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Stockton Chinese Christian Center Collection,
1935-1954
MSS 319
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Title: Stockton Chinese Christian Center
collection
Dates: 1935-1954
Collection number: MSS 319
Creator:
Colliver, George
Collection Size: .5 feet
Repository:
University of the Pacific. Library. Holt-Atherton Dept. of
Special Collections
Stockton, California 95211
Abstract: The collection consists of photographs,
newspaper clippings, and a 1946 annual report related to the Chinese Christian
Center from 1935 to 1954.
Physical location: For current information on the location
of these materials, please consult the library's online catalog.
Languages: Languages represented in the collection:
English
Collection open for research.
Permission for publication is given on behalf of Special Collections as
the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply
permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the
researcher.
Stockton Chinese Christian Center collection. MSS 319. Holt-Atherton
Department of Special Collections, University of the Pacific Library.
Biography / Administrative History
The Chinese Christian Center began as the Chinese Methodist Episcopal
Mission which was established as a Methodist Home Mission Project on Hunter
Street in Stockton, California in 1905. In 1925 the Mission moved to Lafayette
Street and was renamed the Chinese Christian Center in 1941. From 1930-1934 Lim
P. Lee was the student pastor of the Mission and was responsible for starting
the Boy Scout troop which led to the eventual formation of a boys' club at the
local YMCA. Lee was a former student of Rev. Dr. George H. Colliver, who was a
professor at the College of the Pacific. In 1936 Dr. Colliver took leadership
of the Mission when he was appointed pastor from 1936-1949. Bishop Wilbur Wong
Yan Choy was the Associate Pastor of the Center from 1943-1949 and pastor from
1954-1959. In 1955 the Center moved to South San Joaquin Street.
Scope and Content of Collection
The collection consists of photographs, newspaper clippings, and a 1946
annual report related to the Chinese Christian Center from 1935 to 1954. The
materials were provided by friends and members of the Center. The majority of
the contributions came from Dr. and Mrs. Colliver's personal collection. The
whole collection was donated in a binder entitled Dr. and Mrs. George H.
Colliver's Photo Collection: Highlighting events during the Chinese Christian
Center era 1930s-1950s. There are brief synopsis of the center and short
biographical sketches of three of the Center's leaders and contributors: Dr.
George H. Colliver, Lim Poon Lee, and Bishop Wilbur Wong Yan Choy. The
collection also includes a 2007 video created by St. Mark's United Methodist
Church entitled The Chinese Christian Center Stockton, California: A
Photographic Journey 1935-1954. The video begins with a 15 minute interview
with Wilbur Choy from July 10, 2004. The video continues with a slide show of
images of Center activities. Some of the images and information about the
images included in the slide show are not found in the rest of the collection.
The materials offer an insightful look into the times and activities of the
young men and women gathering and participating at the Center.
The main part of the collection, Dr. and Mrs. George H. Colliver's Photo
Collection: Highlighting events during the Chinese Christian Center era
1930s-1950s, was donated in binder format. That part of the collection has
remained in original order and placed in folders 1.2-1.5.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this
collection in the library's online public access catalog.
Methodist Episcopal Church
Chinese Americans - Societies,
etc
Chinese Americans - California -
Stockton - History
Pearl Shaffer Sweet Collection, 1874-1989 (MSS 252)
Books that contain additional information relevant to the collection:
Images of America:The Chinese Community of Stockton Sylvia Sun Minnick,2002 Hah
Yun: The Chinese Community in Stockton, 1963