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People and organizations
Person · 1912-2000

George Affleck was born in Lanark, Ontario on March 7, 1912. He was educated at the University of Toronto, Emmanuel College, and St. Andrew's University in Scotland. He was ordained in the United Church in 1939 and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree by Union College (Vancouver) in 1969. George Affleck and his wife, Fronia, served United Church congregations in British Columbia, including Skidegate, Kimberley, Vernon, Crescent Beach (Surrey), Powell River, Port Alberni, and Parksville. From 1972 to 1977, he was Presbytery Officer for the Vancouver Island Presbytery. George Affleck died July 15, 2000 at Nanaimo, B.C.

Person · b. 1881

Charles Sinclair Applegath (b. 1881 ) was a Methodist/United Church minister in Ontario. He was ordained as a Methodist minister in 1909 and served in the Hamilton and Toronto Conferences at: Ryerson Church, Hamilton , 1909-1910; Paisley Memorial Church, Guelph, 1910-1911; Lincoln Ave., Galt, 1911-1914; Islington, Toronto, 1914-1916; Timothy Eaton Church, Toronto, 1916-1917; Chapleau, Ont., 1917-1918, Port Hope, Ont., 1919-1921; and Emerald Street Church, Hamilton, 1922-1925. He was instrumental in creating Hamilton's first United Church, and creating the Canadian Chautauqua Institute on Lake Rosseau, Ontario from 1921-1929.

Person · 1855-1949

The Rev. Charles Dod Baldwin, D.D., was a Methodist Church minister. He was born on July 31, 1855 in Youghal, County Cork, Ireland to Robert and Mary Baldwin. He attended school at Lismore College in County Waterford before moving to Dublin. There, while working for a hardware company, he preached and taught Sunday school at the Charleston Road Methodist Church and was involved with the Y.M.C.A.

He moved to Canada in August 1882 and enrolled in the Wesleyan Theological College, Montreal, where he won prizes in theology and the natural sciences. He was ordained in 1887. His time in the ministry was split between the Montreal and Ontario Conferences: Dunham (1882, 1895-1896), Levis and Bourg Louis (1883), Island Brook (1884), Montreal (1885-1886), Hendersonville (1887-1888), Lawrenceville (1889-1891), Cookshire (1893-1894), Lacolle (1897-1899), North Augusta (1901-1902), Mallorytown (1902-1095), Metcalfe (1905-1907), Westmeath (1907-1909), Ashton (1909-1911), St. Paul, Montreal (1911-1913), Westport (1913-1916), Addison (1916-1918), Aultsville (1918-1921), and Sharbot Lake (1921-1922). He retired from the ministry to Kingston in 1922, where he became connected to Sydenham Street United Church. Baldwin was also involved in the governance of the Montreal Conference. He held numerous positions, including: journal secretary (1892-1903, 1919-1921), assistant secretary (1905), secretary (1906, 1920-1921), General Conference statistician (1913-1918), and was elected President of the Montreal Conference in 1922.

Baldwin was known to be proficient in pen and ink illuminations. He married Catherine Elizabeth Teskey in 1889; she predeceased him in February 1947. Baldwin died on January 29, 1949 at the age of 94.

Person · 1928-2021

Lenore Pearl Beecham (1928-2021) was overseas personnel with The United Church of Canada. She was born and spend much of her childhood in Toronto, attending Rawlinson Public School and Vaughan Road Collegiate. She trained and worked as a teacher, then enrolled in Toronto Bible College [Tyndale College] where she met her future life partner, Walter Beecham. After graduating in 1955 she enrolled at The United Church of Canada's Centre for Christian Studies (majoring in Christian Education and Pastoral Care) and graduated as a Deaconess. The couple were sent by The United Church of Canada to South Korea in 1958 where they worked together from 1959-1981 in partnership with the Presbyterian Church of the Republic of Korea. After retiring from the mission field, having completed her Bachelor of Arts through Maryland University extension program, she went back to the University of Toronto and earned her Master's of Divinity at Emmanuel College, Victoria University. In 1983, at the age of 55, she became an ordained minister in The United Church of Canada. For For a period of time, she served as an assistant minister of the Korean Central Church in Toronto. In 1983, Lenore became the interim Minister at St. James United Church. During her term there, she held early morning Bible Studies at 7 a.m., which evolved into a group called “Morning Meds”. This group met every Thursday
morning, and continued for almost 40 years in neighbouring churches, nurturing lifelong friendships. When Lenore accepted a call to Richview United Church, she broke the glass ceiling by becoming the first woman lead minister in a Metro Toronto congregation. She served there for 8 years from 1984 until her retirement in 1992. In 1984, her book Song of the Soul: In Celebration of Korea was published. Upon retirement in 1992, she and Walter returned to St. James United Church in Etobicoke, and quickly became involved in the life of the congregation, its many committees and groups. Lenore passed away in 2021.

Person · 1927-2001

Walter McKenzie Beecham was overseas personnel with The United Church of Canada. He was ordained in 1958 in Toronto Conference, and in 1959 went to South Korea, along with his wife, Lenore Pearl Beecham. They worked in South Korea from 1959-1981 in partnership with the Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea, living and raising children there during turbulent times. Upon retiring from the overseas field, Walter was a minister at the following places: Cliffcrest (Scarborough) (1985-1986), Woodgreen (Toronto) (1986-1987), Alton-Caledon (Caledon) (1988-1989), Bethesda of Forest Glen (Mississauga) (1989-1990), Home-Huttonville-Norval (Huttonville) (1990-1991), Mayfield (Caledon) (1991-1992), He retired in 1991 but worked as a retired minister at St. John's (Georgetown) from 1991-1994), and Mayfield (Caledon) in 1994. He died in 2001.

