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authority records
Corporate body · 1969-1973

An interdenominational committee, the Anglican-United Joint Chaplaincy Committee, was formed in 1969, 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 joined with the UBC branch of the Student Christian Movement (SCM) to create the Cooperative Christian Campus Ministry at UBC.

Family · 1952-

Archibald ("Arch") Greenaway was ordained by BC Conference in 1952 and was settled to Grace United Church in Lax Kw'alaams (or, Port Simpson, as it was then called). He later served in pastoral ministry and as hospital chaplain in Saskatchewan, returning to Vancouver in 1977 as a minister at St. Andrew's-Wesley United Church. He died in 1979.

Kristine Greenaway, daughter of Arch and Anita, was born at Lax Kw'alaams, B.C. in 1953.

Bartling, Hedwig
Priv 63 · Person · [1907?]-1993

Rev. Dr. Hedwig Dorothea Henrietta 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-Canadian internees. 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 Queen's Avenue United Church in New Westminster (1960-1962), and studies at Union College, she was ordained. Hedwig Bartling died in 1993.

Corporate body · 1974-2018

In 1974, Youth and Young Adult (YAYA) ministry formally became a part of BC Conference in The United Church of Canada. In 1979, YAYA ministry ended at the conference level and the Youth Section was formed by a group of volunteers. YAYA ministry was reinstated at the conference level in 1982, along with the creation of an executive with representatives from each presbytery. Two YAYA sub-committees, the Young Adult Ministry Section (YAMS) and the Youth Ministry Section (YMS) were formed in 1987. YAYA ministry expanded into presbyteries and congregations throughout the 1980s and 1990s. In 2019, BC Conference was dissolved and ministry to youth and young adults was absorbed into the First Third Ministry (children, youth and young adults) in the new Pacific Mountain Regional Council structure.

Bell, Vera
Person · 1933-2020

Vera Bell (neé Lyon) was born December 2, 1933 in Clinton, Ontario.  She took her nursing training at Victoria Hospital in London Ontario, graduating as an RN in the class of 1955. She arrived in Hazelton, B.C. in early 1956, serving for five years at Wrinch Memorial Hospital.  In 1961, she moved to Queen Charlotte City, where she served as matron of the hospital for two years. She received midwifery training in Edmonton in 1963.  She attended Covenant College (Toronto) in 1963-1964 before being posted to Portugal and Kenya.  In 1971, she completed her Bachelor of Nursing at McGill University in Montreal, before marrying Alfred Bell, former auditor for United Church of Canada Hospitals.  She was a She was a vital member of First United Church (Prince Rupert, B.C.) and Brechin United Church (Nanaimo, B.C.) Vera died November 14, 2020 in Nanaimo, B.C. 

RIC BR · Corporate body · 1926 -

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.

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.

Chisolm, James A.
Person · 1934-

Jim Chisholm's work for The United Church of Canada is most strongly related to the Metropolitan Council of Church in the Lower Mainland, where he served as Administrator (1969-1979), and to BC Conference, where he served as Conference Administrator (1979-1983).

Corinthian Lodge No. 27
Corporate body · 1895-[ca. 2004]

The first meeting of the Corinthian Lodge in Rossland took place in September 0f 1895 between Brothers H.J. Raymer, Geo. N. Taylor, John Kirkup, G.C. Hodge, and Jesse A Bigelow. On 5 December that year steps were taken towards organizing a formal Masonic Lodge. By April 1897 the lodge was built and ready for occupation. In 1899 there was a fire on the south eastern end of the hall on Columbia Avenue. The lodge originally shared the building but raised funds to buy it out by 1911. The lodge held annual meetings. In 1979 a fire destroyed the lodge, and they used the hall of Sacred Heart Catholic church for meetings. In 2004, the Fidelity Lodge No. 32 and Friendship Lodge No. 144 of Trail consolidated into the Corinthian Lodge and meetings started to be held in Trail at the Masonic Hall.

