Japanese Church of Christ records

Collection

Identifier: ACCN 2182

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The Japanese Church of Christ records contains church newsletters that were sent out from the 1960s and 1999-2004; service programs; correspondence including a letter written to the congregation from Rev. George Hanabusa; annual reports; annual festivals; and other administrative materials..

Dates

1951-2004

Creator

Japanese Church of Christ (Salt Lake City, Utah) (Organization)

Conditions Governing Access

Twenty-four hour advanced notice encouraged. Materials must be used on-site. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law.

Conditions Governing Use

The library does not claim to control copyright for all materials in the collection. An individual depicted in a reproduction has privacy rights as outlined in Title 45 CFR, part 46 (Protection of Human Subjects). For further information, please review the J. Willard Marriott Library’s Use Agreement and Reproduction Request forms.

Biographical / Historical

The Japanese Church of Christ is a historic church at 268 W. 100 South in Salt Lake City, Utah. The church building was constructed in 1924 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. From 1953 to 1967, the church housed two separate branches for Issei and Nisei. As of 2012 the congregation is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).

In Salt Lake City the Japanese Christian Church was established in October, 1918, through the cooperative efforts of the Japanese Presbyterian and Congregational Churches of the Pacific Coast. Reverend M. Kobayashi was sent by the board on October 3 to make preparations for the establishment of the church, and Reverend H. Toyatorae, the first minister of the church, arrived on October 5. Officers were elected and evangelizing work was encouraged to recruit Japanese Christians to join the newly established church. The preaching field included not only the State of Utah but also most parts of Idaho, Nevada, Wyoming, and a small part of Colorado. To assist the minister in the evangelical work the Ladies Society and the Christian Endeavor Society were organized. Both a Sunday School and a Bible Class were formed, though on a small scale. In 1924, at a cost of $30,000, the present church building was constructed. Of the $30,000, $20,000 came in contributions from local Japanese and American citizens, $5,000 came from the Presbyterian Board, and $5,000 from the American Missionary Association. In 1953 the church was separated into Nisei (first generation Japanese) and Issei (second generation Japanese) branches and they functioned as two separate groups until a merger in June 1967.

(Biographical sketch is from the Japanese Church of Christ wikipedia page [accessed 2024 September 24 from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_Church_of_Christ] Utah State Historical Society Historic Preservation Research Office Structure/Site Information Form [accessed 2024 September 24 from https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/NRHP/82004144_text])

Extent

1 Linear Feet (2 boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Japanese

Additional Description

Abstract

The Japanese Church of Christ records (1951-2004, 2024) contains church newsletters that were sent out from the 1960s and 1999-2004. Also included are some service programs and a letter written to the congregation from Rev. George Hanabusa and other general materials.