Who We Are
The First Vietnamese Protestant Church in New Mexico
The Vietnamese Baptist Church of Albuquerque (VBC) traces its roots to 1994, when a small group of Vietnamese Christian refugees began gathering for home Bible studies. Burdened for their fellow Vietnamese neighbors — many living in a rough part of town close to the only Asian market in the city — these early believers made a deliberate choice to go where the people were.
Week after week, after Bible study, they visited Vietnamese families — bringing practical help like clothes and rice, and above all, the gospel of Jesus Christ. On April 13, 1996, the congregation was formally constituted. On December 5, 1999, founding member Thai Nguyen answered God's call and became the church's first pastor.
For many years, VBC was the first and only Vietnamese Protestant church in Albuquerque — and in the entire state of New Mexico. Today, a close-knit, multigenerational body of believers gathers each week to worship, grow in God's Word, and carry that same outward mission forward.
Thank God for His faithfulness.
Our History
Milestones of Grace
A scrapbook of God's faithfulness — thirty years in the making.
First gathering — 1994
1994
A Seed Is Planted
A small group of Vietnamese Christian refugees began gathering for home Bible studies. Among them was Pastor Tan Thai's family — his wife is pictured here in white with their two children, carrying their third child yet to be born. Pastor Tan Thai himself was behind the camera th…
Mid-1990s
Moving to Crestview
The group moved to a small room at Crestview Baptist Church — in a neighborhood known locally as the "war zone," marked by drugs and crime, yet home to many Vietnamese refugee families drawn by low rent and the city's only Asian market. The believers chose Crestview deliberately,…
Crestview Baptist Church
Constitution Sunday — April 13, 1996
April 13, 1996
The Church Is Constituted
The congregation was formally constituted as the Vietnamese Baptist Church of Albuquerque. Even without a pastor, the believers pressed on — worshiping, praying, and trusting God to provide.
December 5, 1999
A Pastor Answers the Call
Pastor Tan Thai — one of the church's original members — answered God's call and was ordained as the first and founding pastor of the Vietnamese Baptist Church. His faithful shepherding has shaped the church's character and mission ever since.
Ordination Sunday, 1999
Our Church Home — Dec 2007
December 21, 2007
Our Church Home
After years of meeting in borrowed spaces, God provided. The congregation purchased its own church building — a milestone of grace that gave the church a permanent place to gather, worship, and serve the Albuquerque community.
2000s – Present
Growth and Continued Faithfulness
As more Vietnamese families made Albuquerque their home, the church grew in number and depth. For many years VBC stood as the first and only Vietnamese Protestant church in Albuquerque — and in the entire state of New Mexico. A close-knit, multigenerational body of believers fait…
The congregation today
Leadership
Meet Our Pastor
Pastor Tan Thai
Founding & Senior Pastor
Pastor Tan Thai was among the very first members of the Vietnamese Baptist Church — present from its earliest days as a home Bible study. He was the one behind the camera at that very first gathering in 1994, capturing the founding group that would grow into this church.
On December 5, 1999, Pastor Tan Thai answered God's call and was ordained as the church's founding pastor — a role he has faithfully held for over 25 years. His ministry is marked by a deep love for Scripture, a shepherd's heart for each person, and an unwavering commitment to the Great Commission.
Under his leadership, VBC grew from a borrowed room to the first and only Vietnamese Protestant church in New Mexico — a testimony to what God does through one faithful "yes."
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead."— 1 Peter 1:3
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