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People and organizations
Person · 1894-1963

Neil David Patterson (1894-1963) was a United Church minister. He was born in Cape Breton. He studied at Westminster Hall, Queen's University (B.A., B.D., 1921). He was ordained in 1921 in the Presbyterian Church in Canada, subsequently he attended the University of Chicago, receiving an M.A. in Church History. He served pastorates in several provinces, but particularly in Ontario. His interest in education led him to serve on the first Board of Directors of Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario. In 1954 Patterson received an honorary degree of D.D. from Queen’s University.

Person · 1882-1935

Edmund Henry Oliver (1882-1935) was a Presbyterian/United Church minister and educator and Moderator of the United Church. He was born in Eberts, Ontario, and studied (M.A., Ph.D., D.D., LL.D.) at the Universities of Toronto, Columbia, Berlin, and Halle, and at Knox College. He held teaching and administrative positions at Canadian universities; this included being appointed the first Principal of St. Andrew's College, Saskatoon, in 1913. He was an overseas chaplain during World War I and was a founder of the University of Vimy Ridge (or the Khaki University) for Canadians in France. A Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, he published a number of studies pertaining to classical history as well as Canadian concerns, and served on two Royal Commissions. He was the first President of Saskatchewan Conference of the United Church, and served as Moderator from 1930 to 1932.

Person · 1882-1957

Isaac Bramwell Naylor (1882-1957) was a Methodist/United Church minister and military chaplain. He was born in England, and came to Canada in 1905 to accept service with the Methodist Church in Saskatchewan. During World War I he served as a chaplain, and after the war he was active in veterans' affairs while holding pastorates in Saskatchewan and Ontario.

Person · 1894-1975

Florence Jessie Murray (1894-1975) was a medical missionary to Korea. She was born in Pictou Landing, Nova Scotia, and studied in Prince Edward Island and Dalhousie University. A medical doctor, she spent most of her career as a medical missionary in Korea, receiving honours in both Canada and Korea for her contributions.

Person · fl. 1957-1982

Robert Williams Mumford (fl. 1957-1982) was a United Church minister and theologian. He was ordained in 1951; he went on to serve pastorates in the Maritimes, Quebec and Ontario, as well as teaching at Queen's University.

Person · 1860-1940

Thomas Albert Moore (1860-1940) was a Methodist/United Church minister and administrator and Moderator of the United Church of Canada. He was born in Acton, Ontario. He studied at McGill University and Wesleyan College, Montreal, was ordained in 1884, and served Methodist circuits in Ontario. He was Secretary of the Lord's Day Alliance of Ontario, 1903-1906; Secretary of the Methodist General Conference, 1906-1925; Secretary of the Methodist Board of Temperance and Moral Reform/Evangelism and Social Service, 1910-1925; Secretary of the General Council of the United Church, 1925-1936; and Moderator of the United Church, 1932-1934. He also served in several other positions, including committees relating to church union (1925).

Person · 1875-1948

Alfred Dennis Miller (1875-1948) was a Methodist/United Church minister and educator. He was born in Newmarket, became a Methodist probationer in 1898, and was ordained in 1900. He studied at Victoria College (B.A.; M.A. in Semitic languages, 1906). He served charges in Alberta, but spent most of his career teaching in arts and theological colleges including Victoria College, Mount Allison University, St. Stephen's College (where he also served as Principal), and Emmanuel College.

Fowkes, John, 1840-1924
Person · 1840-1924

John Fowkes (1840-1924) was a Methodist minister in Quebec and Ontario. Born in England, he was married to Emma Gray Odell and ordained in 1875. He served at Hamilton, 1871-1873; St. Catharines, 1873; Brome, 1873; East Farnham, 1874; East Farnham, 1874; Shawbridge, 1875; Farnham, 1876; Lombardy, 1877; Glentay and Maberly, 1878-1879; Bearbrook, 1880-1882; Metcalf, 1883-1884; Avonmore, 1885; Winchester Springs, 1886-1887; Harrowsmith, 1888; North Wakefield, 1889-1891; Odelltown, 1892-1894; South Stukely, 1895-1898; Playfair, 1899; Maberly, 1900-1901; and Calumet & Grenville, 1902-1905; Odelltown, 1906-1907; and Georgeville, 1908-1910.

Person · 1891-1966

Robert Stanley MacMillan (1891-1966) was a Presbyterian/United Church minister. Born in Saintville, Ontario he joined the Army Medical Corps in 1915, returned to college in 1918 and was finally ordained in the Presbyterian Church in Canada in 1923. As a student minister he served at Bladworth, Saskatchewan, and after ordination served at Kelfield, 1923-1924; Elrose, 1925-1930; Davidson, 1931-1933; Kerrobert, 1934-1935; Schomberg, 1936-1937; Kindersley, 1938-1942; Hamilton, 1943-1962. He was married to Emma I. Black.