Cumberland United Church
Corporate body · 1926-2017

Cumberland United Church, established in 1926, had its origins in two earlier congregations, both founded in 1888, at the Union Mines coal mining operation, which later grew into the village of Cumberland. Union Presbyterian Church, which was later renamed St. George's, became St. George's United Church in 1925. Grace Methodist Church, which was part of the larger Cumberland Circuit which included points at Denman Island, Union Bay and Grantham, became Grace United. A Japanese Mission church also existed in Cumberland, although the only record of activities in this fonds are baptismal records of Cumberland Circuit. St. George's and Grace merged in 1926 to form Cumberland United Church and one pastoral charge. From 1950 until 1980, Union Bay and Denman Island congregations were again part of the Cumberland Pastoral Charge. Cumberland United Church disbanded on December 31, 2017.

Corporate body · 1863-1925

In 1861, the Presbyterian Church of Ireland sent a missionary to British Columbia. After months of travel throughout the colony, he organized "First Presbyterian Church of Vancouver Island" in Victoria in February, 1862. Initial services were held in various halls, until the church was opened in October, 1863 at Pandora and Blanshard. Difficulties arose in 1866, leading to the founding of St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, and the closure of First Presbyterian Church from 1867 to 1876. In 1882, the First Presbyterian congregation joined the Presbyterian Church in Canada. It was burned in a fire in 1883, but rebuilt the same year, and expanded in 1890. In 1913, a new church school hall at Quadra and Fisgard was completed; the congregation vacated the church and met at the school hall. The cornerstone for a new church building at that site was laid in September 1914, and the building was completed and dedicate in May 1915. The First Presbyterian Church congregation entered the United Church of Canada in 1925, becoming First United Church.

VAN FI · Corporate body · 1925-

First United Church has its roots in First Presbyterian Church (organized in 1885) and Princess Street Methodist Church (begun in 1888). The two congregations were involved in mission work very early on, and performed joint outreach projects since the early 1900s. By the time of the First World War, the national mission boards of both churches put the two congregations under their control in order that the mission work could continue. Princess Street Methodist Church, which had become Central Methodist Church in 1908, became the Turner Institute in 1916.

First United Church in Vancouver was established in 1925 through the amalgamation of First Presbyterian Church and the Turner Institute. The amalgamated congregation chose to meet in the Presbyterian Church building, which had been erected in 1892 at the corner of Gore and Hastings Streets. The minister, referred to as Superintendent, served as pastor to the congregation and had oversight of mission operations.

After church union, the old Turner Institute building was used for First United’s Welfare department, later known as Welfare Industries. The Rev. J. Richmond Craig, who had served as Superintendent of First Presbyterian Church from 1921, helped establish Welfare Industries, as well as Camp Fircom, and the congregation’s radio ministry. Welfare Industries was organized to provide employment, training, rehabilitation and opportunity for those unable to find employment in normal industries. Camp Fircom was established on Gambier Island as a fresh air camp for mothers and children. The Rev. Andrew Roddan is another significant Superintendent (1930-1948), who saw the mission through the Depression and war years. The original Presbyterian Church building was torn down in 1964 and the present building opened in 1965 at the same spot.

Welfare service work and advocacy programs have been the central components of the mission. Over the years, First United Church has mainly addressed the needs of the homeless, the unemployed, and ethnic groups (including the Finnish and Japanese congregations). In 2007, the congregation was disbanded, but the mission remained active and was incorporated as First United Church Community Ministry Society in 2014.

