Reflections on New City Delhi’s 5-year Journey

The year was 2016. We had come to visit friends in another part of Delhi. Once a week we would just come to hang out with our friends and enjoy a meal together. The kids would play and the adults would chat and catch up on life. Soon another family joined us, and for a whole year, we just enjoyed meeting together studying scripture, praying and enjoying fellowship.

We started with 6 people, praying and dreaming about a church plant for almost a year. We would just talk about it but other than praying we never did anything concrete in terms of making plans. Then we met as 8 people in our living room, in 2017. We met with a church planting coach to talk about planting a church in south Delhi. Our core team was a mixed bunch, a couple of engineers, a banker, a seminary student, a fashion photographer, and a girl who worked for a social justice organisation. We met once a week for bible study, prayer and fellowship but along with that, we started formulating our vision statement, mission statement and core values.

That group grew to 25 people in our living room. Few more small groups emerged during that first year. Then we decided to meet as a larger group for corporate worship. My husband’s timeline was to start meeting as a large group from August 2018. But God was already building momentum and our core team encouraged Ranjit (my husband) to get on God’s timeline.

We started the first service of New City Delhi on the first Sunday of March 2018. For one year we met in hotel basements (because space is such an issue in Delhi). Very often the hotels wouldn’t confirm their space till Friday evening. Even then they would suddenly back out and not give our Sunday school kids a room to meet. So we’d have to do Sunday school in a park. We knew that we needed our own space. The church was growing and we needed a space to call our own. Then God gave us our own space (on lease) in Hauz Khas village. Hauz Khas village is known for its night life. In Christian circles, it’s called the Sodom and Gomorrah of Delhi. There had not been a church in this area for the last 1500 years and God was miraculously opening a door for us here, to start meeting for church.

The way God provided the place, the resources to renovate the place and the instruments and furnishings to start meeting on Sundays, is a testimony in itself. At that time we were a fledgling church plant. We mostly had students and ‘broke’ singles. But when we presented the need to our congregation, they gave generously. College students decided to stay back in Delhi during their holidays and they gave their flight ticket money, one young man who had just started a new job decided to give his entire first month’s salary. A few of the older families gave from their life savings, and an old uncle used his pension money to buy a guitar for the worship team. And there are so many more stories of God’s provision and faithfulness through that time.

We were barely 3 years old when COVID hit our country. We went into lockdown. Before the lockdown, the church plant was thriving. We had grown to two services. We had a multicultural group worshipping God under one roof. Once our country went into lockdown the church plant lost momentum. About 40%of our congregation moved back home to their home states or countries. Offering dipped and we didn’t know if we could keep our space.

The Resound family of churches came alongside and generously helped us during that time. Not only financially, but when Ranjit was going through depression and anxiety, it was the Resound family that came around him and walked with him and us throughout that time.

Our country opened up. People slowly started coming back to church. Today we’re back to two services again. We have about 80 people connected in small groups and 50 people serving as volunteers. Almost all of our online ministries moved back to in-person meetings. These are a few of the amazing things that God has done for us.

Through every step of the way, we saw God’s faithfulness, provision and protection. And as I reminisce about the church plant at this 5-year mark, I wonder at God’s goodness. It only moves me to worship our sovereign God.

If I had the chance to counsel my younger self, this is what I would tell her, “Deepa, relax! God’s got this”. I would encourage her with 2 passages of Scripture. One would be Matthew 6 V25-34

Do Not Worry

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labour or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendour was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

There were many instances during the church plant journey when I was worried and stressed. As I meditate on this portion of scripture I would remind myself to relax and believe that God will continue to be faithful. Another passage of Scripture that I would remind my younger self about would be Philippians 4 V6-7.

6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Most often I would be anxious about everything and then act out of that anxiety instead of praying and resting in God’s goodness. The above scripture would remind me to take it to God in prayer instead of trying in my own strength.

We are so grateful to God for what he continues to do in and through us and the way the Resound family has helped us. We love you guys!

As I walk down memory lane and come to the end of that lane, there is one scripture that rings loud and clear for this period in our church’s history.

Ephesians 3 V20-21

20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to the power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen.