Title and statement of responsibility area
Title proper
General material designation
Parallel title
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Title notes
- Source of title proper: Title based on contents of the fonds
Level of description
Reference code
Edition area
Edition statement
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Class of material specific details area
Statement of scale (cartographic)
Statement of projection (cartographic)
Statement of coordinates (cartographic)
Statement of scale (architectural)
Issuing jurisdiction and denomination (philatelic)
Dates of creation area
Date(s)
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1950-1969 (Creation)
- Creator
- Columbia Street United Church (Vancouver, B.C.)
Physical description area
Physical description
15 cm of textual records and other material
Publisher's series area
Title proper of publisher's series
Parallel titles of publisher's series
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Numbering within publisher's series
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Archival description area
Name of creator
Biographical history
Columbia Street United Church was originally known as the Fairview Mission, the second of two Japanese Methodist missions in Vancouver (the first being Powell Street Methodist Church, established 1896). Japanese ministry began in the Fairview neighbourhood in 1921. The Woman's Missionary Society (WMS) started a Sunday school there in 1923, with language school conducted under the supervision of the Rev. Yoshimitsu Akagawa. After Church Union, members of the Powell Street United Church living in Vancouver's Fairview neighbourhood raised enough money, along with a Home Missions grant, to construct a church building in 1928 at the corner of Columbia Street and West 6th Avenue. The Rev. Kosaburo Shimizu served as its first minister. Congregational life and mission flourished until Japanese Canadians were forcibly relocated from the coast in 1942 and interned in internment camps.
After the internment, the Board of Missions of the United Church was entrusted with care of the properties of the two Japanese United Churches, and housed the personal belongings of the congregations. The Fairview building was used by First United Church, St. Giles United Church, and the WMS as storage. In 1949, the building was renovated, and a reopening service was held Nov. 27, 1949, with a view to welcoming the Japanese Canadian citizens returning to the coast. At that point, the congregation's name was changed Columbia Street United Church, with the Rev. George Turpin serving as minister.
The congregation began holding dual services, starting on March 13, 1955, with the Rev. William Van Druten serving in the morning, and the Rev. Gordon Imai in the evening for the Nisei (English-speaking Japanese) congregation. By 1958, both Nisei and Issei (Japanese speaking) were worshipping in the Columbia Street church under the leadership of Rev. Tadashi Mitsui. In 1962, the Japanese congregations moved to Renfrew United Church. Following their departure, Columbia Street United Church struggled financially, and ultimately disbanded in 1969. From 1969 to 1977, the building was rented out to various social groups, until it was sold and demolished in 1977.
Custodial history
Scope and content
Fonds consists of records from Columbia Street United Church (Vancouver, B.C.). Records include Baptism, Marriage and Burial Records (1956-1962), Membership Records (1950-1969), Board and Committee Records (1954-1961), Women's Groups School Records (1960-1969), Sunday School Records (1956-1962), Records of Other Groups (1954-1956), Correspondence/Subject Files (1954-1963), Congregational Financial Records (1953-1956), Annual Reports (1955-1969).
Notes area
Physical condition
Immediate source of acquisition
Records were presumably transferred directly from Columbia Street United Church upon closure in 1969.
Arrangement
Language of material
- English
Script of material
Location of originals
Availability of other formats
Restrictions on access
Access to vital event records (baptism/marriage/burial records) may be restricted according to requirements of the B.C. Personal Information Protection Act
Terms governing use, reproduction, and publication
Finding aids
File list available
Uploaded finding aid
Associated materials
Vancouver Japanese United Church fonds
Accruals
No further accruals expected
Alternative identifier(s)
Standard number
Standard number
Access points
Subject access points
Place access points
Name access points
- Akagawa, Yoshimitsu, 1880-1972 (Subject)
- Shimizu, Kosaburo, 1893-1962 (Subject)
- Vancouver Japanese United Church (Subject)
- Turpin, George (Subject)
- Mitsui, Tadashi, 1932- (Subject)
Genre access points
Control area
Description record identifier
Institution identifier
Rules or conventions
Rules for Archival Description
Status
Level of detail
Dates of creation, revision and deletion
Created August 30, 2012
Language of description
- English