Booth, Rodney M., 1933-2014
Person · 1933-2014

Rodney M. Booth was born in Arvida, Quebec. He obtained a Master of Divinity degree from United Theological College (UTC). He was later awarded an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from UTC. Booth was ordained by Montreal-Ottawa Conference in 1957 and served congregations in Nakusp (1957-1959) and East Trail (1960-1966). He became the first Director of Student Affairs at Selkirk College, Castlegar in 1966. The following year, he became Director of Broadcasting for BC Conference, pioneering the church's venture into television. In 1984, he moved to Toronto to serve as Media Director/Executive Producer of United Church Television with the National Division of Communication. Booth was Chairperson of the World Council of Churches' Communicators' Network, and over the years provided resources and media coverage for three Assemblies. He also participated in co-productions of documentaries with the BBC, NBC, and CBC, and earned numerous international awards for his writing and documentaries. Booth retired to Surrey, B.C. in 1999 and continued consulting in the field of broadcasting and communications for several years.

Person · 1928-2021

Grant Bracewell was born in Penticton, B.C. After studying at the University of British Columbia and Union College, he was ordained by The United Church of Canada, BC Conference in 1955. He served in pastoral ministry first as a student at Honeymoon Bay, B.C., and post-ordination at Bella Coola, Trinity (Merritt), and Royal Heights (Delta). Having received a testamur in 1955, he completed the thesis requirement for his Bachelor of Divinity degree while in pastoral ministry. In 1967, he earned his Master of Library Science degree and the following year became the first theological librarian at Emmanuel College (University of Toronto) and coordinator of all the libraries of the Toronto Schools of Theology. He retired with his wife, Eleanor, in 1993 to South Surrey, B.C., where both were involved at Crescent United Church.

Bracewell served the United Church in various capacities throughout his life, both in Ontario and B.C. Among his many contributions were: Boys' Work Secretary for the BC Conference Christian Education Committee; chair of the Bella Coola General Hospital Board (1955-1958); chair of Toronto Scarborough Presbytery (1986-1987); chair of the General Council Manual Committee (1980-1986); and chair of the BC Conference Archives and History Committee (1996-2005). He was a member of numerous university and church committees, but most relevant to the archival materials was his work on the Research Committee for the Working Unit on Sexuality, Marriage, and Family (Division of Mission in Canada, 1982). In retirement, Bracewell served on the Board of the Camp Kwomais Society (1994-2004) and volunteered at the BC Conference Archives for 25 years (1993-2018).

Person · 1880-1956

J.G. Brown was born September 6, 1880 in Lakefield, Ontario. He received his university and theological education in Toronto at Victoria College. He was ordained by the Bay of Quinte Conference of the Methodist Church in 1908. After a few years in pastoral work in Ontario, he came to British Columbia in 1912 and ministered at Enderby and Vancouver (including Turner Institute, Ryerson, and Kitsilano Methodist congregations). He was appointed Principal of the newly chartered Ryerson Theological College in 1923. When, in 1927, Ryerson College and Westminster Hall were merged (following church union), Brown became the first Principal of Union College of British Columbia, affiliated with UBC. Under his administration, the main Union College buildings on campus were erected. He had the task of guiding the College through the Depression and then through World War II. Principal Brown also served as President of BC Conference of The United Church of Canada, 1936-1937. After his retirement in 1948, he lived for three years in Oxford, England, until his return to British Columbia, where he assumed the pastorate of the Church of Our Lord in Victoria. J.G. Brown died October 15, 1956.

Person · 1926-2006

Rev. William Lemuel ("Lem") Burnham was born in Summerberry, Saskatchewan. He moved to Vancouver in 1945 and studied theology (Union College) and social work (University of British Columbia). He was ordained by BC Conference in 1954. From 1955 to 1973, Burnham studied and worked in Hong Kong. He returned to Vancouver in 1974 and served the Chinese United Church until his retirement in 1985.

Person · 1934-

Bob Burrows was born on September 1, 1934 in Scarboro, Ontario. He graduated from Victoria College (BA, 1956) and Emmanuel College (M.Div, 1959) in Toronto and was ordained by Toronto Conference in 1959. Bob and his wife Joan moved to the British Columbia coast in 1960. He served the United Church Marine Missions as minister and captain of the United Church mission ship, the Thomas Crosby IV, based at Ocean Falls. After two years, the Board of Home Missions transferred him to Alert Bay where he continued mission work to coastal communities with the float plane “George Pringle.” In 1966, Bob was appointed Assistant Superintendent of First United Church in Vancouver; he became Superintendent/Minister in 1968 and continued his ministry there until 1974.

From First United, Bob moved to the public sector to work for the BC Police Commission (1974-1978); the United Way of Greater Vancouver (1978-1980); and the Federal Secretary of State Department as Social Development Officer (1980-1984). He returned to the pastorate and served at Shaughnessy Heights United Church, Vancouver (1984-1986); Wilson Heights, Vancouver (1986-1990); St. David's, West Vancouver (1990-1999); and Capilano, North Vancouver (2000-2003). In 2007, Bob returned to First United Church, initially as a minister at the mission and then as Director of Fund Development (2008-2010). In the wider church, Bob served as President of BC Conference (1989-1990); Chair of the national United Church committee responsible for mission hospitals (1981-1984); and as a member of numerous committees and boards. He has written two books pertaining to United Church history: Healing in the Wilderness (2004), the story of the United Church Mission Hospitals across the country, and Hope Lives Here (2010), the 125-year history of First United Church in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside.

