The United States entered World War II in 1941 following a Japanese attack on the naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. On February 19, 1942, President Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066, ordering the incarceration of Japanese citizens and Americans of Japanese descent on the West Coast Exclusion Zone to be forcibly removed to concentration camps, known as internment camps.

As part of the effort, the concentration camp Heart Mountain was established in Wyoming, between the towns of Cody and Powell. 10,767 people were confined at Heart Mountain War Relocation Center at its peak, and over 14,000 people passed through the camp during the 1,187 days it was operational. The camp covered over 700 acres and included barracks, laundry, recreation buildings, schools, and other facilities, as well as two churches, a Catholic church and a multi-denominational Community Christian Church. Community Christian held weekly English- and Japanese-language services and hosted community clubs and events.

Clergyman Vernon E. Ross arrived at Heart Mountain June 7, 1944, having traveled from Portland, Oregon, to deliver sermons and otherwise serve the Community Christian Church under the supervision of Reverend Donald Toriumi.

Sources: ArchiveGrid, "Heart Mountain Community Christian Church programs, 1944-1945", researchworks.oclc.org/archivegrid (accessed March 12, 2025) Heart Mountain, "Life in the Camp", heartmountain.org (accessed March 12, 2025) Yale Library, "Heart Mountain Community Christian Church programs", search.library.yale.edu (accessed 3/12/2025)