Rev. Sang-Chul Lee (이상철) was the first person of Asian descent to be elected as Moderator of the United Church of Canada. He served as the 32nd Moderator from 1988-1990. In an interview from 1989, Rev. Lee described three priorities he saw for the United Church of Canada. One of the priorities was for the Church to continue to embrace openness, inclusiveness, unity, diversity, and multiculturalism. His experiences serving communities in Canada and South Korea, in various languages and cultures, demonstrate how he lived his welcoming vision.
Rev. Sang-Chul Lee was born in Siberia to Korean immigrant parents. He also grew up in Manchuria and South Korea. He arrived in Vancouver as a post-graduate student in 1961, when he was awarded a scholarship to study at Union College (now, Vancouver School of Theology). Rev. Sang-Chul Lee preached in three languages: English, Japanese, and Korean. From 1965-1969, he was called to be a Minister at Steveston United Church in Richmond, B.C., where he preached in English as well as in Japanese for the Japanese congregation. Simultaneously from 1966-1969, he preached in Korean as the first Minister of Vancouver Korean United Church. Then, from 1969-1989, he served as the Minister for Toronto Korean United Church. All in all, Rev. Sang-Chul Lee provided decades of service to the Korean Canadian community and to the United Church of Canada in his various roles.
The Pacific Mountain Regional Council (PMRC) Archives holds several records of Rev. Sang-Chul Lee and the Vancouver Korean United Church. You can view the full 1989 interview with Rev. Sang-Chul Lee titled, The Wanderer (1989) , that was conducted as part of the television program, Pressure Point.