CJM Wedsite (130) Fade L top

"With the outbreak of the war in the Pacific in late 1941, the hither
peaceful and industrious Japanese settlement of the Lower Mainland
area of BC was thrown into sudden turmoil. Confiscation of property
and possession and the upheaval of whole families to be relocated
in interior "ghost towns" and camps understandably resulted in
confusion and bewilderment. But God is the Master-Designer, and
He is never at a loss to make something beautiful out of what might
look like a disaster. And so it came about that the trauma of the
evacuation became the birth-pangs of what would later be called the
Canadian Japanese Mission ...". So writes Mary Holdcroft in the
preface of the CJM Historical Sketch 1942-1978.

Margaret Ridgway, at the youthful age of 27 years, felt a strong call
of God upon her as all of her Japanese friends and many of her
Sunday School children were suddenly uprooted and sent to the
remote mountainous interior of the province. Driven by her love for the
Japanese, she boarded a bus and eventually reaching the village of
Kaslo where she made her first "home" amongst the destitute
evacuees. It wasn't long before she gathered children for Happy Hour
Bible clubs, youth for various activies and women for crafts and Bible
study times. Her experiences, as she shared the love of God are
well documented in the afore mentioned CJM Historical Sketch.
Margaret's personal testimony and some of her amazing exeriences
can be found in Profile of the Founder

By 1946, her ministry had expanded throughout interior BC and
Alberta. In the fall of that year, the Canadian Japanese Mission
was organized as many turned to the Lord and Japanese churches
were established in strategic centres across the land. As time
progressed and assimilation into the Canadian society was taking
place, other dynamics were drawing the Japanese Christians into
existing Canadian churches. It gradually became evident that a
change in focus needed to be addressed..

In the fall of 1979, at a gathering of Japanese Christians from across
Canada in Calgary, AB, the Japanese Canadian Evangelical
Christian Society (JCECS) was born. Its mandate, unlike the former
CJM, was to provide support and assistance to the fledgling
Japanese independent churches when requested. Over the years,
various requests such as organizing cross-country itineraries for
evangelists and missionaries, purchase of Japanese Bible from
Japan, support of Bible camps and conferences were helpful and
meaningful ministries. Over the next 22 years, the JCECS assisted
the churches but did not focus on active vision of it's own.

In the year 2002, following several years of discussion and the
revisiting of our purposes, it was agreed that while we must maintain
our supportive role to the churches we must also move with
determination, vision and active cooperation with the local Japanese
churches. Along with a renewed purpose, a name change was also
agreed upon, thus the Canadian Japanese Ministries was adopted
- allowing us to revert back to our original and familiar acronym
"CJM".

Pray with us as we work today in full cooperation with local
Japanese evangelical churches across Canada to reach out to our
kinfolk-in-the-flesh with the life-giving Gospel of Jesus Christ.