Sunday, Oct. 13—RUTLAND—The Grace Congregational UCC in Rutland has a special connection with a university in Japan named Doshisha. This October marks the 150-year anniversary of its origin.
To celebrate this occasion, Dignitaries from Doshisha University in Kyoto, Japan, will visit Grace Congregational UCC on Oct. 13 to honor these 150 years.
On Oct. 9, 1874, Joseph Hardy Neesima spoke to a meeting of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missionaries at the Congregational Church of Rutland (which would later become Grace Congregational UCC), asking them to collect funds to support a new Christian School in Japan. Neesima previously traveled to America from Japan and studied at Amherst College and Andover Theological Seminary had been ordained a protestant minister and was deeply committed to bringing Christianity to Japan. With $5,000 raised in response to his passionate plea, Niijima Jo (his Japanese name) realized his vision, sowing the seeds of Doshisha University. One hundred fifty years later, Doshisha has 30,000 undergraduate students, 16 graduate programs, and programs for international students in Japanese Language and culture. It is one of the most prestigious private universities in Japan.
Grace Church will hold a special worship service at 9:30 am on Sunday, Oct. 13. The Service will include participation by the President and Chairman of the University, music by a graduate of Doshisha, and a presentation of an enameled porcelain plaque depicting the auspicious moments during Joseph Neesima’s address in our sanctuary. Guests affiliated with Doshisha and students from Vermont State University Castleton will be in attendance. These young women are attending school this fall as part of a program between Castleton and Doshisha Women’s College founded by Niijima Jo and his wife Yae in 1876. Grace Congregational UCC invites the public to experience this historical event.
For more information, visit gracechurchvt.org.
