C.M. Kinney – a former slave, distributed tracts and “The Great Controversy”
throughout Kansas, Iowa, Missouri and the Midwest. He became the first black ordained Seventh-day Adventist minister. As the result of his work, churches sprang up in Missouri and Kansas.
In 1899, the Kansas City, Missouri church was organized with 14 new believers and 30 Sabbath school members. There were 50 attending a Mission Sunday School, according to the district leader, Sydney Scott from the Kansas Conference.
The Kansas City, Missouri group met in a rented hall until the property owned by the Pacific Press near the corner of 13th Street and Euclid Street became available for purchase in 1926.
The building on the property was a warehouse converted into a place of worship. Funds were scarce because of the depression and World War II made supplies difficult
To obtain. Elder Adolphus Webb started a building project, using stones and steel from a demolished brewery. The Beacon Light Church was built on the corner of 13th Street and Euclid Street in 1943.
Elizabeth Hanks, who later became Elizabeth Miller, married Elder Henry J. Miller who was the first black Bible worker in the Central Union Conference. These are the parents of Helen E. Miller-Kanion. Mrs. Miller was one of the original members of the Kansas City, Missouri church.
Other early members were, Brother and Sister Cravens (Newman), sister Daisy Timmons, her sister Mercedes Matthews, Sister Alice Hughes, Brother and Sister Penney, Sister Madison, Ada Thomas, Lorene Brown, Sister Juanita Kenneymore, Sister Francis Flanoy, Sister Oliver, Sister Sallie Holmes, Clara Franklin of the Kansas City Call Newspaper, the Vertis family, SisterGertrude Valentine and family, Sister Thelma Brown and family, Sister Bertha Tillmon, Sister Fannie Wright, Sister Josephine Washington, Ruth Banks Johnson and family, along with many other who joined in the late 40’s and early 50’s.
The pastors of the church are not know prior to the 1930’s. It is likely that a district leader was assigned from the Kansas Conference through the Central Union Conference. Leaders were R.T. Hudson, Albert Gaynes Thompson, Louis B. Reynolds.
After the 1930’s, pastors included: 1942- Aldolphus Webb, 1947- Henry Miller, 1952 – D.B. Reid, 1955 – Xavier Butler, 1956- Monroe Burgess, G. Hefrin Taylor, Eugene Carter, J.D. Parker, Rawdon Brown, Elder Brandon (interim), T.A. McNeally, Mark McCleary (Associate Pastor), Hector Mouzon, Randolph P. Stafford, James E. White, Jr. , Emmitt Slocumb, Gil Webb, and Reuben Roundtree JR. |