Corporate body · 1863-1997

In 1861, the Presbyterian Church of Ireland sent a missionary to British Columbia. After months of travel throughout the colony, he organized "First Presbyterian Church of Vancouver Island" in Victoria in February, 1862. Initial services were held in various halls, until the church was opened in October, 1863 at Pandora and Blanshard. Difficulties arose in 1866, leading to the founding of St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, and the closure of First Presbyterian Church from 1867 to 1876. In 1882, the First Presbyterian congregation joined the Presbyterian Church in Canada. It was burned in a fire in 1883, but rebuilt the same year, and expanded in 1890. In 1913, a new church school hall at Quadra and Fisgard was completed; the congregation vacated the church and met at the school hall. The cornerstone for a new church building at that site was laid in September 1914, and the building was completed and dedicate in May 1915. The First Presbyterian Church congregation entered the United Church of Canada in 1925, becoming First United Church. The First Presbyterian Church congregation entered the United Church of Canada in 1925, becoming First United Church. In 1997, First United Church and Metropolitan United Church were amalgamated in the First United Church building and the congregation became known a First-Metropolitan United Church.

Fong, Dickman
Person · 1860-1946

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 Daily Newspaper, 1906-1909), one of the very early (if not the first) Christian 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.

Imai, Joan
Person · [192-?]-2018

Joan Imai was a member of the Vancouver Japanese United Church English-Speaking Congregation, from 1971 until 1979. Her husband, Gordon, was the minister of the Lower Mainland Pastoral Charge of the Japanese United Church during that period. She and her husband returned to the Vancouver Japanese United Church after Gordon retired, and she remained a member until the English-Speaking Congregation closed in 2017.

Jones, Arthur H.
Person · 1929-2006

Art Jones served as Financial Manager for BC Conference of The United Church of Canada, from 1983 until his retirement. He continued as a financial consultant for the Conference until his death in 2006.

MacKinnon, Alexander Duncan
Person · [1865?]-1949

The Rev. A.D. MacKinnon was a pioneer minister of the Presbyterian Church in British Columbia. He was born in Nova Scotia, attended theological college at Queens, and came to the Kootenay region of B.C. as a student in 1893. He was ordained in 1896 in Kamloops and served at Quesnel, where he opened the first Presbyterian Church in the Cariboo. He later served at Kitsilano Presbyterian Church in Vancouver (1913-1920) Williams Lake (1921-1941) and Peachland (1941-1946). Like many Presbyterian ministers of his generation, MacKinnon joined The United Church of Canada during church union in 1925.

Person · 1945-

Deryl (Dal) James Michael McCrindle was born in Vancouver in 1945. He attended Union College and was among the first graduates of the Vancouver School of Theology (after Union College and Anglican Theological College amalgamated). McCrindle was ordained by B.C. Conference in 1972. He served charges in rural Manitoba (1972-1974) and Winnipeg (1974-1977) before returning to British Columbia. He continued in pastoral ministry at First United, Prince Rupert (1977-1985); St. David’s, West Vancouver (1985-1990); St. Andrew’s-Wesley, Vancouver (1990-1991); St. Giles, Vancouver (1991-1996); and St. Andrew’s (Haney), Maple Ridge (1996-2006). McCrindle served as president of BC Conference (1984-1985) and as chair of both Prince Rupert and Vancouver-Burrard presbyteries. After retirement in 2006, he continued his ministry, serving as an associate minister at West Vancouver and St. David’s United Churches and as chaplain to the Royal Canadian Legion in West Vancouver. While in the north, he was adopted by the Tsimshian community at Lax Kw’alaams and became a member of the “wolf” clan of that community.

Corporate body · 1891-1925

The first branch in B.C. of the Methodist Woman's Missionary Society was organized at the old Pandora Avenue Church in Victoria in 1888. It soon became the auxiliary of Metropolitan Church, and its original purpose was to help in the setting up of a "rescue home" for Chinese women and girls who had been forced into prostitution. Other local auxiliaries soon appeared throughout the province, and in 1891 they were unified through the establishment of the B.C. Conference Branch of the W.M.S. In 1904, District branches were created for Victoria, Vancouver, Westminster and Kamloops. Besides the rescue home in Victoria, the Methodist W.M.S. in B.C. supported Residential Schools such as the Crosby Girls' Home in Port Simpson (Lax Kw'alaams), the Coqualeetza Institute in Chilliwack, the Elizabeth Long Memorial Home in Kitamaat (Haisla); the Turner Institute in Vancouver; and Methodist hospitals at Port Simpson, Bella Bella and Hazelton.

