Union Memorial Church History

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Our Church History

1846-2006 

Union Memorial United Methodist Church traces its beginnings to 1840. That was a period in the history of the Methodist Church when it had spent years debating the issue of slavery. Methodism had finally experienced “The Great Schism” at the 1844 General Conference. By its vote on the Plan of Separation, it authorized Annual Conferences in slave holding states to separate from The Methodist Episcopal Church. The Plan of Separation was adopted, and the groundwork was laid for the creation of The Methodist Episcopal Church, South.

They wanted an institution where, then and through the years, the Word would be spoken, the Bread broken, and men would receive Christ in their lives.  And, learn that “The body of true religion consists of obedience to the will of the Sovereign of the World, of a confidence in His declarations, and of imitation of His perfection."

Union Memorial is one of the four oldest black churches in Saint Louis. At the time of its formation in 1846, Rev. James Farrar, a local preacher, was the first pastor. The congregation worshipped on Broadway between Morgan Street (now Delmar) and Franklin Avenue, known as “Essex Alley”, in the home of a slave. Rev. Adolphus Foshee succeeded Rev. Farrar. Other pastors who served the congregation during its early years were Rev. Nathan Church and Rev. Warner.

A piece of property on Seventh Street, between Cass Avenue and O’Fallon Street, was purchased and lost.  After losing that property, the congregation worshipped on Green Street (now Lucas Avenue) for a number of years. The church was called “Little Rock Church.”

In 1865, Dr. F. W. S. Peck of Baltimore, Maryland became the first Black pastor of the church.  He played a very important role in the development of Missouri Methodism.   Rev. S. Thomas and Rev. Edgar Pins followed him.

In 1873, under the pastorate of Rev. F. H. Small, the congregation bought the church at 1008 Wash Street (now Cole Street). This church was often called "Lower Wash".  The members moved into the new church on August 2, 1873. On October 26, 1884, the church was dedicated and named Wesley Chapel. Bishop Bowan and Rev. E. W. Peck officiated at the dedication.

In December 1884, several members of Wesley Chapel, interested in the expansion of Methodism, organized a church at the corner of Wash Street and Elliot Avenue known as Elliot Avenue M. E. Church. The first pastor was John Hughes.

Rev. W.H.H. Brown was sent to Wesley Chapel in 1890.  Methodism in Missouri and the name of W.H.H. Brown are synonymous.  He served the church in almost every capacity with the greatest of credit, reflecting honor upon the church and himself.

 In 1899, Wesley Chapel and Elliott Avenue Churches consolidated, and Wesley Chapel was sold. Thereafter, both congregations worshipped at the Elliot Avenue Church, naming the merged churches "Centennial". The first pastor of Centennial was Rev. J. Will Jackson, D.D.

In 1900, Bishop Fitzgerald, presiding over the annual session of the Central Missouri Conference at Marshall, Missouri, appointed Dr. R. E Gillum pastor of the Centennial Church. Soon thereafter, the name of the church was changed to Union Memorial.

The church really began to grow.  During the World’s Fair in St. Louis in 1904, the capacity of the building was not adequate to accommodate the membership.  So, larger, more convenient, and more comfortable quarters were sought.

Union Memorial purchased Temple Israel, a Jewish Temple, on the corner of Leffingwell Avenue and Pine Street.  Its members, led by Rev. Gillum, entered the Temple Israel edifice on July 28, 1907.  This structure, regarded as the most expensive, finest, and imposing edifice of any “Colored Congregation” in the world, remained standing until 1963. 

On March 29, 1908, when the appointments of the twenty-second Annual Conference held in Union Memorial Church were read, Bishop William F. McDowell appointed Rev B.F. Abbott pastor of Union Memorial. After Rev. Abbott came to Union, the final payment of the church debt was made, and Bishop William A. Quayle dedicated the church on April 1920.

In the first fifteen years of Rev Abbott's pastorate, he led the establishment of six new churches.  All of the churches owned property. This extension work of Union Memorial was as follows:

              (Now North Park UMC due to merger)

Asbury UMC, LaSalle UMC and Unity UMC Webster Groves are still active.

Through the years, white Bishops presided over the Black Conference.  In 1920, the first Black Bishop was elected, Matthew W. Clair, Sr.  He served until his retirement in 1936.  His first visit to Union was heralded with great pomp. He was given a large reception with hundreds of people in attendance. Since 1936, Missouri Methodism has been served by four other Black Bishops: R. E. Jones, E. W. Kelly, Matthew W. Clair, Jr., and by Bishop Noah W. Moore, Jr. who finished Bishop Clair's term after he retired, and W.T. Handy, Jr.  In 1939, after celebrating thirty-one years as pastor of Union Memorial, Dr. Abbott left and was replaced by Rev. E. W. Kelly, who came from Detroit, Michigan.

