Raytown shows Jesus who’s boss, demolishes church

Heavy equipment reduced the old First Baptist Church in downtown Raytown to a pile of bricks and metal.

The demolition was a long-time coming. The City of Raytown bought the building in 2001 for $500,000. (The church moved into a larger facility on 350 Highway.) Last year, U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II and Sen. Kit Bond came up with $539,000 in federal funding to pay for its demolition.

So what’s next for the inner-ring suburb that touts itself as a destination for young couples looking for decent schools and cheap houses?

In the short term, workers will plant grass seed where Baptists once worshipped. Longer term, well, let’s just say city officials are open to ideas.