July, 1942
THE K I N G ’ S BUS I NE S S
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B EFORE America entered the war, the grand stand at Santa Anita Rate Track, Arcadia, six scene of hectic excitement and many personal tragedies during the horse racing season. On some occasions, as much as a million dollars changed hands as a result of a single after noon's races. Around the famous race track where some of the f a s t e s t horses in America once raced, Jap anese pastors now walk many miles in visiting among their transplanted congregations. And now, qn each Sun day morning,'from 1,500 to 2,000 Jap- anese-American young people meet voluntarily in a portion of this grand stand, for a Christian service of wor ship. Hastily organized in the early spring of this year, Santa Anita's huge assembly center for "persons of Jap anese ancestry" — whether American- born or alien—has developed under civilian management at the request of the United States Army. Row upon row of long black and brown tem porary barracks fill the great race track and the vast automobile park
Camp Santa Anita Arcadia, California
ing area outside the enclosure. Here California Japanese—16,000 at a time —are gathered. Among others who were Instructed to report for residence at the assembly center at Santa Anita was an Amer ican-born Japanese 'student of the Bible Institute of Los Angeles. He was in his second year of work at the school and was at the same time doing pastorate work in the Japanese Hollywood Presbyterian Church and the Norwalk Friends Church. Prior to the war, this young man's home was on Terminal Island, in the very heart of the Los Angeles Harbor district. This* region was of course one of the "areas of military impor tance" which caused serious concern to Southern California authorities. It was one of the first sections in which all residents of Japanese descent re ceived orders to evacuate. Although this Institute student has found his formal education for Chris tian service interrupted, there has opened to him a unique field of op portunity, as the accompanying letter shows.
M y dear brothers'and sisters in Christ, Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we oUrselves are comforted of God. As goon as I reached Camp Santa Anita, the authorities immediately put me to work as Young People’s Director doing various p h a s e s o f Christian service, and I have been busy ever since. At present there are over 16,000 Japanese in this huge camp and an additional 4,000 will be coming in soon, which will make a grand total of 20,000 Japanese. So you see I have a tremendous field right before me. I average as much as ten to twelve miles a day doing pastoral calling, and at present my shoes are just about worn out because of the way .1 am burning up the track here in Santa Anita! Last Sunday morning we had ap-
teen miles from Los Angeles, was a
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