James Jenkins

James ‘Bill’ Jenkins, 90, of Lawrence, Kansas, passed away peacefully on June 16, 2025, of natural causes at his home in Lawrence, Kansas.

Bill was born in a cabin in the Shenandoah Mountains of Rappahannock County, Virginia, on November 21, 1934. He attended a country school in Sperryville, Virginia, and graduated from Warren County High School in Front Royal, Virginia, where he received a four-year scholarship to Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky.

However, the Methodist Church called him to serve at the young age of 21, and he was appointed to the Blue Ridge Charge, a circuit of five churches. Bill had already been serving as a lay pastor since age 17, and this formal appointment began a distinguished ministry career spanning over 50 years. He served Methodist congregations throughout Virginia, the Outer Banks of North Carolina, Northern California, and Iowa. During his ministry, Bill continued his education, studying at Bridgewater College in Harrisonburg, Virginia, and later earning a Master of Divinity degree from Berkeley Theological Seminary in California.

Bill met his beloved wife, Carol Musser, while pastoring a Methodist Church in Vallejo, California. They were married there in 1974. After retiring from the Methodist Church in 2000, Bill continued pastoring a community church in Marshall, Minnesota, for another ten years.

In 1994, with two children still at home, Bill and Carol took a leave of absence from the Methodist Church to pursue mission work in Western Samoa for about three years. Though they returned to the Iowa Conference, their hearts remained called to the mission field. After retiring from full time pastoring at age 75, Bill and Carol set out to fulfill that calling, serving together in India, Nepal, and Kenya. Bill taught in Bible Schools during the week and preached in many churches on Sundays. In 2021, a reaction to a COVID vaccination hospitalized Bill just days before a planned departure for Africa, ending his active mission work. Though unable to travel after that, Bill continued to find joy in attending Velocity Church in Lawrence, Kansas, encouraging all he met to ‘Trust in the Lord with all their heart.’

Bill found great pleasure in playing piano, studying Scripture, and treasuring time with his children and grandchildren.

Bill is lovingly survived by his wife of 50 years, Carol Jenkins; his daughter, Jessica Brom, with husband Michael, and children Cody, Forrest, Matthew, Dominic, and Noah; his son, Jeremy Jenkins, with wife Kumiko, and children Manon, Jude, and Jase; his daughter, Janell Taueva, with husband Favor, and children Lawren, Landis, Lemuel, Liam, and Latimer; and his son, Justin Jenkins, with wife Marissa, and children Reece, Oliver, Grant, and Pippa.

A celebration of Bill's life will be held at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, July 1, 2025, at Velocity Church, 4000 West 6th Street, Lawrence KS 66049. The service will be officiated by his sons, Pastor Justin Jenkins of Velocity Church and Reverend Jeremy Jenkins.

In lieu of flowers, memorials contributions may be directed to Velocity Church for the Bill Jenkins Memorial Fund for Missions, which will support Bible Schools in Kenya, a prayer center in Tokyo, and ongoing mission projects around the world.

Condolences may be sent online to www.kevinbrennanfamily.com.