St James United Methodist Church (Warrior)

St James United Methodist Church is a predominantly African-American United Methodist Church located at 920 Main Street in Warrior. The church was founded in 1884 in the home of O. V. Porter, Sr. By 1886 a small frame church was constructed on the present site at the intersection of U. S. Highway 31 and Trafford Road.

When that building began to come apart, Porter re-built it completely. The white-painted wood building with no plumbing or electricity served the congregation until August 10, 1963 when arsonists threw a 5-gallon can of gasoline through a window and burned it to the ground. No arrest was ever made.

The church used a nearby school for its meetings until, under Porter's son, Oliver Jr, they raised enough money to construct a new brick building. The current pastor is Theodore Hines. The church has a steadily-growing membership of about 115 and celebrated its 125th anniversary in 2009 with four days of special events.

References

• Faulk, Kent (July 15, 2009) "St. James United Methodist Church in Warrior celebrates 125th anniversary." Birmingham News