Chan, Sing Kai, 1854-1952
Person · 1854-1952

Sing Kai Chan grew up in a Christian household in China and was instrumental in establishing the Wesley Methodist Mission School in Hong Kong. He was invited by the Methodist Church of Canada to serve as lay preacher at Vancouver's first Chinese congregation in 1888. Chan was ordained in 1891 (the first person of Chinese descent to be ordained in the Methodist Church of Canada). After Vancouver, he served Chinese congregations in New Westminster and Victoria before moving to the United States for health reasons. His ministry continued in Oregon and California, where he died.

Chan, Yu Tan, 1863-1948
Person · 1863-1948

Yu Tan Chan was born and raised in China, where he grew up in a Christian family. He and his brother, Sing Kai Chan, were instrumental in establishing the Wesleyan Mission School in Hong Kong. He arrived in Canada eight years after his brother, in 1896, serving as a lay preacher at the Chinese Methodist Church in Vancouver until 1906. This was followed by pastorates in Victoria, Nanaimo, and New Westminster. Yu Tan Chan was ordained within the Methodist Church in 1923, and continued in ministry within The United Church of Canada after 1925 when it was formed through an amalgamation of the Methodist Church and other denominations.

Person · 1866-1948

William Newton Chantler (1866-1948) was a Methodist/United minister. He was born in West Essa, Ontario, and was educated at Wesley Theological College, Montreal, and was ordained in 1890. He served in Methodist and United Churches in Montreal and Toronto Conferences: Bathurst Street (1925-1926), Dixie (1927-1931), and did retired ministry in Toronto from 1932-1937.

Chow, Ling, 1893-1972
Person · 1893-1972

Ling Chow (also known as Rev. Chow Ling) was born in Kaiping (Hoiping), Guangdong, China and came to Canada as a boy of 14 in 1907. He spent his early years in Victoria, attending the Methodist Church there. In 1920, the church sent him to Nelson, B.C. to relieve C.Y. Chow. He returned to China to study theology at Guangdong Union Theological College, from which he graduated in 1929. Soon after his return, Chow was ordained by BC Conference within The United Church of Canada in 1931. As an ordained minister, he served pastorates in Cranbrook (1932-1934), Victoria (1934-1945), Vancouver (1945-1955), and Edmonton (1955-1964), retiring to Vancouver in 1964. While he was serving the Chinese United Church in Vancouver, the Canadian government lifted the Chinese Exclusion Act (1947); Chow was instrumental in beginning night school classes at the church, to help newcomers learn English.

Person · 1892-1970

Ralph Collins was born in England, May 8 1892 and died September 30, 1970. He arrived in Canada at age 17 and received his B.A. from McGill in 1923 and his B.D. in 1925 from Congregational College. He would receive an honorary D.D. from the United Theological College in Montreal in 1946. Dr. Collins was ordained in 1925 and arrived in Angola as a missionary in 1926 to take over from Dr. W.H. Sanders. In 1929 he married Miss Jean Gurd in Montreal and she worked alongside him in Angola. They served in Camundongo until 1947 when they were appointed to organize and direct Emmanuel Seminary in Dondi. Dr. Collins returned from Angola in 1958 and held various short positions as Retired Supply in Ottawa including Wesley, Permbroke, Larder Lake, Cardinal, South Mountain, Vars-Nava, Parkdale and Knox United.

Person · 1846-1904

Richard T. Courtice (1846-1904) was a Bible Christian, and Methodist minister. He was born at Dumbarton, Township of Pickering in 1846, and became an active member of the Bible Christian Church as a teenager. He was ordained in June, 1869 at Hampton. Before the union of the Bible Christian Church with the Methodist Church of Canada in 1884 he travelled the circuits of Dummer, Manilla, Toronto, Cleveland, Clinton, Lindsay, Cobourg and Welcome. He was also Secretary of Conference. After union his circuits included Bethany, Cannifton, Newtonville, Seymour, Hilton, Demorestville (1901-1902) and Frankford (1902-1904). He was married to Betsy Courtice.

Douse, John, 1801-1886
Person · 1801-1886

John Douse (1801-1886) was a Wesleyan Methodist minister and administrator. Born in Hull, England, Douse migrated to Canada as a missionary to Indigenous peoples in 1834. He was received on trial and ordained in 1834-1835 at Grand River. He served some of Ontario's largest and most prestigious Wesleyan Methodist charges, including the St. Clair Mission (Sarnia Township) for five years. He was also a Chairman of Districts and a long-time treasurer of the Superannuated Ministers' Fund.