In June 1940, while Rev. Kelly was pastor, St. Louis was host to the Central Jurisdictional Conference of the Methodist Church, with Union Memorial as the host church.  It was the first General Conference of this jurisdiction since the merger of the M.E. Church South and the Protestant M. E. Church.  After serving the congregation magnificently for five years, Rev. Kelly was elected to the Episcopacy.  Several bishops were consecrated during the session.

In the same year, Bishop Jones retired.  Succeeding Bishop Kelley in 1944 was Rev. E.O. Woolfolk, a learned, dignified man of culture.  He held two degrees: M.A. and D.D.  Rev. Woolfolk led Union Memorial to great heights of service.  The membership also increased under his leadership.  The “Crusading for Christ" movement was most successful.  In 1947, Rev. Woolfolk was appointed as a District Superintendent and was succeeded by Rev. L.L. Haynes. 

Rev. Haynes graced the pulpit with such eloquence and power that the pews were filled to capacity.  And, as had his predecessors, he garnered such financial harvests as to make possible the improvements of all the interiors of the church properties.

Succeeding Rev. Haynes in 1953 was Rev. E. L. McAllister.  Rev. McAllister left the church in 1955 and was succeeded by Rev. Dr. John J. Hicks. Dr. Hicks came by transfer from Los Angles to Union Memorial and served in St. Louis on many civic and community committees as in California.  In 1959, he became the first member of the African-American race to be elected to the St. Louis Board of Education, and later served that organization as both vice-president and president.

During Dr. Hicks’ pastorate, the city dedicated a mammoth redevelopment program. Union Memorial was located in what was called “The Mill Creek Area".  This area was to be cleared and rebuilt. The church did not have to move, but since many members had moved westward, the church decided to move west, also, and build a new church. A Building Committee of one hundred was appointed, which was empowered to negotiate with the Land Clearance Authority and to take all necessary steps to secure available land. The committee reported that the land and property at Belt and Bartmer was the best that they had found. Two architects were employed to draw up plans which were later accepted.  After moving to the present site, Union Memorial became a member of the West St. Louis Ecumenical Parish.

Bishop Clair, the resident bishop, officiated at the Ground Breaking Ceremonies held March 26, 1961. The Cornerstone Laying was March 7, 1963 followed by the formal opening in November, 1963.  The Union Memorial United Methodist Church edifice is said to be the second largest “thin shell parabolic structure” of its kind in the United States.

In 1964, Dr. Hicks left Union Memorial to take a pastorate in New York City.  He was succeeded by the Rev. Dr. John N. Doggett, Jr.  Rev. Doggett also came to Union Memorial by transfer from Los Angeles.

Rev. Doggett was the first pastor of Union Memorial to hold the office of president of the St. Louis Branch of the NAACP.  When Rev. Doggett became pastor in 1964, the loan balance on the church was $218,250.74. When he left in 1976, the loan balance was $71,635.25.  At the 1976 Missouri East Annual Conference, Dr. Doggett, who had earned a Ph.D. degree, was appointed as St. Louis North District Superintendent.

The Rev. Dr. John W. Heyward, Jr. followed Dr. Doggett as Union Memorial's pastor.  Dr. Heyward had traveled extensively in Europe, Asia, Central and North America.  He found a loan balance of $70,302.02 and was intensely  eager to retire that debt.  Dr. Heyward’s eagerness became contagious and reached, so to speak, epidemic proportions.  The church  became a "beehive" of activities.  The $50,000 extra that he asked the members to give in addition to the $100,000 they had given when asked by Dr. Doggett, was met with approval.

On November 20, 1977, the three John’s  - Rev. John Hicks, Rev. John Doggett and Rev. John Heyward  - officiated at the mortgage burning services.  This occurred approximately five years before the motgage was to be paid.  During Dr. Heyward's pastorate, additional property across the street from the church was purchased and used to house the pastor and his family.  At the 1985 Missouri East Annual Conference, Dr. Heyward was appointed to serve as District Superintendent of the Columbia-Mexico District.  Dr. J. LaVon Kincaid, Sr. succeeded him as pastor.

