Sang Chul Lee facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Very Reverend Sang Chul Lee
32nd Moderator of the United Church of Canada
In office 1988–1990
Preceded by	Anne M. Squire
Succeeded by	Walter H. Farquharson
Personal details
Born	(1924-02-29)February 29, 1924 Siberia
Died	January 28, 2017(2017-01-28) (aged 92) Newmarket, Ontario, Canada
Children	3 daughters
Website	The United Church of Canada [1]

Sang Chul Lee (born February 29, 1924 – died January 28, 2017) was an important leader in the United Church of Canada. He was the 32nd person to hold the top position, called "Moderator." He was also the first person of Asian background to become Moderator. He was chosen for this role in 1988 in Victoria, British Columbia. Sang Chul Lee was married and had three daughters.

Early Life and Faith

Sang Chul Lee was born in 1924 in Siberia. His parents were Korean immigrants. When he was seven, his family moved to Manchuria, which was then controlled by Japan.

He went to a high school run by Canadian missionaries. His parents practiced Korean Shamanism, but Lee decided to become a Christian. This was against his parents' wishes. After World War II, Lee moved to South Korea.

Lee found comfort in Christianity, especially the story of Moses and the Israelites. He felt it helped him deal with the difficult times he had lived through. He studied to become a minister in South Korea, Switzerland, and Canada.

The United Church of Canada had missions in Asia. They started their mission in Korea in 1893. This mission grew into a strong faith community. This is how Lee learned about Christianity. He became a minister of the United Church of Canada in 1954. He stayed in South Korea to serve the church there.

Life in Canada

In 1965, Lee and his family moved to Canada. He became a minister for a Japanese church in Vancouver, British Columbia. This church was mostly for immigrants. Lee worked to create a welcoming place for new Asian immigrants in Canada.

At this time, Canada's immigration rules were changing. It became easier for people from Asia to move to Canada and stay. This helped Lee settle in Canada and grow the church's work with new immigrants.

In 1969, Lee moved to Toronto. He became very involved in helping people get fair treatment and equal rights. He started with his own Korean church, where he served for 20 years. He also worked to help all people who were treated unfairly.

As Moderator

As Moderator, Lee spoke up for people who felt alone or were treated badly. He helped the church discuss important topics. These included fairness for all races and human rights for Indigenous people. He also worked to connect the church with Korean and other immigrant communities in Canada.

Lee's daughter had the first inter-racial marriage performed in the United Church of Canada. Lee himself performed the ceremony. This helped other churches in Canada accept inter-racial marriages. In 1989, Lee was honored by the All Native Circle Conference. He was named their Rainbow Chief.

He believed the church had a special role in the world. He once said, "The religious community is the one constantly supplying dreams and visions and hopes, not despair and destruction." He added, "Sometimes our dreams are so small. God’s dream is so much larger than ours."

After his time as Moderator, Lee became the Chancellor of Victoria College at the University of Toronto. He held this position from 1992 to 1998.

His Impact

Sang Chul Lee passed away at his home in Newmarket, Ontario on January 28, 2017. He was 92 years old. He led the church through a time of big discussions about acceptance and fairness. His positive influence is still felt in the United Church today.

When he died, the Moderator at that time, Right Reverend Jordan Cantwell, spoke about him. She said he led the church during a very difficult period. She remembered someone asking him how he felt about leading the church through such a challenging time. He replied that he had lived through wars and other dangers, so he felt he could handle church discussions.