history | wbcf

The History of Washington Burmese Christian Fellowship

Washington Burmese Christian Fellowship (W.B.C.F) had humble beginnings at the dawn of 2002. What preceded the formation of the Church as an official organization was a handful of Burmese community members who met weekly to mingle, connect, and most importantly, give praises to the Lord, Jesus Christ. This group met often, and in August 2002, Reverend Joshua Lian seeded the establishment of W.B.C.F as a non-denominational Christian Church that aims to connect members of the Burmese community, act as a house of gathering, and to worship Jesus Christ all based in Kent, Washington. We began our gatherings as an official organization in the residences’ of our members, rotating weekly. We were blessed to have the funds available to begin a renting agreement with Kent First Baptist Church in 2005, hosting our Worship Services in the Auxiliary room of the church. W.B.C.F started with a small congregation, with an attendance of 15-25 per service and our Praise & Worship team consisting of a lone multi-instrumentalist and a rag-tag group of singers. With some time, we gained more musicians and singers, and with that, grew in attendance. The attendance continued to grow, and in 2010, we were able to migrate into a larger facility through the grace and agreement with Panther Lake Community Church, a church based in Kent, WA. This of course, did not come without difficulty. Our congregation suffered a loss of members the year of 2013 due to internal disagreements. However, despite this hardship, we were still able to host and participate in large scale special events and activities. We were able to host a 10 Year Anniversary celebration during the summer of 2012. This took place at New Beginnings Christian Fellowship, a large church based in Kent, Washington. Our anniversary celebration spanned three days, and we were able to host a multitude of significant Burmese Christian figures to take part in our celebration. From the likes of Yadanar Oo, a popular singer, and Pastor David Lah, an icon in the Burmese Christian community. Our 10th Anniversary marked a new age for our church, from hosting special Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, Easter, Mother’s Day, and Father’s Day celebrations, to hosting the first ever Pacific Northwest Myanmar Youth Christian Combine service. This event in 2015 solidified W.B.C.F as a key player in the development of Burmese Christian ministry in the Pacific Northwest, up to this day. We were able to participate and take place in these sorts of celebrations for the coming years. However, in 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, our ministry had to postpone in-person worship, and had to migrate online. Through the understanding and committed work of our members, we were able to host weekly Zoom worship services. This continued until mid-2021, when COVID restrictions in Washington State were lessened. It was a challenge to host Worship Services in person amidst a global pandemic, but we were able to do so through the grace of God and the work of our members and Pastor. We migrated from Panther Lake Community Church and began renting Boulevard Park Church in Burien, Washington in the fall of 2021. We are currently holding our weekly Sunday Services at this location.