We believe our past has played a big role in shaping our identity as a church. Our story is not only for newcomers to ETCBC, but it also serves to remind our community how God has led us and how far He has brought us to where we are today.
1974
Our church started as a mission site of our mother church, Toronto Chinese Baptist Church (TCBC), and was originally known as “Toronto Chinese Baptist Church: East Side Mission”. Our inaugural service was held on June 30, 1974 with seventy-eight Chinese-speaking transferred members in attendance. We met in a space rented from Temple Baptist Church at 14 Dewhurst Boulevard in East York, Toronto.
1980
As the local Chinese population increased, our congregation grew as well. On January 26, 1980, we became an independent church and were officially known as “East Toronto Chinese Baptist Church.”
Our congregation continued to grow and in 1987 we planted a new church at Yonge St. & Finch Ave. forming North Toronto Chinese Baptist Church (NTCBC). The majority of our congregation moved to the new church building and we, once again, became a mission site known as “North Toronto Chinese Baptist Church: East Side Mission.”
1991
We continued to increase in size and officially became, for the second time, an independent church on January 5, 1991 reverting to our former name, “East Toronto Chinese Baptist Church”. Later this year, our English congregation was established to meet the growing need of English speaking individuals in our congregation. In the late 1990s, our Mandarin congregation was established in response to our increasing number of Mandarin speaking congregants.
1999
In March 1999, we moved to our current building at 22 Carnforth Road and have worked to plant our roots here ever since.
2010
Nehemiah was the large renovation project that aimed at providing a safer and more engaging environment for our children, ministries, and congregants; opening up opportunities and reinvigorating existing ones.
2021 and beyond
Our history is a testament to God’s greatness and ETCBC has certainly experienced many of His blessings as a church. From our humble beginnings to now having three congregations serving our members in three different languages, God’s hand in our story cannot be disputed. May we continue moving forward with full confidence in God’s leadership and sovereignty.