New to Chandigarh, Mohali or Zirakpur?

The boxes are half unpacked, the gas connection is not sorted, and it is Saturday night. Somewhere in the middle of all of it is a quieter worry: you had a church, and people who knew you, and now you have neither. This page is for the week you have just arrived in.

What time are the services, and where exactly?

Zirakpur: 9:00 to 10:00 in English, and 10:00 to about 2:00 in Hindi and English, at Plot 141, Victoria City. Chandigarh: 4:00 to 6:00. Both every Sunday.

The Zirakpur building is off the Zirakpur–Chandigarh road and there is parking. The full address, a map and directions are on the service times page, and if you are coming by bus or auto it is easier to tell the driver “Victoria City” than to read out the plot number.

Which service is in English and which is in Hindi?

The 9:00 is in English and lasts an hour. The 10:00 moves between Hindi and English, runs until about 2:00, and ends with the church eating together. Chandigarh at 4:00 runs to 6:00.

If your Hindi is better than your English, or your parents’ is, the 10:00 is the one. If you would rather everything was in English, come at 9:00.

I have taken a flat in Mohali. Which location is nearer?

For most of Mohali, Zirakpur is the shorter run, and the 10:00 gives you time to get there on a Sunday morning.

If you are in the sectors nearer Chandigarh, the 4:00 to 6:00 service there may suit you better, particularly if Sunday mornings are already spoken for. Plenty of people try both for a few weeks before settling.

Is there a Bible study group near me?

Probably. Groups meet midweek in homes across the Tricity, in Hindi and in English, and we will point you to whichever one is closest to where you have moved.

This is the thing that turns a new city into a place you live. Sunday tells you what the church believes; the midweek group is where somebody notices you were not there last week.

Can I watch the service online if I am travelling?

Yes. The service is on our YouTube channel, and past messages are on the site with the newest first.

If work takes you away for a month, watch from wherever you are and come back to the same passage the church is in. It helps more than you would expect.

I am only here for two years. Is that a problem?

Not at all. Two years is long enough to belong somewhere, and we would rather have you for two than not at all.

Tell us how long you expect to be here when you arrive. It changes nothing about how you are treated, and it helps us think about what you might want to be part of while you are with us.

This week

• Come once before you decide. One Sunday tells you more than a website can.
• Tell us where you have moved to, and we will tell you which midweek group is nearest.
• If you served at your last church — worship, teaching, children’s work, anything — say so. Not to be put to work immediately, but so we know.

May the God who went with Abraham to a country he did not know go with you into this one, and may you find people here who become home.