Gospel Society

Founded in San Francisco by Japanese Christian students, the Gospel Society was the first immigrant association established by Japanese in the United States. The organization played an integral part in helping many new Japanese immigrants adjust to life in America while pursuing their studies. It was also instrumental in shaping the development of Japanese Protestant Christianity.

At the end of the nineteenth century, many Japanese immigrants arrived in the San Francisco area after being told that it was possible to work and study in the area. The Gospel Society was formed by recent converts to Methodism and Congregationalism to assist these often penniless students. The first meeting place was an austere, windowless room in the basement of the Chinese Methodist Episcopal Mission in the city’s Chinatowns;San FranciscoSan Francisco;ChinatownChinatown. Every Saturday night, thirty-five members assembled for Bible study and debate. For a fee of thirty-five cents per month, the society provided community support, room and board, and help with job searching. Over the years, a variety of splinter groups emerged, including a group that formed the First Japanese Presbyterian Church of San Francisco. In 1886, the group moved out of the Chinese Mission basement with the newly established Japanese Methodist Episcopal Mission. Despite the success of the Japanese Mission, the Gospel Society remained an autonomous student residence until the great San Francisco earthquake of 1906.Gospel SocietyJapanese immigrants;GospelSocietySan Francisco;Gospel SocietyFukuinkaiMissionaries;Gospel SocietyGospel SocietyJapanese immigrants;Gospel SocietySan Francisco;Gospel SocietyFukuinkaiMissionaries;Gospel Society[cat]EAST ASIAN IMMIGRANTS;Gospel Society[02080][cat]ADVOCACY ORGANIZATIONS AND MOVEMENTS;Gospel Society[02080][cat]RELIGION;Gospel Society[02080]Gospel SocietyJapanese immigrants;Gospel SocietySan Francisco;Gospel SocietyFukuinkaiMissionaries;Gospel Society

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