St. Peter's 

Anglican Church

Fr. James Kibe Karanja was born and raised in Kenya. He was ordained priest in the Anglican Church in 1971. He served in Kenya until 1973.

In 1973, he left for England to study at St. John’s College, Nottingham with a scholarship from Churches of Evangelical Fellowship in Anglican Communion.

He completed his bachelor of Theology in June 1976.  During his time in England, he served as an overseas priest in several parishes in the Anglican Communion including St. John’s Welling in Kent, St.  Syriac, Lacock in Chippenham, and St. Clement’s Church, Oxford.

Fr. James received a World Council of Churches graduate certificate in Ecumenical studies from the University of Geneva, Switzerland in 1977. He also studied an Interfaith Program of Biblical Tradition and Community Development at the University of Jerusalem, Israel.

Fr. James served as Vicar and Provost of The Memorial Cathedral of St. James and all Martyrs in Muranga, Kenya, from 1978 -1993.  He then served as an Archdeacon and Vicar of Thika Memorial Church from December 1993- August 1996.

In August 1996, Fr. James moved to the United States of America, where he completed a Master’s Degree in Sacred Theology from Boston University in 1998.  During his time in Massachusetts, Fr. James served the Anglican Communion in several capacities, including work with Grace Episcopal Church, Medford and St. James Episcopal Church, Cambridge in the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts.

Fr. James and his family moved to Tennessee in 2004 and joined St. Peter’s Anglican Church, Memphis in January 2005. He became the Interim Rector in 2006 and was named Rector in 2008.

Fr. James and his wife Mary Kibe have three children: Grace, Mercy, and David.

“But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” (Joshua 24:15)