St. James

GIVE
GIVE

Our Story

1955
We Began
In 1955, the neighborhoods of Kansas City were experiencing rapid change. Families were fleeing to the suburbs as African American families moved in. Ministering to the new families presented a special challenge for Methodist Episcopal Churches. Under the direction of Bishop Matthew W. Clair, an "inner city" parish was established at 26th & Cleveland... Read More
1958
Our move to Spruce

In 1958, the church was notified that they would have to move. The property was included in the plans for what is now I-70, just north of the Jackson curve. Using funds received from the property sale, the congregation purchased the church building located at 26th & Spruce, and was known as Spruce Avenue Methodist Church...
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1972
Our Search For New Leadership
In 1972, Rev. Emanuel Cleaver II, an eager, young, visionary, was appointed as Pastor of the church. A visionary; he saw what could be and refused to be limited by what was. He often said, “I just want to do God’s will.” Read More
1973
Our move to Gregory
In the summer of 1973, two small Methodist congregations were struggling for survival. Its building was condemned, St. James was searching for a new home. Across the city, Gregory Boulevard was suffering from urban flight to the suburbs and membership was declining drastically. Through a special charge conference action, a merger of the two congregations was created... Read More
1994
Our move to paseo

Attendance at St. James-Gregory continued to grow beyond capacity. With the shifting demographics, a larger church, Paseo United Methodist, located at the corner of 56th & Paseo was experiencing a shrinking membership. Bishop W.T. Handy, Jr. orchestrated a merger of the two churches with Reverend Cleaver as the Senior Pastor...

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2009
The Legacy Continues
St. James continued its growth, and once again outgrew a sanctuary’s capacity for worship. After much prayer and planning the course was made clear, a new sanctuary was needed. On November 3, 2001, the St. James congregation moved into a new sanctuary expansion which allowed us a worship setting for over 1,000 persons... Read More
2015
Our Move South

With the membership of St. James spanning the metropolitan area, church leadership looked to expand its footprint. In July 2015, the Renaissance United Methodist Church became the St. James-Renaissance Campus. ...

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2023
The Next Movement

New programs and ministries continued to develop, including
New Church Clothes and The Check-In, young adult podcasts.
Loads of Love, a partnership with St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church to provide free laundry service to the Blue Hills Community.2023...

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