Congregation

Our History

Late in 1929, under the direction of Dr. Walter A. Maier, the Concordia Seminary students’ “Missionary Society” canvassed the Mt. Olive School District of University City. A nucleus of a few interested families were found and the first service of Mt. Olivet Lutheran Church, as it was then called, was conducted on December 15, 1929, in a vacant store building on the north side of Olive Blvd between Fairview and Eastover Avenues. Dr. Maier preached the first sermon, and Rev. W. Hallerberg, mission director of the Western District spoke a few words. A Sunday School was immediately started and 17 persons took part in the first Christmas Eve service on December 24, 1929. Three young ladies from Immanuel Lutheran Church (Lena Gemmer, Dorothea Kramer, and Anita Schmelig) and one from St. Andrews were active already in this early history of our Sunday School.

Student Theodore C. Meibohm was in charge of the work during the summer of 1930, and after him the Rev Paul J. Weeks began on September 1, 1930, with the group meeting in a building located at 8015 Olive Blvd. Attendance after a year averaged about 25-30 people. Beginning on February 1, 1931, services were conducted in the Mt. Olive Public School building, 7800 Olive Blvd. One hundred people attended the first anniversary service on December 13, 1930, and student Meibohm dedicated the church’s first bell, a gift from the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod and formerly a part of the old Concordia Seminary buildings on South Jefferson Avenue.

The recommendation having been given to the Mission Board that this was a promising area, and that a parochial school could even be opened at once, the Western District extended a call to Candidate Reinold Waldemar Janetzke of Bristol, Connecticut, to become the pastor of St. James. He was ordained and then installed on August 30, 1931, and preached his first sermon the following Sunday to seventeen people including several from a neighboring a church and a few personal friends.

And yet, on March 13, 1932, all eligible voters met at the church at 2:30 pm for a temporary organization of what would be called St. James Evangelical Lutheran Church. Grave difficulties, however, hounded this little group of charter members. It appeared in 1933 that the congregation might not be able to keep a resident pastor. Although some progress could be seen, the group had to accept the resignation of their first pastor in the fall of 1936. A young man by the name of Mr. H Kespohl served the congregation until January, 1937, when a vacancy occurred again.

This did not discourage the members from building. Aided by a loan from the Western District Church Extension Fund, they purchased a 145′ by 165′ lot on the corner of Hanley Road and Anna Avenue. In the spring of 1937, they began to build the church that would serve the congregation as a place of worship for several decades.

In June, 1937, the Rev. Walter J. Warneck was called from Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church in Excelsior Springs, Missouri. The installation was conducted on June 27, in a store building at 8408 Olive Blvd, where services were still being held. On August 22, 1937, the first permanent place of worship was dedicated to the glory of God.

By 1939, 87 communicants were counted on the roll, and the pastor was assured that the little four-room rented house at 8224 Fairham Avenue would not be the permanent parsonage. In the spring of 1940, the congregation borrowed the entire $5,460 necessary to build the present parsonage, which was dedicated on August 18, 1940. Dr. J.T. Mueller of Concordia Seminary preached the sermon to 137 in attendance.

Due to increased growth, an acre of land immediately west of the church property was purchased on March 3, 1950, at a cost of $24,000. By September 25, 1955, the Junior Bible Class and Intermediate Department were moved to the parsonage. Also, in September, 1955, Concord School, owed jointly by St. James, Grace Pagedale, and St. Andrews began functioning. By 1957, the congregation numbered 311 communicants. A “Forward for Christ” campaign was launched toward the building of a new sanctuary.

With Kennethy E. Wischmeyer engaged as architect, the groundbreaking service took place on March 27, 1960; the cornerstone was laid on September 25, 1960, and on June 18, 1961, the new sanctuary was dedicated to the glory of our merciful and ever gracious Triune God. By the time of the 10th anniversary service on June 20, 1971, the congregation had 346 baptized members and 240 communicant members.

On May 28, 1973, the Lord called Pastor Warneck to his eternal rest. By March, 1974, Pastor Tom Baker had accepted the call to be pastor at St. James. This was also the month in whch the majority of the students and faculty at Concordia Seminary rebelled against the Synod and began their own seminary: Seminex.

St. James was in the minority at Concord School, asking that Seminex students not be used in the classrooms. The other congregations disagreed. By the end of 1974, they had removed St. James from the association. As a result, St. James sent almost 50 pupils to Immanuel Lutheran School in Olivette.

In September, 1978, Pastor Peter Kurowski was installed as Assistant Pastor at St. James. Through his efforts, a number of adult confirmands joined St. James. In October, 1979, he accepted a called to Trinity Lutheran in Hoyleton, Illinois. He was replaced by vicars Ron Fandrick and Paul Hunsicker in December 1980 and March 1982, respectively.

With the need for additional space, the congregation again engaged Kenneth E. Wischmeyer who prepared a $1.4 million parochial school facility. In August, 1982, groundbreaking services took place for the first phase of that facility, which was completed in early 1983.

In 1989, the Rev. Peter Kurowski returned to serve with Pastor Baker. For the next five year, the two did much work for St. James and for our Synod at large to keep both faithful in doctrine. During this time, a Montessori school for the deaf flourished at St. James under the leadership of Mrs. Ruth Hummel, wife of Professor Horace Hummel of Concordia Seminary.

In 1994, Rev. Kurowski accepted a call to St. Paul in California, Missouri. The Montessori school closed in 1997. In 2001, Pastor Baker accepted a call to the Concordia Mission Society. In 2002, Rev. Wayne E. Lawrence accepted the call to St. James.