Our History

Our History

Bethel’s history goes back a hundred years. It started out as a Sunday school outreach and non-denominational church in the 1920’s. Services were held in school facilities. The current property was purchased in 1953 for $800 and in 1956 the congregation joined the BC Union of Baptist Churches (later part of the Canadian Baptists of Western Canada). With the church experiencing steady growth, a sister church was started in Gibsons in the early 1960’s. The original building was enlarged in 1978 and two years later a Christian education wing (the current Fellowship Hall) was added. In the late 1980’s Bethel purchased the house diagonally across Trail as a Sunday school and Preschool facility.


In 2015 the building was thoroughly renovated to include a second floor, office space and a completely new roof. Bethel sold the Preschool in 2018 and paid off the balance of the mortgage on the renovation. With the Chinese population growing on the Coast, several Chinese believers proposed that Bethel include a Mandarin ministry. The first Mandarin service was held in April 2019.