Edgar, George, 1854-1931
Person · 1854-1931

George Edgar was born on August 24, 1854 on Gabriola Island. He was of Scottish and Tsimshian parentage. He grew up in Lax Kw’alaams (Port Simpson), and served the Hudson's Bay Company on its coastal steamers. In 1877, he responded to the Methodist Church's appeal for a teacher at Kitamaat and began his long association with the coastal mission work headed up by the Rev. Thomas Crosby. From Kitamaat, Edgar's mission work took him to Gitwinksihlkw (Canyon City) and Gitlakdamix (New Aiyansh) on the Nass River, Gold Harbour on Haida Gwaii; Hagwilget and Kitsegucla on the Skeena River; and Hartley Bay and Klemtu on the coast. He was ordained in 1909 by BC Conference of the Methodist Church, in consideration of his years of service. Edgar died on November 7, 1931.

Person · 1923-2001

Robert Andrew Faris was born in Vancouver, BC on December 25, 1923 to Kathleen "Kitty" (nee Litch) and Andrew Faris. He served in the Royal Canadian Air Force during World War II, met and married Celia Eileen Brown in London, England, and settled in Vancouver where Bob worked as a traveling hardware salesman for 19 years. Faris entered the ministry in his 40s. Ordained by BC Conference in 1967, his charges included Hazelton (1967-1970); First United, Victoria (1970-1973); Central Mainland Marine Mission (1973-1978); Bella Bella (1978-1983); and Sunnyside United Church, White Rock (1983-1990). He continued as Minister Emeritus at Sunnyside, and served with Celia as caretaker at Camp Kwomais in White Rock until retirement in 1993. Bob spent his retirement with Celia in Victoria, where he died in 2001.

Fong, Dickman, 1860-1946
Person · 1860-1946

(中文版在下面) Rev. Fong Dickman, originally known as Fong, Tak Man, was born in 1860 in Yan Ping, Kwangtung [Canton or Guangdong], China. He came to Canada in 1884 to seek a better life. Initially Mr. Fong made a living by driving stagecoaches between Vancouver and New Westminster, B.C. While attending a mission school at night, first in New Westminster and subsequently in Vancouver, Fong developed a keen interest in Christianity. He was baptized at the Princess Street Methodist Church in Vancouver, and appointed to the Chinese Methodist Church in Nanaimo in 1898 as a missionary at large. At that time, his name was Anglicized to “Dickman.” In 1906, Fong Dickman was transferred to Vancouver to set up and produce the Wa-Ying Yat-Po, (华英日报, the Chinese-English [or Chinese-Canadian] Daily Newspaper, 1906-1909), one of the very early (if not the first) newspapers in the Chinese language published in Canada. After 25 years of service, Fong Dickman was ordained by the Methodist Church of Canada in 1923. During his lifetime, he served in pastoral ministry at Nanaimo (1898-1906 and 1913-1921), Vancouver (1906-1913), New Westminster (1922-1930), and Edmonton (1930-1939). Rev. Fong Dickman retired in 1939, living in New Westminster until 1942, then residing in Vancouver from 1943 until his death on April 10, 1946.

Fong Dickman married Jane Chang in Victoria in 1899, and the couple had four daughters: Lavina Fong Dickman, who later became Lavina Cheng; Esther Fong Dickman; Anna Fong Dickman, who became Anna Lam; and Mary Fong Dickman (who died at a very young age). Aside from their loyal assistance with the church work, Anna was the first Chinese Canadian to become a registered nurse in B.C. and Esther, a school teacher in Vancouver. Mrs. Fong Dickman died in 1927. Beyond missionary work, Rev. Fong Dickman enjoyed creative writing, featuring early Chinese immigrants from his pastoral perspective. Rev. Fong Dickman was a philanthropist, who was noted to have supported a missionary in the city of Fat Shaan in Fong Dickman’s native province in south China.

Rev. Fong Dickman,原名冯德文(Fong, Tak Man),1860年出生于中国广东恩平。他于 1884 年来到加拿大寻求更好的生活。冯先生起初在Vancouver 和 New Westminster之间以驾驶驿马廂车为生。 晚间, 先在New Westminster,尔后在 Vancouver, B.C., 就读教会学校习英文。其间对基督教产生了浓厚的兴趣。他在温哥华的公主街卫理公会教堂受洗,并于1898 年被任命为传教士前往纳奈莫的中国卫理公会任职。同时他的名字被英化为Dickman。 1906 年,Fong Dickman 被调往温哥华,组织并创办了《华英日报》(the Chinese English [Chinese-Canadian) Daily Newspaper,1906-1909). 这是最早的(如果不是第一的话)在加拿大出版的中文报纸之一。为教会工作了 25 年后,Fong Dickman 于 1923 年受封立为牧师。在他的一生中,他在纳奈莫 (1898-1906 和 1913-1921)、温哥华 (1906-1913)、新威斯敏斯特 (1922-1930) 和埃德蒙顿 (1930-1939) 担任牧师职务。Rev. Fong Dickman于 1939 年退休,直到 1942 年他住在不列颠哥伦比亚省的New Westminster市。从 1943 年开始住在Vancouver, B.C. 直到 1946 年4月10日离世。

一八九九(1899) 年,Rev. Fong Dickman 迎娶了维多利亚的Jane Chang小姐,他们育有四个女儿:Lavina Fong Dickman (后来成为 Lavina Cheng); Esther Fong Dickman;Anna Fong Dickman(后来成为了 Anna Lam);以及Mary Fong Dickman (不幸英年早逝)。除了他们对教会工作的忠诚协助外,安娜是第一位成为卑诗省注册护士的华裔加拿大人。 Esther 是温哥华的一名学校老师。Fong Dickman 夫人于 1927 年去世。除了传教工作之外,Rev. Fong Dickman 还喜欢创作,从他的宗教信仰角度描绘早期的中国移民。Rev. Fong Dickman是一位慈善家。他以有限的薪水资助过他故乡的一名传教士,

