The Episcopal Church of the Redeemer sits along State Route 9 in Northwest Kansas City, near the Platte Woods neighborhood, where it has stood since 1960 as a parish committed to the Episcopal branch of the Jesus Movement. Members describe their work with a simple phrase: Love, Serve, and Welcome like Jesus. The congregation is part of the Episcopal Diocese of West Missouri and the Worldwide Anglican Communion, drawing on the Book of Common Prayer for its worship while remaining open to people of every background.
From Roanridge to the Little Gray Church with the Red Doors
Redeemer did not begin as a church. In the 1940s the National Town and Country Church Institute founded Roanridge, a training center just east of the Tiffany Springs interchange on I-29, where Episcopal priests and seminarians studied rural ministry, organic farming, and tractor repair. As Roanridge grew into a seminary-like community in the mid-1950s, the Chapel of the Redeemer was launched as a mission of the Diocese of West Missouri. In 1958 the congregation decided to relocate to a growing area near Platte Woods, and the original building, known to longtime members as the little gray church with the red doors, was constructed at NW 72nd Street and Highway 9, with the first services held in November 1960.
Financial struggles nearly ended the ministry in its earliest years. Through the work of laypeople such as Dean Coffelt, the congregation survived even without paid clergy, growing from five members in 1965 to 152 by 1967. In 1982 Redeemer was granted full parish status, ending its years as a mission served by vicars. A major expansion in 1987 added the current narthex, nave, sanctuary, and educational wing, and the original gray church was converted into Coffelt Hall, named in honor of Dean Coffelt's faithfulness. A 2003 expansion shaped the buildings and grounds into their present configuration.
The parish has been served by a long line of clergy over the decades. The current Rector is the Rev. Miranda Cully, who began in 2024. She is assisted by the Rev. Brandon Smee, Curate, who oversees formation, pastoral care, and liturgy. Earlier rectors include the Rev. R. Joseph (Joe) Behen, who led the parish from 2011 to 2023, the Rev. R. Louise Baker, the Rev. Maurice (Mo) V. Champion, and the Rev. Edgar (Ed) J. Whelan, who led the 1987 expansion.
Sunday Mornings at Redeemer
Redeemer holds two Sunday morning services of Holy Eucharist, at 8:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m., both following the liturgies in the Book of Common Prayer. Services engage all the senses through music, occasional incense, movement, and shared communion. A nursery is available during the 10:30 service for the youngest children.
Visitors are warmly received. The parish's First-Time Visitors page acknowledges that Episcopal worship can feel unfamiliar at first, and the church offers a downloadable Guest's Guide to Worship that explains the order of service and the meaning of common practices. The Baptismal Covenant shapes the congregation's welcome: members vow to serve Christ in all persons, love their neighbors as themselves, and respect the dignity of every human being. Persons of all walks of life, races, sexual orientations, income levels, ages, and abilities are welcomed into the full life and worship of the parish.
Between the two Sunday services, at 9:15 a.m., the parish gathers in Coffelt Hall for Adult Formation, a weekly time of study and conversation. Sunday worship services are livestreamed on YouTube for those unable to attend in person, and recordings of recent sermons are posted online.
Formation for All Ages
Christian formation is woven through Sunday morning at Redeemer. Children's Sunday School meets at 10:15 a.m. during the school year, using the Godly Play curriculum, a Montessori-based storytelling approach that honors the spiritual journey of each child. Children join the 10:30 service partway through for communion. During the summer, children's ministry shifts to Vacation Bible School, which meets on Sunday mornings in July and early August in the downstairs classrooms.
Youth in grades 5 through 12 are invited to Youth Group on Sundays from about 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. in the Youth Room downstairs, with a focus on formation, fellowship, and fun. A separate gathering for young adults in their twenties and thirties meets every other Thursday evening at 7:00 p.m. for food, conversation, and worship.
Bible Studies, Reunion Groups, and Cursillo
Redeemer offers several ongoing small groups for adults. A Women's Bible Study meets on Tuesdays at 10:00 a.m. in Coffelt Hall from September through May, currently working through the book of Exodus. A Men's Bible Study gathers on the first, third, and fifth Tuesdays of the month at 10:30 a.m. in the Vestry Room downstairs. Both groups pause during the summer months.