Person · 1880-1956

Alexander Rintoul (1880-1956) was a Presbyterian/United Church minister in Ontario. He was born in Ontario, ordained in 1910 and married the same year to Louise Vance. His charges included Elmsley, 1910-1917; Nairn, 1918-1921; Angus, 1922-1924; and then charges in the Presbyteries of North Bay, Grey, Simcoe, and Toronto East. He retired in Scarborough in 1947 and then was at Balderson, 1955-1956.

Person · 1853-1947

David Anderson Moir (1853-1947) was a Methodist minister in Ontario. He was born in Glasgow, Scotland, and the family emigrated to London, Ontario in 1856. David Moir was ordained in 1875 and served charges at Alma, Drayton, Georgetown, Walkerton, Niagara Falls, Dunnville, Hamilton, Thorold, Simcoe, St. Catharines and Oakville.

Shimizu, Kosaburo, 1893-1962
Person · 1893-1962

Kosaburo Shimizu (1893-1962) was a United Church minister who served the Japanese community in British Columbia and Ontario. Kosaburo Shimizu was born in Shiga, Japan, in 1893 and emigrated to Canada in 1907. He graduated from the University of British Columbia in 1919, Harvard in 1924 and Union College in 1927, and was ordained in 1927. He served the Vancouver Japanese Church until 1942, when he served the interned community at Kaslo until 1945. After the war, he moved to Toronto, serving the Church of All Nations. Rev. Shimizu was married twice, once to Mizue Abe who predeceased him, and then to Hyde Hyode. He died in Winnipeg in 1962.

Person · 1915-2005

Corinne Clark Van Loon (1915-2005) was a lay person active in the United Church of Canada in the second half of the twentieth century. Born Corinne MacDonald in 1915 in Acton, Ontario, she lived most of her life in Hamilton, Ontario. She worked for London Life Insurance for twenty-five years. She was active in Livingston, Westdale and Bowman United Churches, with the Canadian Girls in Training (Builders Group) and I.O.U. Sunday School Class. Corinne Clark van Loon also served as local and Presbyterial President of the United Church Women, as Chairman of the Board of Wesley Centre, as Chairman of Hamilton Presbytery and as President of the Hamilton Conference of the United Church of Canada. She was married to Otto Clark and John V. Van Loon, both of whom predeceased her. Corrine Clark Van Loon died in 2005.

Ashley, Elmer E., d. 2004
Person · d. 2004

Rev. Elmer E. Ashley was a United Church minister serving in the twentieth century. Elmer Ashley was born in 1909 or 1910. He was ordained in the Maritime Conference of the United Church of Canada. He served various charges in Saskatchewan, New Brunswick and Ontario. He retired in 1977 to Fenwick, Ontario. Rev. Ashley died in 2004.

Storey, Margaret, 1939-
Person · 1939-

Margaret Storey (1939-) has been a United Church missionary to Korea in the latter half of the twentieth century and the beginning of the twenty-first century. She was born in 1939 in Winnipeg, Manitoba. She received a B.Sc. from the University of Manitoba in 1960, a B.Sc.N. from McMaster University in 1966, a M.Sc.N. from Yonsei University in 1974 and a Ph.D. in Nursing from Yonsei University in 1984. Margaret Storey has served in Korea as a United Church missionary from 1960 to the present.

Person · 1883-1934

Andrew Robson McRae was a Presbyterian minister and then United Church minister. He was born near Ayr, Ontario on June 15, 1883. He graduated in theology in 1911 from Knox College, and he was ordained in 1912. He served at Kintyre, Blenheim, East Oxford and Glenmorris. In 1925, he was called to Balfour Street Church in Brantford to facilitate the creation of the Balfour Street United Church. He died on July 8, 1934.

Person · 1923-2008

Rev. James Douglas Ormison (1923-2008) was a United Church minister, missionary to Angola and worked for the Board of World Mission. He was born in 1922 in Tantallon, Saskatchewan, and graduated from the University of Saskatchewan in 1944. He attended St. Andrew's Theological college in Saskatoon 1944-1945 and then received his B.D. degree from Princeton Theological Seminary in 1948 followed by his Th.M in 1963.

After two years in pastoral work in Hudson Bay, SK Rev. Ormiston was appointed for work in Angola in 1951. Returning to Angola in 1956 following furlough he was responsible for the Dondi Press. Rev. Ormiston was then send to the Congo in the summer of 1961. Upon return to Canada in 1961 he was appointed to the Board of Overseas Missions as Secretary for Personnel. At the 1962 General Council he was named Assistant Secretary of the Board of World Mission.

In 1966 he resigned from the Board and returned to Pastoral work in Spiritwood (1966-67). He became director of Crossroad Africa 1968-1971, and served in Yellowknife 1972-1981. During 1982-85, he seved South Peace PC and through 1985-88 served at Prince Rupert First PC. Rev. Ormiston retired in Naramata BC in 1988.
Rev. Ormiston died August 14, 2008.