Person · 1869-1935

Barnabas Courtland Freeman was born in Frontenac County, Ontario, in July, 1869. He went to Saskatchewan as a missionary in 1891, was ordained by the Manitoba and Northwest Conference of the Methodist Church in 1892, and was married to Ida Lawson of Frontenac County the same year. In 1893, he travelled west to British Columbia, serving among the Indigenous peoples at Skidegate, Lax Kw’alaams (Port Simpson), Port Essington, and Cape Mudge. In 1910 he ventured south to serve pastorates in Cumberland, Revelstoke, Port Coquitlam, and Vancouver. He was elected President of B.C. Conference in 1920. Freeman died at Cape Mudge in 1935. Throughout most of his career, he wrote poetry, short stories and essays. His poetry was published in The New Outlook, The Christian Guardian, and other church periodicals.

Hockin, Arthur, 1851-1932
Person · 1851-1932

Arthur Hockin (1851-1932) was a minister of the Methodist Church of Canada in Nova Scotia. His son, Arthur Hockin Jr. (1879-1912) was a missionary to China, married to Lily Howie Hockin.

Person · 1916-2009

Lloyd Hooper was born Jan. 25, 1916, in Salford, Ontario. He was ordained in 1954 and served as a minister of the United Church of Canada in many small towns in B.C. including Cape Mudge, Skidegate, Fruitvale, Brentwood Bay, Greenwood, Chemainus, Tahsis, and the West Coast of Vancouver Island. He was involved in youth work in all these places in Scouting, 4-H, church youth groups and camps. He died at Nanaimo on October 14, 2009.

Person · 1878-1956

Allen Egbert Hopper (1878-1956) was a Methodist/United Church minister in Ontario. He was born in Camden Township/Kent County, Ontario in 1878. His early education was at Wabash Public School (Camden Township) and Albert College (Belleville). He received his theological education at Victoria University, Toronto and was ordained in Goderich in June, 1919. As a Methodist preacher, he served at Port Lambton, 1919-1920, and Delaware, 1920-1924. After Union, he ministered in London Conference at Fullerton, 1925-1927; Ilderton, 1927-1932; Plattsville, 1933-1936; Shedden, 1937-1941; Bethel-Mull.[?], 1942; St. Paul's-Harwich, 1943-1946; Delaware, 1947-1948; and did retired ministry in Hamilton, 1949-1952 and Delaware, 1953-1955. During his ministry he was chairman of Elgin, and Kent Presbyteries and a Commissioner to General Council in Montreal. He married Alice A. Marsh in 1903. He died in June, 1956.

Person · 1907-2004

Edward William Horton (1907-2004) was a minister with The United Church of Canada. He was born in Wolverhampton, Staffordshire, England. He received a B.A. from the University of British Columbia in 1929. He was ordained by British Columbia Conference in 1932. Throughout his career he served at many places in British Columbia: Giscome (1932), Victoria (1935-1936), Murrayville (1937-1940), Windsor United Church, Vancouver (1947-1950), West Burnaby United Church (1951-1957), and Ontario: Queen Street United Church, Kingston (1958-1964), Douglas-Eganville Charge (1965-1969), Calvin United Church, Pembroke (1970-1976), and Picton United Church, Picton (1977-1989). He attended the University of Edinburgh from 1933-1934, Mansfield College Oxford in 1934, and received a B.D. from Emmanuel College, Toronto in 1947. He was, at one time, President of the Bay of Quinte Conference. During World War II he served as a chaplain with the Royal Canadian Chaplain Corps in from 1941-1946. He was first posted in B.C., then in August 1941 was sent overseas to serve with the Royal Winnipeg Rifles of the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division. He landed at Juno Beach on D-Day in 1944 and shortly after was seconded as a chaplain for the Royal Canadian Army Corps. Upon his return to Canada, he was Padre of the Seaforth Highlanders Militia Regiment in 1948-1958, and a Royal Canadian Legion Chaplain at Eganville, Ontario (1965-1969), and Picton (1978-1997). He died in 2004.

Person · 1905-1989

Norah Hughes was the first woman to be ordained by BC Conference. She was born in Portsmouth, England, in 1905. She emigrated to Canada with her family as a teen in 1921, and settled in the Abbotsford area. After attending normal school, she taught elementary school for a short time, and then entered the University of British Columbia. There, she obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Science and a Master's degree in Biology. Hughes attended Union College, earning her Bachelor of Divinity in 1940, and was the fourth woman to be ordained in the United Church. She later obtained a PhD in church history from the University of Chicago. Her many charges included: Hazelton-Skeena River (1940-1941); Chase (1941-1942); Ashcroft (1945-1947); Hatzic (1947-1949); North Surrey (1949-1952); Fernie (1953-1957); Victoria West (1957-1960); Salt Spring Island (1960-1965); and Langley (1966-1970). Norah Hughes was also the first woman to serve as President of BC Conference (1962-1963). In 1964, she was given an honorary doctorate from Union College. After retirement, she attended Langley United Church. She died on July 28, 1989.

Hughes, Robert, 1869-1955
Person · 1869-1955

Robert Hughes was a Methodist Church (Canada) then United Church of Canada minister. He worked for a time in Dawson City, Yukon and the remainder of his career was in British Columbia: White Rock, 1925-1927, Ocean Park, 1928-1954. He died June, 1955.

