Category: Nepal

After the Flood: Nepal’s Christian Community Responds

9/13/2026

On August 26, a massive collapse of rock and glacial ice high in the Himalayas sent a wall of water, mud and debris rushing through the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli river valleys.

The disaster began near Nepal’s border with Tibet, but its destructive path extended more than 60 miles downstream through central Nepal, devastating communities in Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Dhading and other districts.

The geography can be confusing. The event originated in the high Himalayan border region, while much of the destruction seen in photographs occurred farther south, in lower river valleys closer to central Nepal and Kathmandu. Entire settlements were overwhelmed, roads and bridges disappeared, and previously accessible villages were suddenly isolated.

The human losses are staggering and still being counted. By September 9, more than 1,400 people had reportedly died and more than 5,600 remained missing across Nepal and Tibet. In Nepal alone, more than 84,000 people were affected. The World Health Organization reports that approximately 10,000 households need immediate assistance. Damaged health facilities, unsafe water and overcrowded shelters create continuing risks even for those who survived the initial flood.

Among those affected are members of Nepal’s small but growing Christian community, which includes Assemblies of God, Presbyterian, Methodist, Anglican, Baptist, independent Protestant, Catholic and other congregations. Christian leaders have reported churches swept away, Christian homes destroyed, and pastors and congregation members among the dead and missing. Some communities remain inaccessible, making the complete extent of the losses difficult to determine.

One pastor reported that four of the 42 churches in his district had been destroyed. Another traveled to Betrawati to check on a fellow pastor and found that the church, surrounding homes and much of the town had disappeared. According to the Anglican Relief and Development Fund, two Anglican churches were directly affected. One was completely destroyed, and each congregation lost four people. These Anglican losses provide one documented example of a tragedy reaching Christians from different traditions across the flood region.

During my years working in Nepal, I taught and spent much of my time among Christian communities—particularly the Anglicans. The denominational names were familiar, but the differences between congregations often seemed less pronounced than they do in the United States. Their liturgies, clerical vestments and worship styles frequently resembled one another, while religious iconography was relatively rare outside Catholic churches.

What stood out most was not denominational identity but a shared Christian life. Congregations worshipped enthusiastically, often for several hours. They prayed together, pooled limited resources and cared for families in their communities. In remote areas, a church might be one of the few organized institutions capable of responding quickly when disaster strikes.

That role is evident now. Christian churches and relief organizations are distributing food, water, blankets, clothing, cooking equipment and other necessities. Churches and schools have become emergency shelters. Grace Anglican Church in Tupche, Nuwakot, reportedly sheltered approximately 120 people, while about 200 more found refuge at a school connected with Revival Church.

This assistance is not limited to Christians. Nepali believers are serving neighbors across religious lines, responding to suffering wherever they find it. One Christian relief leader explained that their work is focused on everyone because this is a time to demonstrate the love of Christ to the entire community. In a country where Christians sometimes encounter legal restrictions and social suspicion, that practical service is an important public witness.

TheoEco has known this community for more than a decade. Bobbie and I first traveled to Kathmandu in September 2015, only months after the earthquakes that killed thousands and destroyed homes, churches and historic structures. Our filming became the Piles of Bricks mini-documentaries and later Piles of Bricks (Revisited), our examination of Nepal’s rebuilding effort.

Our work also became an extended encounter with Nepal’s Christians. In The Flourishing Kathmandu Church, released in 2017, we documented baptisms, Christmas celebrations, theological education and congregations in Kathmandu and remote villages. We filmed Christians from several traditions, including at Golgotha Church and the National Theological College, and traveled to villages near Gorkha, the epicenter of the 2015 earthquake.

Amit Nepali, TheoEco’s co-founder and longtime editor in Kathmandu, helped make that work possible. When I spoke with him shortly after the flooding, he said no one connected with his immediate community was known to have been affected at that time. That was welcome news, although subsequent reports make clear that Christians in the wider flood region have suffered serious losses.

Nepal’s experience after the earthquakes reminds us that emergency relief is only the beginning. Families will need homes, schools, churches, health facilities and livelihoods long after international attention moves elsewhere. One Nepali Christian relief leader expects recovery to take three to five years.

TheoEco marked its 11th anniversary this August. Nepal was central to our beginning and helped shape our mission to document, research and assist. Eleven years later, we are again listening to our friends there and praying for everyone who has suffered.

The Anglican Relief and Development Fund is supporting the Anglican Church in Nepal through its Nepal Flash Floods appeal. Send Relief is also responding through local partner churches.

The flood began in a matter of moments. Recovery will take years—and Nepal’s churches will be there for the long journey.

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