Showing 290 results

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.

Corporate body

Aldergrove United Church began as Aldergrove Presbyterian Church in Langley District Municipality. Services began as early as 1885 with regular services commencing in 1889, although a church was not built until 1911. The earliest Session records (1914) indicate that the Aldergrove charge consisted of three other points: Aberdeen, Pine Grove and Patricia. After union in 1925, Aldergrove remained a separate charge until becoming part of the Murrayville charge in 1932. In 1961 Aldergrove and Murrayville became separate charges. Since 1963 Aldergrove has, with Mount Lehman, constituted the Aldergrove-Mount Lehman Pastoral Charge in Fraser Presbytery.

Person · 1907-2002

Walter Gilray Anderson (1907-2002) was a medical doctor and missionary to India with The United Church of Canada. He was born in Ratlam, India to missionaries Rev. Frederick J. and Mabel Anderson. His early education took place in India. He graduated from The University of Toronto with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1928, and a degree in medicine in 1934. While a student, he spent his summers on home mission fields in northern Saskatchewan. In 1937 he was stationed in India as a medical missionary. Following one year of language study, he began as a Staff Doctor at Ratlam Hospital in 1938. From 1941-1946 he served in the Indian Army Medical Service. He was captured and taken prisoner of war in Singapore on February 15, 1942 and was held for 3.5 years in various camps along the Quai River Valley in Burma [Myanmar]. After a furlough in Canada, Anderson returned to Ratlam hospital in 1948. From 1955-1960, he served as Medical Superintendent at Banswara, and from 1960-1976 was at Ratlam Hospital. At the time of his retirement in 1976, Anderson was the last Canadian medical missionary serving in an Indian hospital.

Corporate body · 1906-1942

The Anna Turnbull Memorial Hospital was located in Wakaw, Saskatchewan. In 1905 Rev. George Arthur established The Geneva Mission at Wakaw. Dr. Arthur and his wife initially cared for the sick in their home. In 1906 a hospital was built by the Woman's Home Missionary Society of The Presbyterian Church in Canada. After church union in 1925 it was operated by The Woman's Missionary Society (WMS) of The United Church of Canada. In 1912 a new hospital was built, which enlarged over time with a new operating room built in 1928. The hospital was operated by the WMS until 1942. In 1943 the doctors residence was sold to Dr. R. G. Scott who had been responsible for the hospital's management and financing, and in 1946 other buildings were sold.

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.

Archer Memorial Hospital
Corporate body · September 12, 1912-

Archer Hospital was located in Lamont, Alberta. In 1903, Dr. Albert Ernest Archer (1878-1949), a medical missionary with the Methodist Church of Canada arrived in Star, Alberta to become a physician to the local Ukrainian community. In 1906, the railway was extended to Lamont and The Archers moved there. The Archers began to see patients in their home, and eventually, persuaded the local Methodist Church board to sponsor a hospital. The Lamont Public Hospital opened on September 12, 1912. It was managed by the Methodist Church, and after 1925, The United Church of Canada. Dr. Archer was the first Medical Superintendent and remained in that position for 37 years. A nursing school operated there from 1912-1972. In 1950 the hospital was renamed Archer Memorial Hospital as a dedication to its founder. In 1992 all the facilities on campus merged to form the Lamont Healthcare Centre, which is still operational.

Person · 1880-1965

Jesse H. Arnup, (1881-1965) was a minister and Moderator of the United Church of Canada. He was born in Norfolk County, Ontario in 1881. He graduated from Victoria College in 1909 and received his D.D. from Wesley College, Winnipeg, in 1924. From 1910 to 1912 he was Secretary of the Layman's Missionary Movement of the Methodist Church, Assistant Secretary of Overseas Missions from 1913 to 1925, and Secretary of United Church of Canada Foreign Missions from 1925 to 1952. He served as Moderator from 1944 to 1946.