Jefferson, Selby, 1866-1946
Person · 1866-1946

Rev. Selby Jefferson (1866-1946) was born at Gosforth, Newcastle-on-Tyne, England on the 12th of November, 1866. As a young gentleman he became involved with the Wesleyan Methodist Sunday School, and eventually became a local preacher. In 1890 he was received into the ministry of The Methodist Church of Canada in the Newfoundland Conference where he spent 9 years. Two of those years were spent on the northernmost mission of Hamilton Inlet in Labrador. Following this, he was transferred to Nova Scotia Conference where from 1902-1905 he was at a congregation in Louisburg, from 1905-1908 he was at Grafton Street, and from 1908-1910 served the Wesley Church in Hamilton, Bermuda. At Union, Jefferson became a minister with the United Church of Canada. The later years of his active ministry were spent in London Conference, from 1925-1926 at Victoria Street U.C. in Goderich, from 1927-1929 at Brownsville, then 1930 in Salford. In 1931 he was transferred at Superannuation to Toronto Conference for retirement and he died in 1946.

Jenkins, William, 1779-1843
Person · 1779-1843

The Rev. William Jenkins was one of the first Presbyterian ministers in Upper Canada. Born on September 26, 1779 in Kirriemuir, Scotland, Jenkins studied at the University of Edinburgh with the intention of becoming a minister in the Associate Synod of the Secession Church in Scotland, but left before he graduated.

In 1799, Jenkins immigrated to New York, where he continued his theological studies in connection with the Associate Reformed Presbytery of Saratoga, with noted proficiency in Hebrew and Greek. He was licensed to preach and ordained in 1807, and called as a missionary to the Onyota'a:ka, or Oneida, in Oneida Castle. He would remain here until 1816 when, following the death of Onyota'a:ka Chief John Skenandoa, he was sent to minister to various communities in Upper Canada. He made enough of an impression on the residents of Richmond Hill that they petitioned the Presbytery of Saratoga to have him as their permanent minister. Jenkins moved to Markham Township in 1817 and purchased a 200 acre farm near Cashel.

Upon his arrival, Jenkins was the only Presbyterian minister in Upper Canada. As a result, his itinerant ministry took him as far west as the Grand River and as far east as the Bay of Quinte, although he was primarily based out of Richmond Hill and Scarborough. Because he was one of the few outside of the Anglican Church who was allowed to perform marriages, he regularly married Methodists, Baptists, Mennonites, and Quakers.

More Presbyterian ministers started to arrive after Jenkins. In 1818 the Presbytery of the Canadas was formed, which he joined in 1819 after being released by the Presbytery of Saratoga. In 1825, it was dissolved and replaced with the United Synod of Upper Canada. However, it eventually entered into union with the Church of Scotland and agreed to accept money from the clergy reserves. As a voluntarist, Jenkins believed this linked it too closely to the British state, which he viewed as tyrannical and oppressive, and he left in 1834. He was admitted into the Missionary Presbytery of the Canadas in 1837, which was linked to the United Associate Synod of the Secession Church of Scotland and therefore not formally connected to the state in any way.

Jenkins was politically active against the Family Compact and the government of Upper Canada, frequently speaking out and denouncing them from the pulpit. He was a founding member of the Friends of Religious Liberty, a group formally opposed to the actions of the government. While he never formally joining, he was sympathetic to William Lyon Mackenzie's 1837 rebellion. Jenkins' son, who did join the rebellion, was forced to flee to the United States with Mackenzie upon its failure.

Jenkins was married in Scotland to Jane Forrest, but she died before he emigrated. He met and married Mary Hatfield Stockton while in Oneida Castle. Together they would have eleven children, nine of whom survived into adulthood. After a prolonged illness that gradually restricted his ability to continue his itinerant ministry, Jenkins died on September 25, 1843 at the age of 63.

Ko, James Yee Lai, 1932-1981
Person · 1932-1981

Born in Hong Kong, James Ko was trained in theology at Trinity Theological College, Singapore and was ordained by the Church of Christ in China, Hong Kong Council, in 1962. Rev. Ko came to Canada in 1964 and served with the Presbyterian Church at the Chinese Church in Windsor, Ontario. He was received into the United Church of Canada in 1972, and served at the Chinese United Church (Vancouver, B.C.) until his death.

Leung, Chuk Ping, 1884-1965
Person · 1884-1965

Chuk Ping Leung was born in Kaiping (Hoiping), Guangdong, China. He came to Canada in 1922 with his son, So Won, and worked as clergy with the Methodist Church in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. During this time, the Methodist Church of Canada amalgamated with other denominations to form The United Church of Canada. Leung's remaining family members joined him in 1927, the same year he transferred to the Chinese United Church in Edmonton (1927-1930). This was followed by pastorates in New Westminster (1930-1932), Vancouver (1932-1938), Montreal (1938-1943), and once again Edmonton (1943-1952). Chuk Ping Leung died at Vancouver in June of 1965.

Little, James, 1875-1935
Person · 1875-1935

Rev. James Little (1875-1935) was a minister with The Presbyterian Church in Canada, then after 1925, The United Church of Canada. He was born in Hamilton, Ontario. He received a B.A. from the University of Toronto in 1901, then attended Knox College from 1901-1904. He was ordained in the Presbytery of Toronto in 1905. He worked at Brampton Presbyterian Church (1905-1910), St. Pauls Presbyterian Church, Ottawa (1910-1917), Westminster Church, Toronto (1917-1935). He received a D.D. from Knox College in 1923. He died in June, 1935.

