When Kabir Karriem was a little kid, maybe 7 or 8 years old, he remembers sometimes tagging along with his older brother, Kamal, and his brother’s friend, Steven James, on their trips to school at Mississippi State University.
“I’ll never forget it,” Karriem said. “Steven had a 280Z (sports car) and I used to ride on the hump between them. I remember the music they had playing on the car radio and how fast he drove because it seemed like we made it from Columbus to Mississippi State in a matter of seconds.”
Suffice to say, Karriem was impressed by James all those years ago.
That never changed.
“Looking back, I would never have imagined that the guy driving that 280Z would one day be my pastor,” Karriem said. “He was absolutely one of the best men I have ever known.”
Steven L. James Sr., pastor of United Christian Missionary Baptist Church in Columbus, died Thursday at age 60.
“It’s a shock to everybody,” Karriem said. “I never knew anyone who had one bad thing to say about him.”
Dennis Erby, whose association with United Christian goes back 40 years, now serves as its head deacon. James became pastor there in 2008 with Erby’s full-throated support.
“I had known him for quite some time before he became our pastor, so he wasn’t only my pastor but a friend of mine,” Erby said.
Like Erby, who has served in a variety of positions in Columbus, James was very much involved in the community.
“He was a person that really loved Columbus,” Erby said. “He was born and raised here and was active in the community. He was on the police overview committee (formed after the officer-involved shooting death of Ricky Ball in 2015). He also served on the airport board and was on the board of BancorpSouth.”
James was also a successful businessman, Erby said.
“He was an entrepreneur and a very successful one,” Erby said “He owned On Time Transportation (a taxi service) and other businesses. He was always looking for a good opportunity.”
Above all, though, James was a pastor.
“He was definitely true to his calling,” Erby said. “As much as anyone I have ever known, he had a pastor’s heart.”
During James’ tenure as pastor, services at United Christian were known for joyous, upbeat tone and spirited music, characteristics that reflected his personality.
Jeffrey Smith, the church’s music director, is putting together a special choir to honor James during Saturday’s celebration of life.
“He loved music and was a singer himself, so I consider it a privilege to be able to honor him through the music he loved,” Smith said. “One of his favorite hymns was ‘I Love to Praise His Name,’ but he liked all kinds of music, traditional, contemporary, quartets, all of it.”
Whether it was serving on a board or committee, tending to his church members or simply striking up a casual conversation, James had an engaging personality.
“He was just a laid-back, humble guy,” Smith said. “He had a heart for his church congregation and really a heart for everyone he met.”
Erby said James had a way of uplifting people, whatever the circumstances.
“He was very optimistic person, always encouraging and positive,” Erby said. “He had wisdom beyond the average person’s.”
Karriem said circumstances might change, but never James’ affection for those he came to know over the years.
“I remember after COVID, I wasn’t attending United Christian as much as I had before,” Karriem said. “But he would come by Helen’s (the Karriem family’s restaurant) just to see how I was doing. I remember asking him if he was still my pastor. He said, ‘I’ll always be your pastor.’ I’ll never forget that. He was a special person.”
Slim Smith is a columnist and feature writer for The Dispatch. His email address is [email protected].
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 34 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 34 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
