Grace Baptist Church, Peel has been involved in India since the first contacts were made asking to be added to the list for Spurgeon's Sermons. In the mid 1990s the late Matthew Else, our founding Pastor, visited India. The children he met and their problems led to the founding of an Isle of Man Charity. You can read about this work on the Grace Third World Fund web site. As well as arranging surgery for some very needy children funds to build a Home for Children were raised.
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| Grace Baptist Church N.G. Palen | Matthew Else 2004 | Inside the church |
After the Grace Children's Home was opened several of the Grace Third World Fund sponsors expressed interest in the children’s spiritual education. The trustees were able to reassure people that the home was under Christian management and that the children were being brought up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Whilst Sunday Services were held in the Home, the area where the home is located is predominantly Hindu and there was a lack of Gospel Churches. So it became clear that a Gospel Church should be constituted, and a chapel building erected.
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| Junior Church 2013 | Baptism upon confession of faith |
Pastor Timothy |
From the very beginning, Grace Third World Fund had always received considerable support from both Christian and non Christian people, who jointly shared a concern for the handicapped, homeless and disadvantaged. However, planting a Church is a matter expressly for Christians, it not being appropriate to build a place of worship using donations from people who had no interest in religion. So the Church here in Peel took on the task of overseeing this.
It was possible to build a simple structure for approximately £10,000, and the church in Peel set about raising funds to build a chapel within the grounds of the Grace Children’s Home. The chapel was completed towards the end of 2003, and was officially opened, to the glory of God, in January 2004.
Although in the western world we are witnessing a great deal of spiritual declension, this is certainly not the case in Southern India. There is in that part of Asia, a genuine turning to God on the part of many people. Although it is believed that the gospel first came to India in the days of the Apostles, the country is predominantly Hindu, and in some parts there is bitter persecution for Christians to face. Even so, the Lord is adding to the church daily such as should be saved, and this is happening in our sister church, Grace Baptist Church, N.G. Palem. Many folk come from the nearby villages to the chapel. The main Calcutta highway passes close by, so lorries and goods vehicles are continually passing along the highway. The Church signs can be seen and sometimes the drivers stop and come into the chapel during the worship services.
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| Co-Pastor Samuel | Babu Unvailing Bell Plaque | The Kinley Bell |
The Church has a bell tower so that the times of Services can be announced to the local villages who wish to attend. The bell in the tower is of particular interest to those of us who live in the Isle of Man. It was named ‘The Kinley Bell’ in memory of the late Joan Kinley, a member of GBC Peel, who was a great supporter of the charity. She had paid for surgery for a severely disabled boy, Kadugu Babu, who was given the honour of being the first to ring the bell.
Grace Baptist Church N.G.Palem is a Reformed Baptist witness in the midst of a Hindu population, and we give God the glory for enabling us to be part of His work in that part of His vineyard. “Hitherto has the Lord helped us.”