Person · 1901-1985

Ernest Edgar Long (1901-1985) was a United Church Minister and the longest serving Secretary of General Council. He was born in Brighton England to Harry Oliver Long and Ellen Kate Pierce and raised in Woodstock, ON. He was inspired at a young age to become a minister by his missionary sister, and was received as a probationer for Methodist Ministry in 1916 by Woodstock District and Hamilton Conference. He served at the following probationary charges in the U.S.A. and Canada: Drumo-Richwood of Woodstock District, Shaunayon Presbytery Saskatchewan, Chetwynd Charge Burk’s Falls and East Dorset, Vermont. He earned his B.A. from Victoria College and Master of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary in 1927. While at Union Theological School he served as Boys’ Work Secretary and Youth Leader at Peoples’ Home Church and Settlement, East 11th St. N.Y.C. (Methodist) and Assistant Director of Christian Education at West Side Presbyterian Church, Ridgewood, N.J.. During this time he also completed most credits for M.A. at Teacher’s College, Columbia University, N.Y.. He was ordained in 1926 by the London Conference and served at the following pastorates: Avondale United Church, Collier Street United Church, Trinity United Church Barrie, Fairmount-St. Giles Quebec and Humbercrest United Church. In 1931 he married Dr. Dorothy Elizabeth Toye and had two children Peter bad Elizabeth. While serving as a minister he also held various responsibilities in church courts from 1939 to 1954. With his expertise in church government he become Secretary of the General Council in 1955 and served for seventeen years. While Secretary he did a lot of ecumenical work and most notably was a member of the Central Committee of the World Council of Churches.

Person · 1917-2000

Wayne Oliver MacKenzie was born at Riparia, Washington. He was ordained in The United Church of Canada by BC Conference in 1958. He served pastoral charges in Alert Bay (1958-1961); Bamfield (1962-1963); North Kamloops (1964-1966); Enderby (1967-1971); Squamish (1972-1974); and Revelstoke (1975-1976). MacKenzie retired in 1976 and served the church at Kaslo as retired supply (1978). In his early charges, he served as skipper of the “Robert C. Scott” and pilot of a Cessna, both part of the marine mission work of the Church on the coast. In his later years, he was a vocal member of the Community of Concern, an organization that arose in response to the Church’s decision to ordain qualified candidates regardless of sexual orientation. MacKenzie died in 2000.

Person · 1876-1950

Joseph Edwin James Millyard (1876-1950) was a Methodist, then United Church Minister. He served as Conference President for the Methodist Church. He worked in the following areas in Ontario after 1925: Wesley, London (1925-1928), George Street, Peterborough (1929-1934), Hyatt, London (1935-1937). He retired in London in 1938 and died June, 1950.

Person · 1860-1953

Walter Edwin Pescott (1860-1953) was a Methodist/United Church minister. Born in the Channel Islands in 1860, he came to Canada in 1880, and studied at Victoria University. He was ordained into the Methodist Church in 1891. Mabel Hardy and Walter Edwin Pescott were married in 1892. As Walter Pescott served as a Methodist and then a United Church minister, the couple served various charges in Ontario: Burlington Plains, Port Colborne, Hamilton, Simcoe, Galt, Toronto, Windsor, London, Kitchener and Orillia, as well as in Winnipeg and Vancouver. They had one daughter, Aleda, born in 1918. After his retirement, Pescott represented the Ontario Temperance Federation.

Person · 1869-1931

Edward Joseph Rattee was a minister with The Presbyterian Church in Canada, then The United Church of Canada. He was born in Cambridgeshire, England in 1869 and came to Canada in 1882. He graduated from Dalhousie University in Arts, and from Queen's University in Theology. He was ordained in 1892 and worked in the Maritimes: Salina (1892), Noel (1893-1898), Blue Mountain (1899-1902), Clifton (1903), Princetown (1903-1914), New Richmond (1915-1918), then Quebec: Longeuil (1919-1920), Windsor (1921-1923), and Joliette (1924-1931). He died in November, 1931 in Joliette.

Reed, J. Newton, 1923-2016
Person · 1923-2016

Newton Reed (1923-2016) was born in West China and spent most of his childhood there. He finished his high school education at Llewellyn Hall in Oshawa and afterwards enlisted with the Ontario Regiment for the remainder of WWII. After attending Victoria College and Emmanuel College at the University of Toronto, he was ordained in 1953. He was a minister in Preeceville, Saskatchewan for three years, then Sutherland in Ontario for 15. Reed was deeply involved in Bay of Quinte Conference in many different capacities; and was also an ardent researcher of all things United Church; writing histories on Llewellyn Hall for Missionaries Children, the Lay Commissioners of the First General Council, the First General Council, Toronto Conference History amongst other subjects.

