ABOUT

Welcome to the Kamloops Interfaith History Project! I hope you've enjoyed what you've seen so far. On this page you will find more information about the project - including how you might help!

 

What is the Kamloops Interfaith History Project?

The Kamloops Interfaith History Project is an effort to compile in one place (and comment on) the historical highlights of:

1. Buildings and sites in Kamloops that were or are used for religious or spiritual purposes.

2. The founding, life, movements, merging, and occasional disbanding of faith groups and communities in and around Kamloops.

 

This will always be a slowly ongoing project. As more is learned, more is added and updated.

 

Who started and maintains this project?

My name is Andrew Lamb. I started this project out of personal interest. I moved to Kamloops as a kid in 1993 and was raised here. I grew up in a religious family, and have always been a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Professionally, I work as an SEO specialist and website manager for a local tech company called SilverServers.

 

I regularly meet and plan with a group of interested volunteers. We work together to keep this site maintained.

 

Acknowledgements:

This seems like the right place to acknowledge all the help the project receives.

 

[acknowledge help here]

 

Underlying every data point is the reality that all of these buildings and faith communities exist on the traditional and unceded territory of the Secwepemc Nation.

 

When was the project started?

Around 2018 I started keeping casual notes on local religious buildings I was interested in. My efforts to find information and move the project forward truly began in 2022.

 

Where is the information found?

The project typically approaches each building or group in multiple phases:

1. Visit the website of the group. Make notes from information available there.

2. Connect with the faith group leaders or members who know more about their building and/or group. Tour the building, if appropriate/applicable.

3. Research using historical research resources like the Kamloops Museum.

 

You will find source notes at the bottom of each page.

 

How can I help?

Your assistance is welcome! Please reach out in any of these cases:

-You notice an incorrect piece of information on the website and can help correct it.

-You’re aware of information that’s missing from the website.

-You want to volunteer to help with a particular phase of information-gathering.

-Donate! We're all volunteers who don't profit from this project. However, maintaining this website is only made possible by donations. We're incredibly grateful for every donor.

 

We are excited to hear from you, but please don't be surprised if it takes some time for us to respond. We're a small team of volunteers maintaining this project at the slow pace that our lives allow.

 

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Why do you do this project?

There’s a story to that. One day I’ll write the details in the blog. For the purposes of this page, I’ll share the condensed version:

 

As a Christian who found faith in God by reading The Book of Mormon - a book that not many of my fellow Christians accept - I often feel unusually and anxiously passionate about sharing and explaining my faith and my story. Through a series of events, God helped me realize that I’m not the only person who wants to share their faith. He turned much of my passion into a desire to hear and understand the stories of faith others may carry within their hearts.

 

As I explored that desire to hear the stories of others, and tried to determine what to do with it, I found an interest in the places of worship established by people of faith. My daily responsibilities make it tough to get out and experience these places of worship as often as I would like, so I began mostly gathering information available online.

 

As my collection of information grew, I found that nearly every person of faith I talked to was interested in what I was learning. I decided to turn that information into a website and find a way to turn my personal interest into a way for people of faith to interact and build interfaith relationships, or, at least, relationships with people of faith outside of their own congregation.

 

I believe that all people of faith are part of God’s plan for mankind, and each individual and group has some aspect of God’s love to bring to the table. My hope is that this history website may provide an opportunity for all people of faith to see at least a little more of what God is doing for Kamloops.