Dr. Kincaid came to Union Memorial after serving for seven years as the first African American Director of Stewardship, General Board of Discipleship in Nashville, Tennessee. Strengthening the church through Stewardship and Discipleship was the focus of his ministry.  Dr. Kincaid served Union for four years before Bishop W. T. Handy, Jr. appointed him to serve on the Missouri East Conference Council on Ministries in 1989.  The Rev. Dr. Rhymes H. Moncure, Jr. succeeded Dr. Kincaid.

During Dr. Moncure’s ministry at Union Memorial, many programs were developed to train and encourage youth participation in the work of the church.  Dr. Moncure‘s other appointments included churches in St. Louis, Kansas City, Kansas, and Columbia, Missouri.  He served as Executive Director of the United Methodist Urban Ministries in Kansas City, Missouri.  At the 1991 Missouri East Annual Conference, Dr. Moncure was appointed to serve as the District Superintendent of the St. Louis South District.  In July, 2000, Dr. Moncure was elected to the episcopacy.  

The Rev. Dr. Theo V. Triplett, Sr. succeeded Dr. Moncure at Union Memorial.  Rev. Triplett served on the Kingdom House Board in the Missouri East Conference, and was vice-president of the St. Louis North District.  He was also a member of the Clergy Coalition, and treasurer for the Black United Methodist Ministers.  On May 22, 1993, Rev. Triplett earned his Doctor of Ministry degree from United Methodist Seminary, Dayton Ohio.  His doctoral project, entitled "The Development of a Project Community Renewal Restoration", was designed to lead Union Memorial United Methodist Church into the twenty-first century.

The church became involved in the Come Share Program, established permanent endowment fund through the generous gift of Miss Grace Anthony, started the Disciple Bible Study programs, and purchased the Mitchell School building at Belt and Bartmer as a site for the Union Memorial Outreach Center (UMOC).  Grants from Barnes, Jewish, & Christian Health Systems for outreach programs were obtained for UMOC's programs.

In May 1995, Rev. Dr. Lynn R. Mims succeeded Dr. Triplett.  A native of Texas, Dr. Mims came to Union Memorial from Oklahoma City where he had served as senior pastor of Christ United Methodist Church and Adjunct Professor of Religion at Oklahoma City University.  Under Dr. Mims’ leadership, Union Memorial witnessed new, revitalized and expanded ministries.  As the largest African-American church in the Missouri East Conference, Union Memorial’s membership then stood at 1100.  Union Memorial ranked fourth in size in the St. Louis Urban district of the United Methodist Church and first in size among United Methodist churches in the City of St. Louis.  Program development at the church included: 

A first for the Missouri East Conference, clergy and laity from the same congregation, UNION MEMORIAL, were recipients of the 1998 Denman Award for Evangelism.  Dr. Mims and Mrs. Saint F. Jones received the awards for bringing souls to Christ.

Consistent with our rich history, in early 1998 Union Memorial started a mission station to serve persons on the south side of St. Louis (Union-Shaw Out Post Ministry) at Shaw United Methodist Church.

In 1999, our ministries were expanded to include additional activities such as:

      The Conference preacher and workshop leader was Rev. Barbara King,    Founder/Pastor of Hillsdale Chapel and Truth Center, Inc. in Atlanta, Ga.

The dawn of the new millennium has seen new partnerships formed, new programs started and existing programs flourish at Union Memorial United Methodist Church.  In 2000, other milestones were reached:

At the 2004 session of the Missouri East Annual Conference, Reverend Kevin M. Kosh, Sr. was appointed as the Senior Pastor at Union Memorial.  Rev. Kosh came to Union Memorial after having served as the District Superintendent of the Gateway Regional District.  He has brought to Union Memorial a compassion for seeing that the congregation is empowered to carry out the work of ministry in this community.

We continue to carry out the “Great Commission” (Matthew 28:19-20), building on a heritage rich in service and dedication to this community.

In 2005 we accomplished the following:

In darkness, we can see no difference in things; it is light that enables us to discern, and it is Christ that gives light.  And surely it was light which inspired the saints who founded this great Methodist Church, and subsequently saints who have kept it intact. Their purpose – to build a church to God, and not to fame.  May we be inspired by their courage, devotion and love of God as we continue to build our church on a firm foundation of Love, Faith and Hope.

 

                                     “…….and on this rock I will build my church,

                                    and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. 

                                    I will give you the keys of the kingdom of

                                    heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be

                                    bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on

                                    earth will be loosed in heaven.”

                        Matthew 16:18-19

 

 

      Dr. Doris V. Harrington, Editor