History of the Church
Sei Ko Kai has been a part of San Francisco for more than 6 decades
While there is some question about when and how Sei Ko Kai Christ Church actually got started (there are two versions), there is no question about it being a vibrant part of the Japantown scene before WWII. With the order to evacuate, the priest in residence went with his congregation to the camps and ministered there. After the war, people trickled back, and the church opened again. At the Bishop’s order, the congregation was moved from its previous location on Buchanan to its present location on Pierce.
The small but very active congregation has also been an integral part of JARF, the Japanese American Religious Federation, a group made up of various Christian, Buddhist and Independent (Konko) congregations. Together they have been active in responding to the spiritual needs of Japantown, from building senior residences to services in response to the tsunami in Japan.