Centennial United Methodist Church

The Historic Centennial United Methodist Church traces its origins to a Sunday School Mission started in the home of Henry and Nellie Wilson at the juncture of Independence and Harrison Avenues in the 1880s. The worship site moved several times before settling into a small frame building located at 17th and Lydia in 1892. Under the guidance of Rev. John A. Lee, the church was named Redeemer Chapel in 1894. In 1895, Rev. C.W. Holmes led the construction of a small frame church at 17th and Grove and the church was renamed Burns Chapel Methodist Episcopal Church. Pastored by Reverend J. G. Dinsmore, this church later relocated to 11th and Highland, where worship took place in a brick basement. Under Reverend James M. Harris, the basement was sold and another church was purchased at the northwest corner of 19th and Woodland in 1904 for ten thousand dollars. Records from this period indicate that the average membership was around one hundred. The small congregation struggled until in 1907, when District Superintendent, Reverend Dr. J.Will Jackson, directed the merger of Asbury Chapel Methodist Episcopal Church, (est. 1880, Rev. James Lawton) and the Burns Chapel Methodist Episcopal Church. This new entity became known as the Centennial Methodist Episcopal Church. Rev. Dr. J. Will Jackson was appointed as pastor of the “New Centennial.” The new church boasted a membership of 412 persons.

Under the leadership of Rev. Richard Davis (1908-1920), the membership of this newly merged congregation grew along with an expanding Black community. As additional housing became available and as new businesses flourished in the area surrounding 18th and Vine, the church became a centralized meeting place for this thriving Black community. Under the leadership and vision of Reverend M. L. Mackay (1925-1931), the members started a building campaign in 1926. The cornerstone was laid in April 1928 by the Fred W. Dabney Lodge, and on Easter Sunday, March 23, 1929, the congregation marched from their temporary worship location at Shannon Hall on 18th and Vine into their new church building, the “New” Centennial. Construction costs for the building was around seventy-five thousand dollars. Many believed that the new structure was the most impressive Black church building west of the Mississippi.

The new church was built to serve the growing Black community surrounding the area of 18th and Vine. In 1928, a Wurlitzer organ valued at twelve-thousand dollars, was purchased and installed. It is still being played today. The church consisted of numerous Sunday School classrooms. Members took particular pride in sixteen large stained-glass windows depicting the life of Christ. Classrooms were also used for church club activities and to house the special ministries of the church. The large sanctuary, with a seating capacity of eleven-hundred, provided ample facilities for worship celebrations, civic meetings and other community entertainments. By removing the chairs in the basement auditorium, the space was easily converted into a gym for athletic activities. In the 1950s the church sponsored an all-girls basketball team.

Within a radius of ten blocks of Centennial were significant Black retail establishments, as well as schools and other houses of worship. Also located within the community were social clubs, recreational facilities, an auto show sales room, a fire department, the local Call newspaper, several grocery stores and various bustling musical entertainment venues.

The funeral of famed musician, Bennie Moten, was held at Centennial in September 1935. Well known musician, Count Basie played for Mr. Moten’s funeral. Mr. Basie, as well as other local musicians played their instruments within the walls of Centennial on various occasions. Rev. A. L. Reynolds could be heard preaching on the radio station of WHB in the 1930s, graced by selections from Centennial’s Choir. Centennial was known throughout Missouri for its choir, which was directed by Professor J. Oliver Morrison. The choir performed gospel songs, spirituals, hymns and arias. During Holy Week and the Christmas season, dramatizations and Vespers were offered in various church productions. For 50 years, from 1967 until 2017, Handel’s Messiah was presented by the Chancel Choir. This annual event drew attendance from the broader Kansas City community. The doors of Centennial were always open for community revivals, literary programs and college debate teams. Indeed, famous black writers, like Langston Hughes and Arna Bontemps, conducted readings at Centennial.

In times of political challenges, particularly when members of the community suffered from acts of violence, Centennial expressed its collective voice on these matters. During the civil rights era, community forums were held at Centennial by various local groups. Meetings were held for voting drives, and the Community Committee for Social Action (CCSA) organized at Centennial to protest segregation at downtown lunch counters. The community supported the church and in 1940 the membership was recorded as fourteen hundred. Like many mainline denominational churches, Centennial has experienced challenge in recent years. The membership formerly consisted of porters, maids, beauticians, seamstresses, washwomen, laborers, janitors, doctors, lawyers, postal employees, and pullman porters. This eclectic assembly of worshipers supported the ministries of the “Historic” Centennial, paid off its debts, and offered many programs for the community with an emphasis on the youth of the community. Today, demographic changes and the outmigration of blacks from the urban core has significantly impacted Centennial. Reflecting its continuing engagement with the community, Centennial continues to offer a bi-weekly food pantry, as well as various tutorial programs and school partnerships.

You are invited to come and worship with us on Sunday at 10:40 am or come to bible study every Wednesday at noon.

SUBMITTED BY ARCHIVES & HISTORY CUMC FEB 2020

The school was listed on the Kansas City Register of Historic Places on August 11, 1983 and on the National Register of Historic Places on September 9, 1991.