Person · 1906-1994

Eric Winston Austin was born in Northwich, England on August 27, 1906. His family came to Canada in 1910. After graduating from medical school in 1932, he was employed for a short time at Large Memorial Hospital in Bella Bella with Dr. George Darby, and then on board the Thomas Crosby III (1932-1938) with Rev. Robert C. Scott. Dr. Austin subsequently became a physician at Wrinch Memorial Hospital in Hazelton (1938-1942). From 1942 until the end of the Second World War, he served the Royal Army Medical Corps. At war's end, he became a surgeon for the Vancouver Military Hospital, then for Vancouver General Hospital, and in later years had a private practice. Dr. Austin married his second wife, Mary Louise Hannah (nee Reid), in 1978. The couple were members of Shaughnessy Heights United Church in Vancouver. Eric Austin died on August 8, 1994.

Person · [194-?]-

Douglas Bacon was born in Peterborough, Ontario and grew up in the in United Church. After studying Medicine for one year at the University of Toronto, he decided that his skills would be better served as an ordained minister. He received his Bachelor of Sacred Theology from McGill and was ordained by Bay of Quinte Conference in 1969.

Douglas served in pastoral ministry Bruce Mines, Ontario; St. Margaret's, Kingston; West Point Grey, Vancouver; and Colebrook, Surrey. He held positions as Secretary of Kent Presbytery, London Conference (1974-1976); Chair of Education and Students Committee, Bay of Quinte Conference; member and Chair of the Worship and Liturgy Committee of the United Church, and co-editor of A Sunday Liturgy (1978-1984); Chair of Vancouver-Burrard Presbytery (1987-1989); and member and Chair of the national Candidature Committee of the United Church (1990-1996). He retired in 2010.

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.

Ball, George Nash, 1917-2008
Person · 1917-2008

Rev. George Nash Ball (1917-2008) was an ordained minister of The United Church of Canada. He was born near Jordan, Ontario. He attended primary school in Grimsby and Vineland Station, and high school in Beamsville before attending McMaster University; receiving a B.A. in 1940. He then earned a diploma at Emmanuel College (University of Toronto) in 1943; an M.A. from Yale University in 1946 and a Bachelor of Divinity from Emmanuel College in 1959. He was received as a candidate for ministry in 1940 at Vineland United Church in Niagara Presbytery and was ordained in 1943 at Ryerson United Church, Hamilton. He married his partner Gertrude in 1943, and served at Manitowaning (Sudbury Presbytery) from 1943-1945. He did Overseas Mission work in Chengdu, West China from 1945-1949. He then returned to Canada where he remained for his career, serving at Hagersville (Haldimand-Norfolk Presbytery, 1949-1950); Niagara on the Lake (Niagara Presbytery, 1950-1958); Tara-Arkwright (Bruce Presbytery, 1958-1963); Ripley (Bruce Presbytery, 1963-1973); and Milverton (Huron-Perth Presbytery, 1973-1980). Ball died in 2008.

Person · 1907-1993

Rev. Dr. Hedwig Dorothea Henriette Bartling was born in Germany. As a young child, she emigrated with her family from Germany to Canada, settling in Saskatchewan, just a year before the First World War. In 1933, she was engaged by the Woman's Missionary Society (W.M.S.) of The United Church of Canada to work among the Ukrainian people in northern Alberta. In 1942, she went to Lethbridge to work among the Japanese Canadians who were interned. After the war, Bartling worked first at the Chinese Christian Community Centre in Victoria, B.C. (1950-1951), followed by several years at Steveston United Church in Richmond, helping build the integrated Caucasian-Japanese congregation (1952-1956). Following three years at Queens Avenue United Church in New Westminster (1960-1962), and studies at Union College, she was ordained. Hedwig Bartling died in 1993.

Battle River Hospital
Corporate body · September, 1937-1954

The Battle River Hospital was located in Manning, Alberta. When the Peace River Country of northern Alberta was opened for settlement, the Woman's Missionary Society (WMS) of the Presbyterian Church in Canada established a small hospital on the Battle River mid-way between the villages of Notikewin and North Star. It was located 65 miles from the railway in an area inhabited by about 5,000 people most of whom had moved north from dried-out sections of Alberta and Saskatchewan. The hospital was opened in September, 1937 by the WMS of The United Church of Canada with accommodation for 8 patients, and with a nurse’s residence on the second floor. When it opened Dr. Doidge was the doctor, Miss, M.E. McMurray the matron, and Miss Frances M. Clarkson the staff nurse. Changes in staff were frequent, because of the loneliness of the situation of the hospital. Before long additions were made, the hospital was enlarged to accommodate 17 patients; a new nurses residence was opened in 1946 and a doctor’s residence in 1948. At first the address of the hospital was Grmishaw, the railway station 65 miles away, but as the railway was extended north and roads opened a town grew up in the hospital area. This town was named Manning after the premier of Alberta. With the growth of the town the area could no longer be considered a pioneer community. The municipality became interested in operating its own hospital, so after considerable negotiation the WMS sold the Battle River hospital to the town in 1954.

