OUR MISSION is to make new disciples of Jesus Christ
for the transformation of the world.
OUR VISION is to provide a safe haven where people:
-encounter Christ's love and God's grace
-become committed Christians
-experience a sense of belonging
History of our Church
The church on Pearl St.
The Harrisonville United Methodist Church traces its history to 1842 when R.A. Brown provided land for and built the first Methodist house of worship in Cass County. This one-room structure was on the family farm four miles northwest of town. E.B. Hardee was the first pastor.
By 1856 the growing congregation wanted a church in town. Under Brown's leadership, a brick building was built on North Independence Street. During the Civil War, Union forces seized the church for use as a livery stable and left it badly damaged. After the conflict, Rev. J.B. Woolridge reorganized the war-torn congregation, which met for years in the unfit structure.
In 1929 the building was razed to make way for a new edifice. With Rev. G.E. Hargis at the helm, the auditorium was finished and the church women, with the help of the ladies from the Christian Church, served a banquet, raising $1400 for pews, carpeting, and light fixtures. A fund drive during the next year headed by Rev. J.H. Wagner wiped out the construction debt.
The congregation had purchased nine acres along North 7 Highway in the late 1960's as a future building site. Final plans were approved in November 1984 for the structure, which would include a new sanctuary, office space, and classrooms. The new church at 2600 East Mechanic was built two years later. Then in 1989, bequested by Miss Gladys Robbins, a new fellowship hall (RCLC), kitchen and five classrooms were added.
Present location on East Mechanic.
Over the past three years the congregation has been making plans for another expansion of the church's campus. A more open lobby area, designated children/youth wing and new media equipment are in the works. This is a very exciting opportunity that our entire church family has been involved in, and we hope the next 168 years will be just as fruitful and blessed as the last!