Carey, E. Frank, 1918-
Person · 1918-

Edward Francis Carey served as an ordained United Church missionary and administrator. He was born in Montreal, Quebec in 1918. He received his B.A. from McGill University in 1941 and served in the armed forces during World War II. After returning to Canada in 1945 he entered United Theological College (Montreal) and was ordained and appointed to Japan in 1947. He obtained the Master of Divinity from Acadia College in 1960 and Doctor of Divinity (honoris causa) from United Theological College in 1972. He was Associate Secretary of the Board of World Mission which later became the Division of World Outreach, 1964-1978, and Deputy Secretary, 1979-1984.

Ray, Donald G., 1918-2010
Person · 1918-2010

Donald Gordon Ray was a United Church minister and administrator. He was born in 1918 in Toronto, Ontario. He earned his B.A. at Victoria College in 1940 and attended Emmanuel College in 1940-1942. He served in the Royal Canadian Air Force from 1942-1945, completed his theological course at Emmanuel College in 1946 and was ordained in Toronto in the same year. He served the following charges: Berwyn-Grimshaw in Alberta, 1946-1949; Kettleby in Ontario, 1949-1951; Dauphin, 1951-1959, and Fort Garry in Manitoba, 1960-1970. He was President of Manitoba Conference in 1961-1962. In 1970 he was appointed Associate Secretary, in 1971 Deputy Secretary and in 1975 Secretary of the General Council until his retirement in 1983. Predeceased by his first wife, the former Mary G. Clark in 2002, he married Joan Dewar in 2003. Rev. Donald G. Ray died in 2010.

Person · 1948-

Kathleen Alice Walton (1948 - ) is a United Church minister. She graduated from McMaster University with a Bachelor in Arts in 1971 and earned a Masters in Divinity from Queen's University in 1994. She served in Plevna , Ontario 1994 - 1996, Frankford, Ontario, 1996- 2007, Athens, Ontario 2008-2009, Seeley's Bay, Ontario, 2009-2011. Her husband Thomas A. Walton is also a United Church Minister. Prior to joining the ministry, Kathleen was a librarian in at Yukon College, Whitehorse.

Person · 1865-1952

William Harvey Grant (1865-1952) was a Presbyterian/United Church minister and missionary. He graduated from Knox College in 1892 and was sent to the Honan mission in China in the same year. He served two years in India after the missionaries were evacuated from the field during the Boxer rebellion and there married his wife, Dr. Susan McCalla, herself a missionary. In 1902 he returned to China together with her and served in Honan. They came to Toronto upon retirement in 1938. W. Harvey Grant died in 1952.

Grierson, Robert, 1868-1965
Person · 1868-1965

Robert Grierson (1868-1965) was a Presbyterian/United Church minister and medical missionary. He graduated from Presbyterian College (Halifax) in 1893 and from Dalhousie Medical College in 1897. He was ordained in May 1898. A few months later, he set sail as one of pioneer missionaries to Korea on the same day of his marriage to his first wife, Helena Vienot, who died in 1920. In 1922, he married Mary Fingland, an educational missionary under the Foreign Mission Board of the Presbyterian Church. Robert and Mary Grierson returned to Canada in 1934. He died in 1965 and she in 1989.

Person · 1912-1994

Lloyd Harold Hylton (1912-1994) was born in Toronto, Ontario in 1912. He earned a B.A and a B.D from McMaster University in 1943, and 1949 respectively. Originally working as a minister in the Baptist church, he served Jerseyville Baptist Church, Haldimond County. In 1957 he was received as Ordained by the United Church of Canada, Seaway Valley Presbytery. He served Two Charges in 19 years, and retired in 1977. During his time working as a minister for the United Church he also worked as a high school teacher from 1955 until 1980. After retirement he worked as a Champlain at Muskoka camp. Throughout his career he was quite involved with youth work including Rallies, Summer Weekend Camp Activities, and summers teaching summer school.

Person · 1869-1951

Elizabeth B. Campbell (1869-1951) was a missionary. She was born in Duntroon, Ontario and trained as a teacher. She started serving in Angola in 1900 under the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions. After taking a leave of absence for a few years she returned in 1920 under the Canada Congregational Women’s Board of Missions. While under the American Board she worked at Elende and Chilesso and while under the Canadian Board worked at Chissamba (1920-1927) teaching Household Sciences courses; at Camundongo (1930-1933) she taught at the Vocational School for Girls.

She retired in Toronto in 1934 and died in 1951.

Moore, Churchill, 1854-1945
Person · 1854-1945

Churchill Moore was a Congregational Minister. He was born on September 28, 1854 in Economy, Nova Scotia. He graduated in Theology from the Congregational College of Canada in 1890 and served in Ayer’s Cliff, Quebec; Milton, Nova Scotia and Keswick Ridge, New Brunswick. He was married to Mary M. Mac Donald. He died in 1945.