Person · 1896-1934

Harvey W. Becking (1896-1934) was a missionary to China with the Presbyterian Church in Canada, and the United Church of Canada. He was born in Bruce County, Ontario in 1896. After returning from overseas, where he served with the Canadian Forces, he was appointed as a missionary of the Presbyterian Church in Canada in April, 1921. That same year, he married Clementine Isabel Macpherson and the couple were designated to the South China mission. Mr. Becking was appointed Principal of the Boys' Boarding School at Kongmoon and held that position until his withdrawal from the mission field in November, 1934. After resigning from the mission field in 1936, he was a teacher at Long Branch, Ontario.

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.

Best, Marion
Person · 1924-

Marion Best was born in New Westminster, British Columbia. She received Nurse Training at the Royal Columbian Hospital, then worked there from 1968-1975. In 1977, she and her husband Jack Best received a joint call to the Naramata Centre in British Columbia, where she worked on programs and he worked on public relations and finances. She continued work there until 1987 when she began freelance consulting work with church and community groups, in the healthcare field. For many years, she was on the Executive of the World Council of Churches. She was also President of the British Columbia Conference, and on the United Church’s General Council Executive. A lay-leader, she served as Moderator of the United Church from 1994-1997, and in 1998 began serving as Vice-Moderator of the World Council of Churches. Best was Chair of the sessional committee that produced the 1988 recommendations on opening the ministry to gays and lesbians, in the report Toward a Christian Understanding of Sexual Orientation Lifestyles and Ministry.

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.

Bott, Richard, 1968-
CAN · Person · 1968-

Moderator of the United Church of Canada, 2018 to 2022.

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).

Corporate body · 1925-

The Brechin community was made up largely of coal miners' families. The first Methodist church services were held in homes, beginning in 1905. By 1910, Brechin was part of the Wellington Circuit, which included five preaching points: Wellington, East Wellington, Brechin, South Wellington and Cedar. A community hall, known as Brechin Hall, was moved onto a lot donated by the CPR on Estevan Road; it was used as a day school and Sunday school. When the mines closed in 1913, the Hall was given to the Methodist Church. This structure served as the church building until 1958. After church union in 1925, Brechin United Church became part of the Wellington Pastoral Charge.

In 1931, the Nanaimo Suburban Pastoral Charge was formed, comprised of a varying number of preaching points over the years. In 1958, a new building was constructed at the corner of Brechin and Estevan Roads; the building was dedicated on October 11, 1958 and the old Brechin Hall was demolished shortly afterward.

Brechin United Church became a separate independent charge in Comox-Nanaimo Presbytery in 1961, where it remained until the end of presbyteries in 2019. The church building was demolished in early 2019 and a new church and housing complex was built, owned and managed by the Pacific Mountain's housing society.

Brewing, Willard, d.1960
Person · d. 1960

Rev. Dr. Willard Brewing was born in Sussex Corners, N.B. He trained for the ministry in the United States and served the Reformed Episcopal Church in Canada as minister and bishop. In 1929, he accepted a call to St. Andrew's - Wesley United Church, Vancouver, where he remained until moving to St. George's United Church, Toronto, in 1938. He was elected as Moderator in 1948 and served until his retirement in 1951. He died in Toronto on August 13, 1960.

Family · 1882-1978

Rev. Charles “Charlie” Alfred Bridgman (1882-1978) was a missionary in West China who served there for thirty-five years. He was born in Winona, Ontario on March 20, 1882. He graduated from Victoria College in 1910. In 1912, he was ordained by the Methodist church and was appointed as a missionary in West China. He arrived in West China in 1913 and thereafter specialized in rural work where he ministered and also introduced new types of fruits and vegetables to the region. On June 20, 1917, he married Margaret Jean Modeland, a missionary nurse who specialized in child welfare. They had three children: Christy Jean, Donald Charles, and Elizabeth Ruth. He retired from missionary work in 1948 and returned to his hometown of Winona.

