Chinese United Church - Calgary, Alberta
Posted by: 
wildwoodke
N 51° 03.093 W 114° 03.826
11U E 705787 N 5659659
These three windows of coloured glass have a simple pattern developed in the centre pane, a cross, appropriate for the Chinese United Church in Chinatown, downtown Calgary, Alberta
Waymark Code: WM55G4
Location: Alberta, Canada
Date Posted: 11/14/2008
Views: 10
See (
visit link) for information on the Chinese community and the United Church.
Chinese settlers began to immigrate to Canada in the late 1700s, and following a century of outreach and evangelization, the first Chinese Christian mission was established in Calgary in 1901. The mission grew to become the Methodist Young Men's Christian Association. With church union in 1925, it became Calgary Chinese United Church-one of the first Chinese congregations of The United Church Canada.
In 1932, the United Church Moderator baptized several Chinese Christians in Calgary; by the following year, a Chinese congregation of the United Church had formed in Edmonton, meeting for worship in the minister's home.
A 1955 national meeting of Chinese congregations, hosted by Toronto Chinese United Church, decided that a translation of the catechism booklet published by the United Church would be of great help to congregations-particularly as many reported a growing number of new Christians interested in being both baptized and confirmed.
Further meetings followed: a 1957 gathering organized by the Rev. Seto; a 1959 meeting called for by General Council with representation from four provinces. Four years later, the Rev. David Wen organized a meeting for Chinese United Churches across Canada to share experiences and develop culturally specific prayers and liturgical resources. These meetings formed the roots of the Association of Chinese Congregations, which first convened in 1970 in Vancouver. An early incident in the 1970s, in which a speaker at a National Ethnic Committee event encouraged gathered ministers to study the Bible in English rather than in their mother tongue, caused the Chinese delegation to withdraw from this committee's meetings for several years, but they later rejoined the national group.
The Chinese Association now hosts United Hands Across Canada (UHAC), leadership training events for Chinese youth and young adults. Its annual general meeting and continuing education events, open to both ministers and lay people of Chinese congregations, are held at different Chinese churches every year after Easter. The Association seeks to share ministry within Chinese congregations, stay abreast of the current church issues, and encourage the participation of lay women at gatherings. This networking creates a more effective and enriched congregational ministry.
The Association of Chinese United Church Congregations currently has 13 member churches and three missions in the provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Ontario.