Person · 1930-1992

Barbara Joan Elliott (1930-1992) was a Diaconal Minister. She was born in Kintore, Ontario, the daughter of a United Church minister. She attended the United Church Training School and earned her B.A. in 1965 from the University of Alberta and B.D. in 1968 from St. Stephen’s College. She was designated in Alberta Conference where she first served. She later went to Manitoba Conference and then to Saskatchewan Conference where she worked the longest. She was first involved with Christian education, then in leadership development programs for conference personnel and work with women in the church and feminism.

Person · 1907-1995

Frank Prescott Fidler (1907-1995) was a United Church Minister. He was born in Calgary but was raised in Winnipeg. He received his B.Sc. in Electrical Engineering in 1928 from the University of Manitoba and his B.D. from Emmanuel College in 1934. He acted as a Boys’ Parliament Premier in 1924, and represented the Boys’ Parliaments of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba at the World Conference of Y.M.C.A. in Helsingfors, Finland in 1926. After attending Emmanuel, he acted as Boys’ Work Secretary of the British Columbia Conference of the Religious Education Council of Canada (1928-1931). Fidler was ordained in 1934 and called as an Associate Minister to Bloor Street United Church where he had been working as a student assistant to Dr. George Pidgeon. He remained there from 1933-1939. Then, Fidler acted as Minister of Glebe United Church, Ottawa, 1939-1949. For the next 20 years he served at General Council office as Associate Secretary of the Board of Christian Education in the area of family life education, Adult work, Couple’s Clubs and secretary of the National Marriage Guidance Council. He was largely responsible for preparing the New Curriculum, and also helped write two reports to the United Church Commission on Christian Marriage and Divorce: “Toward a Christian Understanding of Sex, Love and Marriage” (1962) and “Marriage Breakdown, Divorce, Remarriage, a Christian Understanding” (1964).

His professional interests extended outside of the church such that he became a founding member of the executive of the board of the Vanier Institute of the Family, first president of the Planned Parenthood Association of Toronto and president of the Family Planning Federation of Canada (1963-1970). He also acted as Executive Director of the Richmond Hill and Thornhill Area Family Services and was a Consultant in Marriage and Family Services to the United Church of Canada after his work at the General Council Office was completed.

Parker, William, 1880-1968
Person · 1880-1968

William Parker, born in 1880 in Yorkshire, England, was a Congregational, Presbyterian and later United Church minister. He was ordained in the Congregational Church in Michigan in 1904 and was received into the Presbyterian Church in Canada in 1920. He served as the minister of Kitchener Congregational Church,1917-1919, Hilton Beach Presbyterian Church, 1919-1921, and Minden Presbyterian Church, and 1921-1925, before church union. As a United Church minister, he served the following pastoral charges: Minden, 1925-1927; Queensborough, 1927-1930; Sebright, 1930-1932, 1946-1949; Stella, 1932-1934; Enniskillen, 1934-1935; Mallorytown, 1935-1940; Inverary, 1940-1943; Smithfield, 1943-1944; Bay, 1945-1946. He died on September 10, 1968.

Faull, James, 1840-1897
Person · 1840-1897

James Faull was born in Crowan, Cornwall County, England on January 6th, 1840. In the mid 1860s he left England for America to minister to copper miners in Upper Michigan but was instead sent to the L’Anse Indian reservation where he served as a missionary and teacher.

In May, 1871 he came to Eastern Ontario upon the invitation of Rev. S.W. LaDu, a presiding elder in the Methodist Episcopal Church.
James Faull served charges in St. Lawrence District, Inverary and Kingston, Mallorytown, Inkerman, Easton’s Corners, Tamworth, Centreville, Milford, Sidney, Bayside and Shannonville.

He died in December 18, 1897 surrounded by his wife Catherine and their family.

Whitehead, Rhea, 1936-2011
Person · 1936-2011

Rhea Hildegarde Menzel Whitehead (1936-2011) was a missionary in Asia, theological educator and General Secretary of the Division of World Outreach. She was born on January 22, 1936 in St. Louis, Missouri. She received her B.A. from Elmhurst College Illinois summa cum laude in 1956 and M.A. in Adult Education from the University of Toronto. In 1961, after undertaking full-time studies of the Cantonese language, she and her husband Raymond Whitehead moved to Hong Kong where she worked in various capacities with the Church of Christ in China and the National Council of Churches/USA. In 1975 they moved to Toronto where Rhea served as Coordinator of the Education Liaison Programme of the University of Toronto/York University Joint Centre on Modern East Asia for the next two years. She subsequently worked with the Anglican Church of Canada as Regional Mission Coordinator for Asia and the Pacific from 1979-1984 and thereafter, served The United Church of Canada until her retirement in 2005. She was Area Secretary for Asia, 1984-1992; General Secretary of the Division of World Outreach, 1992-1999 and overseas personnel 1999-2005, teaching at Siliman University in the Philippines and Nanjing Theological Seminary in China. Rhea was widely respected and recognized for her exceptional work in international justice and peace. Along with her solidarity and support work in the struggle against the dictatorships in South Korea and the Philippines, overseas partners point to Rhea's pioneering work in opening up the commitment to gender justice in the context of mission partnerships. Rhea and her husband Ray played critical roles in the ecumenical churches’ ongoing relationship with the people and churches of China. Rhea meticulously took down notes of her travels and observations, at workshops and worship which documents form a large part of her records. In 2010, Rhea and Ray were awarded the Katharine Hockin Award for Global Mission and Ministry by the Canadian Churches' Forum for Global Ministries.