Corporate body · 1926-2023

Brighouse United Church in Richmond was officially constituted as a congregation in January of 1926. The congregation met initially in the Richmond Municipal Hall for services. The first church building was opened in June 1927. Within a decade, it was evident that a larger building was needed. A new building was opened in September 1940 at 816 Granville Avenue; it was extended and remodeled in 1956. To accommodate growth, a church hall was added during 1951-1952. Although originally part of the Richmond pastoral charge (along with Richmond United Church), Brighouse became a separate charge in 1958. In 1974, the church building was moved to 8151 Bennett Road. Brighouse United was part of Vancouver South Presbytery until the Presbytery was disbanded in 2019. The congregation disbanded in June 2023.

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.

1887-

Muriel Brown (nee Hockey) received a Bachelor of Arts from Victoria College. In 1912 she served as the Assistant Superintendent of the National Training School, Toronto. Then, having been specially trained for educational work, she went to China under the Woman’s Missionary Society in 1913. She carried on the work of the school for evangelists’ wives, and taught in the Canadian School for Missionaries’ Children, where for a time she acted as matron. She also worked for a time teaching English in the refugee University of Nanking in Chengtu. The Browns returned from China in 1942.

Bryce, Peter, 1877-1950
Person · 1877-1950

Peter Bryce (1877-1950) was a Methodist/United Church minister, administrator and Moderator. He was born in Scotland in 1877. He did mission work in Newfoundland in 1903; in 1906 he moved to Toronto and Victoria University. He was active in Earlscourt and other Sunday School and urban mission work. He later served as Secretary of Missionary and Maintenance (1927-1936), Moderator (1936-1938), and Minister at Metropolitan United Church in Toronto (1938-1950). He died in 1950.

Bula, Omega, d. 2023
Person · d. 2023

Omega Chilufya Bula (d. 2023) was a long-time staff member of the General Council Office of The United Church of Canada. She served in the Division of World Outreach as Area Secretary for Southern Africa and Gender Justice, as the first-ever Racial Justice Minister, and as Executive Minister of the former Justice, Global and Ecumenical Relations (JGER) and Partners in Mission Units (PIM). Her commitment to partnership led to the formation of the Partner Council, and was instrumental in shaping the Principles of Global Partnership that guide the global partnership program of The United Church of Canada today. She was also a integral member of the Roundtable for Specialized Ministries. Bula was also involved with other ecumenical programs. She was involved with the World Council of Churches Ecumenical School on Governance, Economics and Management for an Economy of Life, and the Ecumenical Panel on a New International Financial and Economic Architecture. She worked with the All Africa Council of Churches as program executive of the Women's Desk and educated women across the continent on the adverse negative impact of structural adjustment programs imposed by the World Bank and International Monetary Fund in the 1980s and 1990s. She developed videos on women, economic justice, and empowerment to mitigate against injustices experienced by African women. She also gathered women to listen and learn together how to practice life-affirming strategies and tactics. Upon retirement, she established a sustainable farm and guesthouse, providing educational and entrepreneurial support for members of her community, and worked with members of her church in Zambia and Canada to host a two-week children's camp in August, dubbed "Camp Chipembi." Omega passed away in 2023.

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.

Burns Lake Hospital
Corporate body · 1924-

Burns Lake Hospital was located at Burns Lake, British Columbia. A small hospital was opened in a farm house at nearby Francois Lake in 1919 and in 1920 some larger quarters became available at Prosser's Point (now known as Hospital Point). The staff relocated to Burns Lake in 1924. In 1931 construction began on a new 19 bed hospital. The Woman's Missionary Society of The United Church of Canada, the provincial government and the Department of Indian Affairs all made substantial grants and it officially opened in 1932. Then, a new larger and better equipped building was opened in July, 1952. Another building was opened in August, 1960 by the WMS and Ministry of Health Services in the province.

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.

