriers of caste, class, gender, economic inequality and exploitation of the nature.

About BIBLE

Preachers and teachers across the world will gladly say that the Scriptures are inspired by God — will hold their Bible high in the air and proclaim “this is God’s word!” But do they really believe that? Almost every “fundamental” statement of faith reads that God’s word is perfect and inspired in the original autographs

But isn’t that a statement of unbelief ?  What good is God’s word if it only exists in manuscripts which no longer exist?  Why would God inspire Scripture just to let it wither to dust?  Many modern scholars believe that the real ending of the Gospel of Mark has been lost and that we can not be certain how Mark concluded his Gospel.  And yet these same scholars will boldly declare belief in God’s preservation of Scripture.

Search this matter out with a desire for the truth. For a few minutes, set aside any notions about “the message being there,” or “translating the thought of a passage,” or some idea about using one version for study and another for devotions.  Think for a while about Christ’s words: “Man shall not live by bread alone,  but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God… Heaven and earth shall pass away,  but my words shall not pass away.”  The Bible is known for the stories it tells.  These Bible stories are rich in meaning, are widely known and have passed from generation to generation.

HISTORY OF DIOCESE

A BRIFE HISTROY OF THE DIOCESE

1.  The  Diocese of Amritsar has  its root in the lahore Diocese comprising of the undivided  punajb stretching from lohare to Delhi. Punjab was not merely a political state but a bio-region of five rivers (punaj-aab means the land  of five water). As a result of partition after india’s independence the  Amritsar Diocese was established in the year 1953. On 29^th November 1970 six churches joined  together  to from a united  Church called the Church of North  India. Later in 1974 the Diocese of Amritsar  covers an area spreding along Indo-Pak and Sino-Indian boarding comprising the state of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and part of Punjab.

1. First Bishop April 1953 to july 1959

The Rt. Rev. Charles Robert  Heber Wilkinson.

2. Second  Bishop 5^th February 1960

The Rt. Rev. Kenneth Daniel Wilson Anand.

3. Third Bishop 25^th May 1968

The Rt. Rev. Eric Samuel Nasir.

4. Fourth Bishop 3^rd January 1971

The Rt. Rev. Samuel Gulam Qadir

5. Fifth bishop

The Rt. Rev. Earnest John

6. Sixth Bishop

The Rt. Rev. Aziz William

7. Seventh Bishop 1981 to 199)

The Rt. Rev. Dr. Anand Chandu Lal

8. Eighth Bishop (since 30-05-1999)

The Rt. Rev. P.K. Samantaroy

HISTORY OF ST. PAUL’S

THE MAGNIFICENT BUILDING OF ST.PAUL’S CHURCH SITUATED ON COURT ROAD AMRITSAR IS ONE OF THE OLDEST CHURCHES OF THE DIOCESE OF AMRITSAR.

The foundation stone of St. Paul’s Church was laid on 24^th May 1852. First time the place was used for worship on the Christmas day of 1853. The church was consecrated on 17^th Jan.1857  by the Bishop of Madras of the then-Church of England in India. At that time it was in the Diocese of Lahore. But after the partition of India and Pakistan the birth of the Diocese of Amritsar took place in 1953 as part of The Church of India, Burma, Pakistan and Cylone . Later it joined The Church of North India when it was formed in1970. St. Paul’s Church has been althrough one of the main urban churches.

The longest serving pastor of St. Paul’s Church since then was Rev. Cpt. John Wade who served the Church as an honorary pastor for 48 long years from 1953 to 2001. At present there are Rev. Udai Singh as the Presbyter-in –charge and Rev. Lily Samantaroy serving as pastors of the Church under the Bishopric of Rt.Rev.P.K.Samantaroy.

Among the church records the Baptism and Marriage Registers date back to 1857 while the Burial Register is from 1856 till date.

For more than one and half centuries St.Paul’s Church has been a place of worship in Amritsar. The migrating rural Christians for better job opportunities in the city find the Church welcoming.

In India where the Christian population  is only 2.3 %  of the total population at present, in St. Paul’s Church there are 130 families with a membership of about 500 people. Apart from the regular members there are almost 350 worshipers who attend the services. There are two services one in Hindi/ Hindustani which is the main service and the other in English.

Amritsar being a tourist centre, for being the Holy city of the Sikhs, attracts many national and international tourists, many of whom also visit the Church.

Placed in a campus with lot of open space and greenery the Church has special attraction for the worshipers and visitors.

During Christmas, when the Church is illuminated and decorated, thousands of people throng the Church and join the worship.

Many young couples want to marry in this Church because of its aesthetic beauty and lovely campus.

Every year on the Palm Sunday starts a Peace March which is unique in Amritsar. Almost 7000 people join in this procession which is a great sight to behold. The procession ends at St. Paul’s Church where feeding of these 7000 people is organized.

This historic Church was in need of complete renovation that involved re-plastering. The Church authorities in consultation with the District administrators and architect have decided to carry out the work in the old traditional style using eco-friendly materials. This requires huge amount of money and strict supervision. The work has already started in faith and the congregation is determined to raise the required finance from the members and well wishers.