Jackson, Hope, 1922-2003
Person · 1922-2003

Hope Erna Jackson (nee Weber) (1922-2003) was born in Preston (now Cambridge), Ontario. She attended elementary and high school in Preston, then the University of Western Ontario (Waterloo College) from 1945, receiving a B.A. in 1948. She attended the United Church Training School, Toronto from 1948-1950, and Emmanuel College from 1956-1958, where she earned a B.D. She was received as a candidate in 1956 and ordained in 1966 in London Conference. She worked as a missionary of the W.M.S in Gypsumville, Manitoba from 1950-1956. Her pastorates were Kingston, Nova Scotia (1967-1971), River John, Nova Scotia (1971-1973), Walters Falls, Ontario (1973-1977), and Massey, Ontario (1977-1982). She served as secretary of the Division of Mission in Canada Committee of the Maritime Conference, was secretary of the National Committee on Liturgy, Chairman of the Committee on Liturgy for Manitou Conference, and President of Manitou Conference. She married Rev. Arthur Jackson in October, 1957. Her sister, Faith Bauman was a missionary with the United Methodist Church in India for over 25 years. Jackson died in June, 2003.

Person · 1906-1980

Anne Isabel Ward was a missionary. She was born in Granton, Ontario on January 14, 1906 and attended the Toronto Conservatory of Music, the University of Western Ontario and the United Church Training School. In 1930 she was designated as missionary and was sent to West China under the Woman’s Missionary Society. She taught at the Hwa Yin Girls’ High School in Chengtu until 1937; served as Dean of Women at the West China Union University for a brief period and became head of its Fine Arts Department. In between she taught choral work and piano. She did not leave immediately following the establishment of the Communist government in 1949 but stayed on for two more years and was one of the last missionaries of the United Church to depart from China.
After a year’s furlough, Anne Ward took up the post of General Secretary of the Dominion Board of the Woman’s Missionary Society. Under her helm, the work of the Woman’s Missionary Society and Board of Overseas Missions was unified paving the way for the creation of United Church Women and the Board of Women. She served as the first secretary of the latter board from 1962-1969. She died on September 1, 1980.

Dahlin, Henry W., 1924-2000
Person · 1924-2000

Henry Waldemar Dahlin was a United Church Minister. He was born in Finland on April 18, 1924. He was ordained by Toronto Conference in 1963. Rev. Dahlin received his B.A. from the University of Toronto in 1973 and his B.D. from Emmanuel College in 1976.

He served the following charges in Ontario: Porcupine, 1963-1965; Bond Head, 1965-1976; Knox, Owen Sound, 1976-1981 and Bradford, 1982-1989[?].

Person · 1906-2004

Arthur Bruce Barbour Moore (1906-2004) was born in Keswick Ridge, New Brunswick. He received his early education in New Brunswick and Quebec and graduated from McGill in 1927 with honours in English and History. In 1930, he graduated from United Theological College in Montreal with his Bachelor of Divinity. Following graduation, he spent seven years as a minister in Quebec (Amherst Park United Church, Howick United Church) and four years as a minister of College Hill Church in Easton, Pennsylvania. From 1940-1942 he supplied at Parkdale United Church in Ottawa, then served at Westminster United Church in Saskatoon until 1946 when he was appointed Principal of St. Andrew’s college. He received a Doctor of Divinity in 1947, and was elected President of the Saskatchewan Conference of The United Church of Canada in 1949. In 1950 he was appointed President and Vice-Chancellor of Victoria University. In 1952 he received his Doctor of Laws from the University of Saskatchewan and a Doctor of Divinity from Trinity College in Toronto. From 1954-1958 he was Chairman of the Board of Overseas Missions of the United Church. In 1969, he was appointed President of the Canadian Council of Churches. From 1971-1972 he served as Moderator of the United Church. From 1973-1974 he served as an Interim Minister at St. Andrews Kirk in Nassau, Bahamas. In 1976 he served as Interim General Secretary of the Canadian Council of Churches and was also named to the Order of Canada. From 1977-1980 he served as Chancellor of the University of Toronto. Moore died in 2004. He was married to Margaret Moore who died in 2004.