Corporate body · 1959-

The first United Church Chaplain, Rev. M.J.V. Shaver, was appointed to the University of British Columbia after its creation by BC Conference in 1959. An interdenominational committee, the Anglican-United Joint Chaplaincy Committee, was formed in 1969, through the BC Conference Committee on Church and State in Education, to begin the process of creating a joint chaplaincy at UBC. In 1970 the Anglican United Campus Ministry (AUCM) was created. In 1974, the AUCM and the UBC Student Christian Movement (SCM) merged to form the Cooperative Christian Campus Ministry (CCCM) at the University of British Columbia. In 1979, the SCM left the CCCM and the United Church and Anglican Church continued to operate campus ministry at UBC through the CCCM. In 1986, the CCCM was dissolved and the partnership between the United Church and Anglican Church at UBC ended. Later that year, after a brief period without a United Church campus chaplain, the United Church Campus Ministry (UCCM) at UBC was formed. In 2021, Campus Ministry at UBC became a part of Pacific Mountain Regional Council through the formation of Campus United.

Corporate body · 1923-1925

Canadian Memorial Chapel was the result of an amalgamation of Sixth Avenue Methodist Church and Fourteenth Avenue Methodist Church. It became known as Canadian Memorial United Church after Church Union in 1925.

Cantwell, Jordan, 1967-
Person · 1967-

Jordan Cantwell was born in New York in 1967; as a child her parents moved to the Canadian Prairies. She was involved with social justice movements in the 1980s and the United Church of Canada sent her to South Africa in 1993 as an Observer through the World Council of Churches. She officially joined the United Church in the late 1990s, and prior to being ordained worked at The Centre for Christian Studies when it first moved to Winnipeg. She also worked as a staff associate at Augustine United where she served the Oak Table outreach ministry. She earned her Master of Divinity at St. Andrew’s College, and was ordained in 2010. She interned at Delisle-Vanscoy United Church, and served there for seven years before becoming elected as Moderator in 2015. Cantwell’s spouse, Laura Fouhse is a diaconal minister in the United Church. Cantwell served as Moderator from 2015-2018.

Corporate body · 2021-

Central Okanagan United Church was formed July 1, 2021 through the amalgamation of three congregations: First United in downtown Kelowna, St. Paul's, and Rutland.

Chace, Ethelwyn, 1878-1958
1878-1958

Ethelwyn Gordon Chace (1878-1958) was born in St. Catharines, Ontario and was a missionary with the Methodist, then United Church of Canada for 37 years serving mostly new Canadians in boarding schools and school homes in Alberta and Toronto. She received an honour matriculation at the University of Toronto, then graduated from the Ontario College of Education, and the United Church Training School. She was appointed to the Methodist Mission Board in 1907 and served the following places in Alberta; Wahstao (1907-1911, 1917-1918, 1920-1922, 1923-1927), Chipman (1912-1916), Edmonton (1916-1917), Radway (1937-1939) and Toronto: Dufferin Street (1930, 1934-1937), and Church of All Nations (1933-1934). She retired in 1944 and died in Toronto in December, 1958.

Chan, Phoebe, 1867-1952
Person · 1867-1952

Phoebe Chan came to Canada in about 1900 to join her brother, Rev. Yu Tan Chan, who served as lay preacher at the Chinese Methodist Church in Vancouver. Because of her experience in a mission school in China, she was engaged by the Woman's Missionary Society as Kindergarten Assistant and Bible Teacher at the church. She spent about 35 years teaching and providing pastoral care within the Chinese community, through the Methodist and United Churches. Following an accident in about 1942, Phoebe Chan retired as kindergarten teacher at the age of 72. She died in 1953, in her 84th year.

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

陳星階 CHAN Sing Kai 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

陳燿檀 CHAN Yu Tan was born and raised in China, where he grew up in a Christian family. He and his brother, CHAN Sing Kai, 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. CHAN Yu Tan 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.

Corporate body · 1925-1958

The Cheam Methodist Church was founded in 1890. This congregation was the centre for the Cheam Circuit (est. 1888) which embraced congregations at East Chilliwack, Rosedale and Camp Slough in the Chilliwack area. In 1917 the Methodist circuit merged in a local union with the Presbyterians which were centred in Rosedale Presbyterian Church, becoming the Rosedale Union Church Circuit. As a result Cheam Methodist became Cheam Union Church. After national union in 1925, it became Cheam United Church and the circuit became Rosedale Pastoral Charge. The congregation continued as a part of this charge, with Rosedale and East Chilliwack United, until Cheam United closed in ca. 1958.

