People, Locations, Episodes

James Westley Hurse, Minister born

James Westley Hurse

*James Wesley Hurse was born on this date in 1866.  He was a Black minister.

Born in Collierville, Tennessee, he spent his early years on a farm near Mason, Tennessee. As a teenager, he left home and worked at various odd jobs in Memphis before moving to Kansas City at 21.

He enrolled at the Washington School of Correspondence as a day laborer. After six years of study, he earned a divinity degree. In 1898, he began preaching in an area of Northeast Kansas City known as “Bellevidere Hollow” and “Hell’s Half Acre.” Preaching under a tent and baptizing converts in the Missouri River, Hurse quickly developed a following in the predominantly Black and Italian neighborhood, said to be one of the toughest in town.  

Hurse formally organized St. Stephen Baptist Church in a tent at Independence Avenue and Charlotte Street. He and his congregation bought a church building at 604 Charlotte, but it burned down before they held their first service. The church was rebuilt, mainly by church members, and opened in 1905. In 1921, the congregation moved to a church at 910 Harrison Street.  He was also active in the National Baptist Convention and served the organization as vice president for eight years.

He became president in 1929.  Hurse contributed immeasurably to the economic, social, and cultural life of Kansas City and spoke out on the importance of education, morals, and homeownership by Blacks. An ardent champion of the Black businessman, he encouraged his congregation to support Black-owned businesses in Kansas City.  Hurse presided over St. Stephen until he died in 1935.