Sparling, Edith, 1879-1965
Person · 1879-1965

Edith Plaxton Sparling (1879-1965) was born in Anderson, Ontario. She had some Business and Secretarial Training, and also graduated from the Methodist National Training School in 1909. She was appointed by the Women’s Missionary Society of the Methodist Church to West China in 1909. After a year of language study at Chengtu, she was appointed to Tzeliutsing for evangelistic work in 1910 and remained there for nine years. In 1919 she was transferred to Chungking for her next term of service. In 1924, she went to Fowchow and remained there for ten years. Then, in 1934 she was again appointed to Tzeliutsing and spent all the rest of her service there. Sparling retired on September 28, 1947 and lived in St. Mary’s and later Chatham, Ontario.

Lawson, Margaret, 1922-2012
Person · 1922-2012

Margaret Lawson (1922-2012) was born in Toronto. She was a fervent volunteer with the United Church in many capacities and at many levels; church, conference, presbytery, and national.

Lawson worked in the office of Sainthill Levine during World War II and met her husband, Bill Lawson at Young People’s at St. Paul’s Avenue Road. The Lawsons moved frequently throughout Ontario for Bill’s work. Margaret volunteered for various groups (the Women’s Association, United Church Women, Pastoral Care, Executive and Advisory Committee, and various Councils and Committees) at the Conference and Presbytery levels while a member at Welland Avenue United Church (St. Catharine’s), St. Andrews United Church (London) and Rideau Park United Church (Ottawa), Emmanuel United Church (Ottawa), Marshall Memorial United (Ancaster), and Donway Covenant United Church (Toronto). Lawson volunteered with the U.C.W. of Hamilton Conference as secretary and later Chair (1968-1970). During this time, on behalf of the church, she traveled to Japan and met with Women’s groups there. She was also on the Toronto Area Presbytery International Affairs Committee from 1984-1985.

Nationally, Lawson volunteered on the Executive of the Board of Women, serving as their representative on the Board of Men and Chair of their Finance Committee from 1968 until 1971 when the Board of Women joined the newly created Division of Mission in Canada. She volunteered on the Executive of the Division of Finance and the Executive of the Treasury Department from 1968-1977. She was on the General Council Executive and Sub-Executive from 1974-1977, and served on the following committees: Church Extension, Budget Validation, Salaries, Investment for Social Purposes, Project Committee and the Task Group on Confirmation Resources. She volunteered on the Executive and Sub-Executive of the Department of Church in Society from 1972-1977, and was Chairman of the Outreach Ministries and various other ministries. She was on the Board of Directors of The Observer, and the Executive of the Treasury Committee, the Investment Committee and the Pensions Department. She served as Chair of the Division of Mission from 1979-1983, and was chair of their Mutuality in Mission Committee from 1991-1992. She also served as the Division’s representative to the Division of World Outreach, JNAC (Japan-North American Commission on Cooperative Mission) as well as their Committee on East Asia & Pacific DOM/NCCCUSA. She was a member of the Women’s Missionary Society Book History Committee, chaired the Office Committee of the General Council, and the Archives Management Committee from 1991-1993.

Rivers, Gray, d. 1996
Person · [before 1996]

Gray W. Rivers (d.1996) was a United Church minister. He was ordained in 1941 and served at the following charges: Appleby United Church, Burlington United Church, Grace United Church, Port Dover Greensville, and Palermo. He retired in 1981 but continued to serve the Halton Presbytery until his death. In the 1960s he worked as a missionary at Norway House, a Cree Settlement 500 miles north of Winnipeg. Rivers was married to Marjorie Rivers and had five children.

Brown, James, 1856-1932
Person · 1856-1932

James A. Brown (1856-1932) served forty years as minister for the Presbyterian Church for the following charges: Belmont, Agincourt, Shakespeare, Fergus and Ingersoll.

Person · 1870-1951

Alfred Edward Lavell (1870-1951) was a Methodist Minister and recognized public servant. Born in Kingston to mother Betsey Reeve and father Dr. Michael Lavell, who was the surgeon and warden of Kingston Penitentiary and a Methodist layman. He graduated from Queen’s University with a B.A. in 1893, and notably invented the Gaelic Yell. He received his D.D. at Victoria University. He was ordained 1897 and served in the following charges: Jarvis, Rockford, Walsh, Ayr, Norwich, Waterloo, Niagara Falls, and Brantford. He was interested in all aspects of Church life and was honored by his Niagara Conference with various official posts. He spent considerable time on educational reform within the Church. He also served as chaplain in WWI and went overseas with the 125th Battalion. He earned the rank of major, but was sent home after contracting a series illness during the Salonika Campaign. In 1918 he moved to Toronto and was appointed Executive Secretary of the Ontario Parole Board. From 1931-1935 he served as Provincial Historian and wrote histories on educational, medical and penal institutions. In 1897 he married Laura Gillespie and had two daughters Mona and Mrs., Frederick A. Wade.

