Ethno-cultural Associations

Japanese churches have been active in Canada for over a century, and were an integral part of the formation of The United Church of Canada in 1925. The Japanese church began in Canada in the late 1800s on the Pacific coast with a Methodist evangelist spreading biblical teaching in British Columbia. In the years following-between 1892 and 1921-the Methodist Church established eight Japanese churches in the province of British Columbia.

The first Japanese minister in the Methodist church began to serve in Vancouver in 1896, by which time there were about 2,000 Japanese people living in that region.

In 1941, when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, the effects were felt in Canada. During World War II, thousands of Japanese Canadians were unjustly evacuated to various internment sites, and most Japanese Canadian churches were closed. A number of Japanese United Church clergy ministered in the internment sites, with the assistance of several former missionaries to Japan. In 1942, the Canadian-born Rev. Takashi Komiyama was ordained in The United Church of Canada, but as a Japanese Canadian, he was not allowed out past sunset and had to be escorted to his ordination by the RCMP.

Through the 1940s, Japanese congregations of the United Church spread east of the Canadian Rockies. In southern Alberta, where churches were established in the city of Lethbridge and the surrounding areas including Raymond and Taber, churches provided a sense of Christian community and belonging for Japanese Canadians who were evacuated from the west coast during the war and not allowed to return. In 1945, a Japanese Canadian United Church minister moved to southern Ontario, a region where there were five urban centres with resettled Japanese Canadian populations. The following year, another Japanese Canadian United Church minister moved to Montréal, Québec, to serve Japanese Canadians resettled there.

Due to the war experience and the close-knit bonds made during internment, many Japanese Canadians sought fellowship together at churches when Japanese Canadians were not welcome in many ethnic majority churches.

New Denver, British Columbia-one of the larger internment sites-was the site of the first gathering of Japanese Canadian United Church ministers in 1943. This gathering pulled together Japanese Canadian congregations, and was called the National Japanese United Church Conference (Kyogikai). In 1950, the General Council of The United Church of Canada invited Japanese Canadian ministers to an international convention on Christian Education. Recognizing the value of mutual support and information sharing, Japanese ministers of the United Church began to meet regularly. In 1956, the first official National Japanese United Church Conference convened in Toronto, open only to ministers. In 1958, a second conference was held in Toronto, welcoming both lay and ordered Japanese Canadians.

The Association of Japanese United Church Congregations (now called Kyogikai-a group or gathering) is a community of 10 churches and a mission from the provinces of British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Alberta, Ontario, and Québec. Some congregations worship in Japanese, some in English, others bilingually, and one in English, Japanese, and Urdu. The Association meets annually or biennially.

Kyogikai promotes fellowship among Japanese Canadians of The United Church of Canada; offers encouragement, support, leadership, continuing education, clergy retreats, and assistance to Japanese Canadian congregations and clergy; and publishes and distributes culturally specific materials. It also maintains liaisons with the United Church of Christ in Japan and other Japanese Christian associations in North America.