The parish also hosts an active Cursillo movement, with roughly 30 Cursillistas among the congregation. Cursillo is a lay-led renewal ministry of the Episcopal Church under the authority of the diocesan and presiding bishops, and Redeemer belongs to the Heartland Episcopal Cursillo serving the Kansas City metro area. Parishioners who have completed a three-day weekend meet in regular reunion groups for prayer and shared study, and a monthly Ultreya gathering rotates among area parishes for potluck, music, prayer, and discussion.
The church also opens its building to Al-Anon support meetings and offers Campfire Conversations, a small-group program designed to nurture relationships among parishioners across the life of the church.
Music, the Choir, and the Nave
Music at Redeemer is under the direction of Jacki Hunt, who serves as senior organist and choir director. The Redeemer Choir is a multigenerational ensemble that leads service music and offers special anthems across many musical styles. The choir rehearses on Wednesday evenings from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. in the nave, and is open to all who enjoy singing. There are no auditions. Hunt also provides preludes, postludes, hymn accompaniments, and special solos throughout the church year, and directs music for the summer season and special services. The parish's worship is grounded in the Book of Common Prayer and embraces both traditional and innovative liturgical practices.
Outreach Through NICC and SPEAC
Outreach sits at the heart of Redeemer's identity. The church hosts the Northland Infant and Children's Clothing Center (NICC), founded in 2004 as the parish's personal outreach to the youngest members of the community. The NICC, located in the House of Prayer just behind the church, provides free gently used clothing from newborn through size 5T, along with socks, shoes, coats, diapers, wipes, blankets, and books. It is open Wednesdays from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. and on the fourth Saturday of each month from 10:00 a.m. to noon. Volunteers and donations are welcomed; current pressing needs include toddler boys' shoes in sizes 5 to 12, pull-ups in size 4T/5T, and diapers in sizes 4 and 5.
The parish also supports SPEAC, the Southern Platte Emergency Assistance Center, through monthly Food Pantry Sundays held on the first Sunday of each month, when members bring donations to help the food pantry serve neighbors in need.
What Redeemer Believes
Redeemer's beliefs are rooted in the Nicene Creed's description of the church as one, holy, catholic, and apostolic. The parish holds to each of these Four Marks as both description and challenge. The church is one because Christ prayed for his disciples to be one as he and the Father are one; the parish welcomes people from every socio-political background and embodies both traditional and innovative liturgical practices. The church is holy because God is holy, and the gathered community joins angels and archangels each Sunday to proclaim that holiness before being sent into the world. The church is catholic, meaning universal, by affirming the truths of the Nicene and Apostles' Creeds while embracing all persons, holding to the maxim, in essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity. The church is apostolic because Episcopalians trace their Anglican lineage through the Church of England back to Christ's founding of the church with the first Apostles, with the diocesan bishop maintaining the apostolic succession to the present day.
Redeemer is part of the Worldwide Anglican Communion and the Episcopal Diocese of West Missouri, sharing common liturgies and sacraments through the Book of Common Prayer. The central theme of parish life is knowing Christ and making Him known.
Clergy, Staff, and Vestry
The Rev. Miranda Cully serves as Rector. The Rev. Brandon Smee serves as Curate with responsibility for formation, pastoral care, and liturgy. Hannah Hill directs the children's ministry, Glenn Green supports youth ministry, and Roberta Coons coordinates Cursillo. Jacki Hunt directs the music ministry.
The vestry, the parish's elected lay leadership, includes Anthony Garcia as Senior Warden and Amy Huhmann as Junior Warden, along with Laura Gilchrist, Paul Grayson, Jen Snider, Lisa Lee, Heather Lewis, Devin Whitehead, and Stephen Ripley.
Becoming Part of Redeemer
Visitors interested in membership can fill out a New Member Form available from the church. Pastoral care is offered through the clergy and lay pastoral leaders for times of new diagnosis, sudden loss, major changes, emotional or financial hardship, and other adversity; emergency calls are routed through the church office. Prayer requests can be sent to the prayer ministry team. Weekly announcements and news are distributed through an electronic newsletter, and sermons and livestreamed Sunday services are posted online.
The church office is open Tuesday through Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Weekly leaflets, pledge cards, and a complete calendar of events are available from the church.