Building the Community Service Centre in Pokhara

A new building in Pokhara is close to receiving final approval — one that local churches have spent years praying and planning for, and that could resource Christian mission across Nepal for generations to come.

The Pokhara Christian Community is a network of more than 60 churches and around 10,000 members in and around Pokhara. For years, its churches and its social action arm, Asal Chhimekee Nepal (ACN), have been asking a question: what would it look like to have a shared home — a place to train, to gather, to serve, and to send?

The answer is the Community Service Centre: a purpose-built hub for mission, discipleship, and community engagement, currently awaiting final approval from Nepal’s national Social Welfare Council before construction can begin.

Close to final approval

Local authority approval in Pokhara has already been granted. The final step is sign-off from the Social Welfare Council, which has oversight of all NGO activity in Nepal. ACN’s Executive Director, Raju Adhikari, is hopeful that approval will come soon.

“We are so thankful for the prayers and support from INF UK and other international friends. We have a good working relationship with the Social Welfare Council and have been answering their questions, so we hope to get final approval soon.”

— Raju Adhikari, Executive Director, Asal Chhimekee Nepal

If all goes to plan, construction will be complete by the end of next year, with the building fully functional in 2028.

What the centre will do

The Community Service Centre will serve both local and national needs. In Pokhara, it will be a hub for community engagement and a storage point for disaster relief supplies — ACN has been responding to floods, landslides, and other disasters since the 2015 earthquake, and having dedicated facilities will strengthen that work.

More broadly, the centre will provide training and leadership development for churches across Nepal — a country where many young people are leaving for opportunities abroad, and where the next generation of church leaders urgently needs equipping. The vision also reaches beyond Nepal’s borders, connecting with the Nepali diaspora and global churches in shared prayer and partnership.

“Not just a building”

Pastor Laxmi Kumar Shrestha planted the Pokhara Bethel Church in 1993. It now welcomes 30 families and is part of the Pokhara Christian Community. For him, the Community Service Centre is something he has long prayed for.

“For me, the Community Service Centre is not just a building. It is a blessing, a place of unity, and a hope for the future of the church in Nepal. Many youths are leaving the country, and the older generation is retiring — but through this centre, young believers can be trained and encouraged to stay, grow, and lead.”

— Pastor Laxmi Kumar Shrestha, Pokhara Bethel Church

How you can be part of this

INF UK has committed £140,000 to the Community Service Centre, including a generous gift from St John’s Harborne in Birmingham — a church with long ties to INF — who tithed the donations from their own building project to support global mission. Thanks to gifts from supporters like you, more than 50% of INF UK’s commitment is already in place.

Please pray for the final approval process and for the funding applications still being made. If your church would be interested in partnering with churches in Nepal, we would love to hear from you. To give to the Community Service Centre today, click below. Thank you.