About Church Name
We chose the church name as “Canaan Bhutanese Church”in 2009, a name that resonated with our initial circumstances. The term ‘Canaan’ draws inspiration from the Bible, signifying the promised land for God’s people, the Israelites. According to biblical teachings, Canaan represents a new land divinely promised by God to bring prosperity and blessings to His people. The Israelites, before reaching this promised land, endured a period of captivity in Egypt.
The term ‘Bhutanese’ refers to the people of Bhutan. Initially, we all migrated from Bhutan to the United States in pursuit of a new life and citizenship after living in Refugee camp, Nepal. Over time, our generation has evolved, and now, our children are born as U.S. citizens. The dynamics of our community are continually changing.
After 15 years of being known as Canaan Bhutanese Church, we have decided to make a change. We are replacing the term “Bhutanese” with “Bethel,” which translates to “House of God.” Consequently, our new and complete name will be “Canaan Bethel Church.”
This name change reflects our evolving identity and emphasizes our connection to the divine purpose of being a house of God. As we embark on this new chapter, we remain steadfast in our commitment to spiritual growth, community building, and fostering an environment where all are welcome to experience the love and teachings of God. We look forward to the continued journey as Canaan Bethel Church, where faith, community, and the pursuit of a meaningful life converge.
CBC History
The name ‘Canaan’ is taken from the Bible which is the promised land for God’s people (Israelites). According to the bible, this is the new land promised by God to His people to give them to prosper and to bless them all. Before Israelites reach the promised land, they were under the captivity of Egypt. After so many years of bitter trials and persecutions, God finally took them out of Egypt. In the same way, we as Bhutanese Refugee have the same story as of captive Israelites. Though our homeland is Bhutan which is a small but very beautiful country in the Asia, due to some political problem, the majority of Nepali speaking people were kicked out of the country by
the government. Later, we became the refugee in Nepal. Life was not easy there. We were exiled there for almost 25 years facing so many trials. Even though our lives were so hard, we never gave up praying to the Lord for His help to stand strong in the days of difficulties. After a long journey of earnest prayers with tears of all refugee brothers and sisters in faith, God finally opened the door for the third country to resettle the Bhutanese Refugees. United States of America, Australia, Canada, Norway, Denmark, New Zealand, UK, and Netherland are the countries who agreed to take the refugees. These countries were all new land for us but we realize that this new land is nothing but the promise land for us from our Living God, where we all are free to worship Him and to be prosper and blessed in Him. Relating all our stories to the Israelites, we named the church as Canaan Bethel Church (CBC).
CBC is the first Bhutanese Nepali church in the state of Texas, United State of America. It officially started on January 9. 2009, in Houston, Texas, with 7 members. It has served the needs of hundreds of people from the Bhutanese Community in Houston as well as other cities. Through the ministries of CBC, more than hundred people have given their lives to Jesus. When you visit our church you will surely feel that the CBC congregation is very friendly, loving, generous and hospitable. You will feel at home in our church. We will surely appreciate your prayer support for our church. Please feel free to come and join us.