Praying for Surrey
September 11, 2019
Surrey, BC Quick Facts
Population 567,000
57.8% Visible Minorities:
- 32.4% South Asian
- 7.7% Chinese
- 6.2% Filipino
- 2.5% Southeast Asian
- 1.8% Black
- 1.8% Korean
Top three religious groups:
- 38.2% Christian
- 28.6% Non-religious
- 22.6% Sikh
Surrey is BC’s second-largest city by population after Vancouver and is projected to take over top spot in the next ten years. It saw rapid growth in the 1980s and 1990s that continues to this day.
Like almost all Canadian cities, Surrey is diverse. 52% of residents do not speak English as their first language, and over 30% are of South Asian heritage. Surrey is home to one of the largest concentrations of ethnic South Asians in North America—the vast majority are from the Punjab region of India and Pakistan.
According to www.salatomatic.com Surrey has 15 mosques and 1 Muslim school. There are several other mosques not listed on the site, bringing the number to over 20.
According to Outreach Canada’s church database, Surrey has 175 churches.
Pray:
- While perhaps the percentage of Muslims in Surrey is smaller than some other religious blocs, nonetheless Surrey is home to a significant Muslim community. Estimates are that there are over 35,000 Iranians, 9,000 Pakistanis and significant populations from Iraq, Egypt, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and elsewhere. Pray that each one of these Muslims would have at least one Christian friend who can be a safe and truth-telling companion in exploring faith and worldview issues. Pray for courage, conviction and opportunity to share Jesus as they build relationship
- Pray for the local pastors and leaders in Surrey to see that God has given them great opportunity to lovingly engage with their local Muslim community. Pray that pastors would befriend Imams. Pray that God will place a burning conviction in the hearts of church leaders that will drive them to prayer for God’s direction and opportunities for engagement.
- Pray for local ministries in Surrey that are thoughtfully positioned to serve the community there. Pray that they would be equipped and resourced to respond to all the opportunities around them.
- Pray that God would raise up leaders for the Network in this city.