GBI Modernland

In 1991, a vibrant seed of faith was planted in Tangerang. This seed would blossom into what we now know as GBI Modernland. GBI Modernland’s story began on December 22, 1991, under the name GBI Bethany Cimone. The first service, coordinated by Pdp dr AS Gunardi and led by Pdt Ir Niko Njotorahardjo, drew a crowd of 250 people to a repurposed cinema in Cimone. The congregation quickly swelled to 600-700, necessitating two services. In mid-1992, a plot of land measuring 5000 m2, later expanded to 6250 m2, was gifted to the church by the Modernland real estate company. This land, adjacent to Honoris Hospital (now Mayapada), came with the stipulation that the congregation fund the construction themselves. Following a community request, services were temporarily relocated to the Nelayan Restaurant in Jatiuwung in October 1992. The foundation stone for GBI Bethany Modernland was laid on October 30, 1992. The building permit was finally secured on August 26, 1993. A tragic turn of events occurred on November 24, 1993, with the unexpected death of Pdm Hani Sebadja, who was then assigned to Tangerang. He was laid to rest in Semarang. Pdt Pieter Faraknimella arrived at GBI Modernland in December 1994, taking on the mantle from the late Pdm Hani Sebadja. GBI Modernland was officially inaugurated on April 26, 1995, by Mayor Drs H Djakaria Machmud. The church continued to flourish, evolving into Sub Rayon 1F, then Rayon 7 within the GBI Bethany Jakarta network in 1998, and finally Rayon 3 in 2000. In 2002, aligning with GBI Jalan Gatot Subroto, the church adopted the simpler name GBI Modernland. Sadly, Pdm dr AS Gunadi passed away on August 23, 2006. By 2008, GBI Modernland had grown to encompass 33 branches in Banten province and adopted churches in Semarang, Surabaya, Hong Kong, and China. GBI Modernland stands today as a testament to the power of faith, community, and perseverance.