About C.N.I Christ Church Mirzapur in Mirzapur Road, Ahmedabad

The present Christ Church Mirzapur, Ahmedabad was consecrated by bishop Carr on the 6th January 1848 and in the not infrequent absence of a chaplain in the city it fell to the lot of the SPG [Society for the Propagation of the Gospel] missionaries to conduct the services.

G.L.Allen, who reached Ahmedabad in 1842, took up his quarters in “The Old Dutch Factory”, opened an English school, and began to learn Gujarati. The offices for morning and evening prayer and for baptism were translated into Gujarati and printed towards the end of 1842.

In 1843 the society was presented with a billiard room in Mirzapur road, which Allen converted into missionary residence.

In addition to his missionary activities, Allen had to look after the spiritual interest of the British residents in Ahmedabad, and the stain proving a heavy one, he accepted the appointment of a chaplaincy elsewhere in 1845. His colleague, W. Darby, was moved to Bombay in 1848, and in 1851 the SPG, hampered by shortage of staff, decided to close down its work in Ahmedabad, and to concentrate its resources in other areas.

By the early 1880s it was felt that a larger and better situated church was needed for the cantonment area of Ahmedabad, and as a result St. George’s was built, and consecrated in 1882. No doubt church attendances improved when it was no longer necessary for military and civilian personnel to travel four miles into Mirzapur Road in the city for the Sunday services. Christ Church continued in use, however, and in later years became the focus of the Gujarati speaking Anglican Church in Ahmedabad, and while service at St. George’s were in English.

The SPG connection with Gujarat was revived in 1964 with the appointment of W. holliday.

Anglican Church was one of the six churches which came together and formed Church of North India. The inauguration of the church of north India took place in the grounds of all saints’ cathedral Nagpur on Sunday 29th November 1970 and the Church of North India came into existence. Now Christ Church Mirzapur is the part of Church of North India Gujarat Diocese.

By now the Christ Church Mirzapur is about 162 years old, and has around 300 members, around 200 of them are full members. As The Christ Church Mirzapur is the oldest church in the city, its members are scattered all over the city.