Buttars, Mel, 1911-2000
Person · 1911-2000

David Melville “Mel” John Buttars (1911-2000) was a United Church minister. He was born in Cobourg, Ontario in 1911 to Lillian Gray and David Buttars. He graduated from Queen’s University with a B.A. in 1936, a B.D. from Queen’s Theological College in 1939, Union Theological Seminary in 1941 and received a D.D. from Queen’s University in 1978. He was ordained in 1939 in Kingston and served for fifty-seven years at the following charges: Grananoque East, Bloomfield, Inglewood, Pickering, Albert St., Oshawa and Cobourg. He also held the following positions: Chairman of the Oshawa Presbytery, Secretary of the Dufferin and Peel Presbytery, President of the Bay of Quinte Conference, Member of the Home Mission Board, Evangelism and Social Service and other various committees including Amnesty International. He also worked a Chinese translator for the Government of Canada. He married Honor in 1939 and had three children John, Ian and Barbara.

Person · 1922-2008

The Rev. Elinor Katherine Harwood Leard was born October 20, 1922 in Raleigh Township. Elinor was educated at the University of Western Ontario (1938-1942); Radcliffe College (1942-1943); UCTS (1944-1945); Emmanuel College (1944-1949); Cheshunt College, Cambridge (1949-1950); Columbia University (1956-1957).
In 1939 she became a candidate for the UCC ministry; in 1948 she was accepted as a WMS missionary to India and travelled there with her husband Rev. G. Earl Leard to establish mission schools. In 1957, Elinor was ordained by the London Conference despite strong opposition against the ordination of married woman with children.
The Leards continued to work in India until 1960 when they returned to Canada; Rev. Elinor Leard was appointed as minister of the Grahamsville charge, followed by Emmanuel in Bramalea.

In 1964 Rev. Elinor Leard taught Latin, English and Library in Oakville and Etobicoke until 1988 when she retired.
Rev. Elinor Leard died January 8, 2008.

Person · 1926-2005

Douglas Clarke Lapp (1926-2005) was born in Ottawa, Ontario. He received a BA (Hons) in Philosophy and History from the University in Toronto in 1948, a B.D. from Emmanuel College (Toronto) in 1953, a Masters of Theology from St. Pauls University (Ottawa) in 1969, and a PH.D. in Theology from the University of Ottawa in 1975. He was received as a candidate in the United Church of Canada in Spring, 1944, then entered the mission field. He was in the mission field at Wood River, Alberta in 1945 and Nipawin, Saskatchewan in 1946. Lapp was ordained by Montreal and Ottawa Conference in June, 1953. He served Chelsea Pastoral Charge from 1954-1955, 1957-1959, Dominion Chalmers U.C (Ottawa) from 1962-1967, Brittania U.C. (Ottawa) from 1967-1970, Stoney Creek Presbytery (Hamilton), 1970-1976, Metropolitan (Toronto) from 1976-1984, Westdale (Hamilton), 1984-1990. He was also very busy with other church positions. He was Boy’s Work Secretary of B.C. Conference from 1948-1950, and the Ontario Council of Christian Education from 1955-1957. He was the Field Secretary for the Board of Christian Education of Hamilton Conference from 1959-1962. He was Chairman of Ottawa Presbytery from 1969-1970, Toronto Area Presbytery from 1981-1983 and President of Hamilton Conference from 1990-1991. He was a member of the General Council’s Judicial Committee from 1984-1986. He was also Chair of the Moderator’s Task Force on Indian Residential Schools in 1990, and a member of the Task Group on Executive Positions in the General Council Office, 1993.

He was married to Ethel Mary Upton, and had 5 children: Laureen, Murray, Peter, Robert and Valerie.

R.B. Ledingham
Person · d. 1935

Rev. R.B. Ledingham (d. 1935) was a Presbyterian minister. He was born in Ontario and was native to the County of Grey. In his early years he attended a high school in Owen Sound and later taught school. To further his education he went out west to attend Manitoba College where he graduated with an arts degree in 1902. Later he returned to Ontario and studied Theology at Knox College, Toronto. His first call to serve was in Waldemar, Ontario, and he subsequently served at various charges out west in Manitoba and Saskatchewan. After serving out west he went to Glasgow Scotland in 1909 to study at the United Free Church College. After his studies he returned to Canada and continued to serve in charges out west. In 1922 he was called back to Ontario to the congregations of Esson and Willis, and three years later served at Harriston. From 1931, and presumably until his death, Rev. Ledingham served at Weston Presbyterian Church. He was married and had three sons and three daughters.