Chilliwack United Church
Corporate body · 1925-2020

Chilliwack United Church began as Chilliwack Methodist Church. The first services were held in a private home in 1865 and in 1869 the first building was erected. In the following year Sumas and Chilliwack Circuit was established; as the Methodist work grew in the area, new circuits were set apart from Sumas and Chilliwack: Cheam in 1888 and Sumas in 1892. Carman Methodist Church, founded in 1898 in Sardis, was a part of Chilliwack Circuit until it, too, became independent in 1910. Chilliwack Methodist entered into the United Church in 1925, drawing some members from the local Presbyterian church which remained outside the new union. Since 1925 it has continued mainly as a single point pastoral charge, in Westminster Presbytery until 1959, and since 1959 in Fraser Presbytery. Mount Shannon United Church, also in Chilliwack, was briefly joined with Chilliwack United in a team ministry from 1969 to 1972. In 2020 Chilliwack United amalgamated with Rosedale and Mount Shannon to form Cheam View United Church.

Corporate body · 1888-1925|存在日期 : 1888-1925

(繁體和簡體中文版本如下)(中文版在下面) In 1888, a Mrs. M. Monck, daughter of pioneer missionary Rev. Ebeneezer Robson, began teaching English classes to Chinese students in her father's home. In November of that year, Mr. Chan Sing Kai, who had worked in the Wesleyan Methodist School in Hong Kong for the previous eight years, arrived in Vancouver to set up a mission. After three years, he was ordained by the Methodist Church in Canada. The mission initially met in small quarters near Hastings and Abbott, then relocated to quarters on the south-east corner of Hastings and Columbia Streets. As the mission outgrew its space, it moved to 186 Pender Street West, in the heart of Chinatown. A new building was completed at 531 Beatty Street in 1906; it contained a chapel that would accommodate 300, rooms for Sunday school, and a night school. At church union in 1925, the mission joined The United Church of Canada.

Traditional Chinese:
歷史簡介
1888 年,先驅傳教士Ebeneezer Robson牧師的女兒 M. Monck 夫人開始在她父親的家中為中國學生教授英語課程。同年十一月,曾在香港衛斯理 (Wesleyan)衛理公會學校工作八年的陳星階 (Chan Sing Kai)先生抵達溫哥華設立佈道會。三年後,他被加拿大衛理公會按立牧職。傳道部最初在Hastings和Abbott街附近的小宿舍會面,然後搬遷到Hastings和Columbia街東南角的宿舍。隨著教友人數的不斷增加, 聚會空間明顯不夠,傳道部搬到了唐人街中心的 186 Pender Street West。 1906 年,一棟新建築在Beatty街 531 號落成;此建築含有一個可容納 300 人的小教堂、主日學校的幾個房間和一所夜校。在 1925 年的教會聯合會上,此傳道部加入了加拿大協和教會。

Simplified Chinese:
历史简介
1888 年,先驱传教士Ebeneezer Robson牧师的女儿 M. Monck 夫人开始在她父亲的家中为中国学生教授英语课程。同年十一月,曾在香港卫斯理 (Wesleyan)卫理公会学校工作八年的陈星阶 (Chan Sing Kai)先生抵达温哥华设立布道会。三年后,他被加拿大卫理公会按立牧职。传道部最初在Hastings和Abbott街附近的小宿舍会面,然后搬迁到Hastings和Columbia街东南角的宿舍。随着教友人数的不断增加, 聚会空间明显不够,传道部搬到了唐人街中心的 186 Pender Street West。 1906 年,一座新建筑在Beatty街 531 号落成;此建筑含有一个可容纳 300 人的小教堂、主日学校的几个房间和一所夜校。在 1925 年的教会联合会上,此传道部加入了加拿大协和教会。

  1. 中文名陈星阶源于此文 Chan Sing Kai (1854-1952) | Victoria's Chinatown (uvic.ca)并得到档案馆首肯。