Sikh Community in Spokane, WA Welcomes Visitors

February 8, 2003

Source: The Spokesman-Review

On February 8, 2003 The Spokesman-Review reported that "last summer, the Sikhs purchased a former Baptist church... They spruced it up and now on Sundays,  beginning at about 10 a.m., the Sikh community gathers for food and prayer and  socializing... The Sikhs would like to share their culture with the larger Inland Northwest community, and what a gift this is, because when you walk through  the temple doors you encounter sights, sounds, aromas and language not heard  regularly in the Spokane [WA] area... The Gurdhwara is located in the Spokane Valley because this is where many of the area's Sikhs have settled. Many moved here in the mid-1990s from California and British Columbia, which boast big Sikh communities. Though a few families live on Spokane's north and south sides, about 45 Sikh families  live in the Valley, running businesses, going to school and working as  professionals... Between 60 and 100 Sikhs fill the  Gurdhwara on Sundays. The temple is also where families mark important  passages, including weddings and memorials for the dead."