Kabayama, Jun, 1895-1979
Person · 1895-1979

Jun Kabayama was born July 11, 1895 in Kagoshim-Ken, Japan. He took Commerce at Kansai Gakuin College. Following graduation in 1919, he joined the Japanese Army for one year before taking a job at the Public Department at Kobe City Hall before returning to Tokyo to attend Kansai Gakuin and learn under Dr. Armstrong. In 1923 he moved to Shizuoka and worked at a Mission Centre, and as Deputy Director of the Shizuoka Home of Inomiya. In 1924 he was asked by the Japanese Methodist Church to become a missionary. He was ordained by the Northern Division of the Japanese Methodist Church in 1929 and invited to come to Canada by the superintendent of the Home Mission Board of Orientals of the United Church of Canada. He served in Ocean Falls from 1929-1942, and was then forcefully relocated under the War Measures Act into an internment camp in British Columbia. He was then relocated and worked in Lethbridge, Alta (1942-1952); Okanagan Japanese (1952-1963); and Fraser Valley Japanese (1963-1965). Kabayama retired in 1965 and died in 1979.

Person · 1912-1953

Lynden Harold Winter Barclay (1912-1953) was a minister in the United Church of Canada. He attended high school at Glebe Collegiate in Ottawa. After graduation he attended McGill University, receiving a B.A. in 1932. He then earned an M.A. in Education at Queen’s University in 1934. He graduated from Emmanuel College in 1941 and was soon ordained into the United Church. He took some further post-graduate work at Union Theological Seminary in 1942. He was a minister at Radville, Saskatchewan 1942-1944; Kenogami, Quebec 1944-1948 and Woodroffe in Ottawa from 1949-1951. He took a study leave in 1942 and was studying for his doctorate of theology at Emmanuel when he was killed in a car accident in 1953. His parents were Dr. and Mrs. G.O. Barclay who served at Bell Street in Ottawa for over 40 years.

Person · 1934-

Robert Frederick ("Bob") Smith was born in Montreal in 1934. After receiving his B.A. from the University of Alberta in 1956, he earned a diploma in Theology at St. Stephen’s College (1958), a B.D. from the University of Alberta (1964), and a Th.D. at Boston University School of Theology (1973). He was ordained by the Alberta Conference of the United Church in 1958, and married Margaret Ellen Maguire that year. After ordination, he served in pastoral ministry at St. Luke's, Fort St. John, British Columbia (1958-1961); Trinity, Edmonton (1961-1965); Memorial Congregational Church of Atlantic, Quincy, Massachusetts (1965-1968); Richmond Hill (1968-1974); Eglinton, Toronto (1974-1982); Shaughnessy Heights, Vancouver (1982-1993); and First, Vancouver (1993-1998).

Throughout his ministry, Smith has served on numerous committees, including the Doctrinal Commission; General Commission on Church Union; Committee on Union and Joint Mission; Co-Chair of Roman Catholic-United Church Dialogue; the Committee on Theology and Faith; the Inter-Church Inter-Faith Committee, and the Division of Mission in Canada's Advisory Group on Residential Schools.

Smith has also served as head of several church courts: as chair of York Presbytery (1972-1974) and Toronto Area Presbytery (1977-1979); President of Toronto Conference (1981-1982); and as Moderator of the United Church of Canada (1984-1986). As Moderator, he made the Apology to First Nations Peoples on behalf of the Church in 1986.

Tindal, Mardi, 1952-
Person · 1952-

Mardi Tindal, a layperson, was an administrator and a Moderator of The United Church of Canada (2009-2012). She was born in 1952 and grew up in Victoria Square, Ontario (now part of Markham). She graduated from York University with a B.A. psychology and holds an M.A. in educational psychology from the University of Toronto. She worked as a consultant on leadership and program development and Coordinator of recreational ministries and youth resources with the Division of Mission in Canada at the General Council Office. She also served as Communication and Stewardship officer at Hamilton Conference, director of Camp Big Canoe and was executive director of Five Oaks Centre before becoming Moderator. From the 1980s to the 1990 she was co-host, producer and writer of Spirit Connection. Mardi Tindal served as Moderator from 2009-2012. She is married to Douglas Tindal.

Person · 1949-

Kathryn Virginia ("Ginny") Coleman (1949-) was born in Hamilton, Ontario. She attended McMaster University from 1968-1971, then from 1973-1975 studied at the Centre for Christian Studies, receiving a diploma as a Professional Christian Educator in 1975. She was received as a candidate in 1973, and ordained in 1975 by Hamilton Conference. She served as Director of Education at St. Paul's United in Orillia from 1975-1980, then St. Paul's in Midland from 1981-1982. She was the secretary of Ministry Personnel Services in the Division of Ministry Personnel and Education from 1984-1991, and Executive Secretary of Hamilton Conference from 1992-1994. She was General Secretary of the General Council from 1994-2002 and 2002-2005 she was Executive Secretary of Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario Conference. From 2005-2011 she worked as a Diaconal Minister in Little Britain, Manitoba.