About Us

Established in 1905, the Ecumenical Campus Ministries (ECM) is a gathering place for those who aspire to spiritual development, personal growth, and social justice.

ECM is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with diverse programs and activities that serve our KU students and Lawrence community. ECM strives to be sensitive, accepting, intellectually honest, and liberating in the matter of how humans cultivate and know a sense of purpose in their lives.

History

ECM was started as a university-student ministry by the First Presbyterian Church (Lawrence) and the Board of Education of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the U.S. in 1905. This was one of the earliest higher-education ministries established by the Presbyterian Church. After several temporary locations, Westminster Hall was established on campus at 13th and Oread in 1930s. In 1960, a new location for Westminster Hall was dedicated at 12th and Oread . It was funded by the Presbyterian Synod of Kansas, due in large part to the efforts of the Rev. John Patton, Campus Minister from 1940-61. This building remains the home of the ECM today.

In the 1960s, Westminster House became known as the United Campus Christian Fellowship. This was in keeping with one of the first ecumenical endeavors—outside of the YMCA/YWCA—among “mainline” denominations after the 1940s. Denominational partners of UCCF were Presbyterian, Christian (Disciples of Christ), and United Church of Christ. With the demise of UCCF and withdrawal of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), the United Methodist and Church of the Brethren denominations joined in what became known as the United Ministries in Higher Education or UMHE.

The name of the ministry was changed again in the 1970s, this time to Ecumenical Christian Ministries. The United Methodists withdrew in 1989, with the Oread Friends (Quaker) joining in 2000.  In May 2011, The Lawrence Unitarian Fellowship joined the ECM covenant. ECM is now made possible through the generosity of many individuals and the Kansas-Oklahoma Conference (United Church of Christ), along with the following congregations: First Presbyterian Church, West Side Presbyterian Church, and Plymouth Congregational United Church of Christ, and Oread Society of Friends (Quaker), Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Lawrence, and Lone Star Church of the Brethren (Lone Star), and St. Paul’s United Church of Christ in Eudora.

Throughout the 1960s and 70s, the ECM served as a safe space for many activist groups to meet and organize, including those advocating Civil Rights, Women’s Rights, and Anti-War. In addition, the space was used by the Gay Liberation Front and the American Indian Movement. The ECM remains a space committed to inclusiveness, social action, and collective liberation.

In the summer of 2008, the Synod of Mid-America, which had owned the building, deeded it to the local board and the board of ECM unanimously agreed in 2009 to conduct a capital campaign to restore, renovate, and repair the ECM Center. Built in 1960, the building was nominated and then listed on the Lawrence, Kansas, and National Registry Historic Places.  The building was recognized for it’s architectural significance and the important role the ECM played in social/political history during in the 1960s-70s. The goal of $832,000 dollars was reached by May 24th, 2011, after 2 years and one month.

In July 2011, the board of directors officially changed the name from Ecumenical Christian Ministries to Ecumenical Campus Ministries. This was officially (legally) completed in June 2012. In 2013, Rev. Thad Holcombe retired, after serving 22 years as Campus Minister.