Prior to GNFA, the small, tight-knit Sikh community in the Washington, DC, area, regularly held congregation services in each other's homes.  The community decided that it was time to have a dedicated institution that could provide for its religious, cultural, and social needs.  In 1970, GNFA was incorporated, and in 1974 GNFA enacted its Constitution and By-Laws, becoming a democratically organization managed by the sangat itself.  The pioneers of this time were committed to building a long-lasting home for our community; though they did not have much themselves, they sacrificed what they had to establish an institution that would last for generations.  Since then, GNFA has grown in many ways, and this growth is due to the commitment and example of this founding generation.