Corporate body · 1895-ca.1920

The first Methodist Church carried out work as early as 1895. The first church building was built and opened in 1897. Mr. D.D. Birks from Vancouver was the Methodist student minister for two years, and Rev. Ladner followed in the premises on Washington Avenue. This building eventually was enlarged to include a reading room, Sunday School, and recreation hall. In 1917, the Methodist Church united with the Presbyterian Church. One of the past Pastors is Reverend A.M. Sanford.

Family · [195-]

Patricia and Glen Baker were married in the mid-1950s. Both served as clergy within The United Church of Canada. Glen was ordained by BC Conference in 1958, and served several congregations throughout British Columbia, including the Nisei congregation of Vancouver Japanese United Church (1957) while he was a student at Union College; Prince George Rural; McBride; Richmond-Sea Island; First United (Vancouver); and Dunbar Heights (Vancouver). Patricia was a public health nurse (1955-1962). She later studied at Vancouver School of Theology and was ordained by BC Conference in 1984. The couple served in team ministry at First United, Kelowna (1984-1993) and West Howe Sound Pastoral Charge, Sechelt (1993-1998).

Corporate body · 1929-1990

The earliest Methodist services in the Port Kells area were held in a private home in 1888. In 1907, the Anniedale Methodist Church was built. From 1908-1914, the Anniedale Methodist Church was part of the Cloverdale Methodist Circuit, associated with Cloverdale, Clayton, Barnston Island and Mud Bay congregations. From 1914-1924 the circuit included only Cloverdale, Clayton and Anniedale. From 1924-1929 the church was linked with Tynehead and Sullivan congregations as part of the Cloverdale Pastoral. In October of 1929 the first United Church services was conducted in Port Kells. In 1933, services were temporarily discontinued while the Anniedale church was dismantled and moved to Port Kells, rebuilt on rented property. Services on the new site began again in 1934. In 1949 a new church was built on donated land at its present site. The Port Kells Mission Field then comprised Tynehead, Port Kells and West Langley preaching points. Port Kells continued on as its own Pastoral Charge until 1988, when it was closed as a United Church.

Corporate body · 1903-1925

The Presbyterian Woman's Missionary Society, nationally organized with a few auxiliaries in B.C., was originally concerned with foreign missions. Both native Indian and Chinese work in B.C. (as they were known at the time) were included as foreign. As an outgrowth of the committee, which supported the Atlin Hospital, a new organization emerged in 1903: the Woman's Home Missionary Society. In 1914, the two societies were united nationally as the Woman's Missionary Society and a provincial synod branch was organized. In addition to its support for the Atlin Hospital and a hospital at Telegraph Creek, it took special interest in the Loggers' Mission. Support was also give to Indian Residential and Day Schools at Alberni, Ahousaht, and Ucluelet. After church union in 1925, the society was merged into the Woman's Missionary Society of the United Church of Canada.

Corporate body · 1895-ca. 1917

The first Presbyterian Church was begun in May 1895 with the arrival of Minister Hugh J. Robertson. He held the first religious service in Rossland in a store at the corner of Sourdough Alley and Spokane Street. Sunday School was organized on Mr. Robertson’s second Sunday in the city. Opening services in the new church was held on 28 August 1895. Friends of Mr. Robertson’s in Ontario presented the church with its first organ. Mr. Robertson was succeeded by Reverend James Wallance, D. McGradier, J.M. Robinson, Reverend R. Grant, T.J. Robinson, Reverend James Dow, Reverend S.R. Sarkassian, and Reverend W. Robertson. The Presbyterian Church united with the Methodist Church in 1917.