Sasse, Joyce
Person · 1940-

Joyce Sasse (b. 1940) was a United Church rural minister and an overseas missionary. She was adopted and raised on a farm-ranch in Milk River, Alberta. Sasse felt the call to rural ministry at a young age when she noticed a disconnect between the local ministers and the rural community. To become a minister she studied theology at the University of Saskatchewan and focused on rural issues and historical initiatives like the credit union movement. As a result she earned a Bachelor of Arts (1962), Bachelor of Theology (1965), Bachelor of Divinity (1968) and Master of Divinity (1987). She was ordained as a United Church minister in 1965. To broaden her experience she served as a missionary in Korea working on community development from 1967-1971. Upon her return to Canada she served as Executive Director of the YWCA. From 1974 to 1978 she worked as Saddle Bag minister in Moose Jaw Saskatchewan as part of the Division of Mission’s experimental project on rural ministry. From her ordination to her retirement in 1998, Sasse served at the following charges: Morse/Chaplain (1965-1967), Moose Jaw (1974-1978), Tugaske (1978-1986), Rockford (1986-01989), and Pincher Creek (1989-1996). To further rural ministry during her career, Sasse worked with the International Rural Church Association, helped found the Canadian Rural Church Network and contributed significantly to the Centre for Rural Community Leadership and Ministry (CiRCLe-M). Upon retirement in 1998, Sasse continued to support rural ministry through speaking engagements and publications. More recently she has been working on the Annora Brown Art and Life Legacy Project.

Slight, Benjamin, 1798-1858
Person · 1798-1858

Benjamin Slight (1798-1858) was a Wesleyan Methodist missionary to Upper Canada. Born in England, he was sent to Canada as a missionary by the Wesleyan Missionary Committee in London, England in 1834, and was ordained for missionary work in Hamilton in 1835. He began his mission work in western Upper Canada at Amherstburg, where he ministered to settlers, Indigenous people and a colony of formerly enslaved Americans. He next served at the Credit Mission, near York and later worked in different parts of Eastern and Western Canada until his death. He was married to Elizabeth Slight (d. 1871).

Person · 1883-1957

Rev. Dr. John Thomas Stephens (1883-1957) was a minister with the Methodist Church (Canada), then the United Church of Canada) who spent most of his career working with home missions. After union, he worked in Saskatchewan: Biggar (1925), Calder (Ukrainian, 1926-1930), Regina (Settlement House, 1931-1933), and Alberta: Edmonton (All Peoples Mission, 1934-1951), he was retired ministry in Edmonton (1952), North Burnaby (1953-1955), and White Rock (1956-1957). He was one of the organizational leaders of All People's Mission in Edmonton, and was involved with the opening of the Bissell Institute. He died in August, 1957.

Talbot, Thomas M., 1856-1926
Person · 1856-1926

Rev. Thomas M. Talbot (1856-1926) was born in Guelph. He entered ministry with the Methodist Church in Canada in the Toronto Conference in 1887, and was ordained in 1891. He earned a B.D. and a B.A. in Manitoba. After his graduation in Arts, he pursued a course in Philosophy in Boston University, eventually earning a Doctor of Philosophy. He was elected Chaplain of the Grand Council of Manitoba, and Superintendent of the Social Purity Department of the Royal Templars of Temperance. He published books and wrote manuscripts on philosophy, such as “A Compendium of the Christian Religion”, “Psychology of Mental Faculties”, “Categorical Theory” and a voluminous manuscript “Philosophical Theories”. Upon retirement he lived in Winnipeg, and died in 1926.

Person · 1912-1997

Harold M. Wingfield was born at Wanstead, England on April 12, 1912. He received his schooling in Alberta and was ordained by Alberta Conference of the United Church of Canada in 1941. He served nine pastoral charges in Alberta and B.C., including Fort Saskatchewan, Thorhild, Edson, Queen Charlottee City, Ocean Falls, Halibruton (Nanaimo), Squamish, and Lake Cowichan. He died January 11, 1997 at Cowichan Lake, B.C.

Wyatt, Peter, 1943-
Person · 1943-

Peter Wyatt (1943-) is a minister, and former General Council Office staff with The United Church of Canada. He was born in Stratford, Ontario. He received his B.A. in English from Victoria College at the University of Toronto in 1966, his M. Div from Union Theological Seminary (New York) in 1969, and his Th.D. from Victoria University (Toronto School of Theology) in 1983. From 1995-2001 he was the General Secretary, Theology, Faith and Ecumenism at the United Church of Canada General Council office. Following that, from 2001-2008, he was Principal of Emmanuel College, and in 2012 Acting Executive Secretary of Toronto Conference. His pastoral ministry includes a summer mission field at Belmont Lakes Pastoral Charge (1967), Field Education at Riverside Church and East Northport Methodist Church, Long Island (1966-1969), Minister at St. Paul's Pastoral Charge (Alberta, 1969-1974), Whitevale Pastoral Charge (Toronto, 1974-1977), Port Hope United Church (Port Hope, 1977-1984), Trinity-St. Paul's Church (Toronto, 1989-1995), Supply at St. Andrew's U.C. (Brantford, 2009-2010), Knox United (Agincourt, 2011), Rosedale United (Toronto, 2012), Burk's Falls Pastoral Charge (2013-2014), Lynn Valley U.C. (Vancouver, 2015), Trinity St. Paul's (Toronto, 2017), and Trinity United Church (Huntsville, 2020-2021). He has taught various courses in theology at Emmanuel College and other institutions, published many articles, and two books entitled "Jesus Christ and Creation in the Theology of John Calvin" (1996) and "The Page That Fell Out of My Bible ; Sermons Preached at Trinity St-Paul's United Church, 1990-95" (1995). He married Joan (Parsons) Wyatt in 1965 who has taught courses alongside him, co-authored articles and shared ministry.