Today we’d like to introduce you to Gary Kendall.
Gary, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My name is Gary Kendall, I’m the Catalyst at Unite KC (unitekc.org). I’ve served, first as a pastor for 38 years in Kansas City and then the last nine years as a City Leader in the not-for-profit sector. My wife, Belinda and I moved to Kansas City in 1979 to begin serving in the pastoral ministry. We’ve stayed in the city and come to call KC home.
As a pastor, I wanted to see people find a spiritual foundation in Jesus. As they grew in that relationship as a Jesus follower, I wanted to see them become a good neighbor. Over time, I realized that people who serve in their church also are called to serve their community. Jesus calls his disciples to be salt and light in the world and if we are that should affect our city. When individuals and families thrive a city flourishes. I moved from serving one church in the city to serving the city to see the city flourish.
Today I’m on the leadership team of Unite KC. We work citywide to unite individuals, to unite communities and unite the city building bridges over the things that often divide us. Our world is divided in so many ways, race, culture, politics and socio-economics are common barriers. We mobilize people to love their neighbors by seeing the image of God in each person. When we see ourselves as part of one human family then what affects one of us affects all of us.
Unite KC specializes in leading people, business, government and churches to collaborate because, not only are we better together but if we don’t stand together we will ultimately fall. We’ve asset mapped the city learning where the churches, not-for-profits, city agencies and business as mission serve. We connect leaders in the various regions of the city to discover who is serving alongside them, where we are strong and where we are in need.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It is natural to be most comfortable with those who are most like us. It is common to be uncomfortable when we are confronted with different values, different culture and different color of skin. Prejudice has been a part of human life since the fall of mankind. At Unite KC we help others learn to find that even in our differences there are things we have in common. We can start there and build friendships to reach across the divide. It takes a courageous mindset to take the first step and to determine to be curious and humble.
My co-worker, Ray Jarrett, the Director of Unite KC, and I lead a podcast called Courageous Conversations. One illustration we use is a zero grade pool. You can start by walking on top of the water, you don’t have to just dive in the deep end. You can move at your own pace, gradually getting your ankles wet and then your knees before you venture into the deep. Start with one conversation, and listen more than you talk. Make a new friend of a different race and keep reaching out even when you don’t understand why they act and believe as they do. Try different foods, go to different parts of town, listen to music that might not be your first choice and be a continual learner. When you truly believe you are better together and that you have more in common than you first knew you are beginning to get knee deep in the water of friendship.
Inevitably there are set backs where you will be surprised, maybe disappointed and even embarrassed. Push through believing that the image of God is in every person. Sometimes you have to look hard to find it but it is there. Remember that there is a reason people are what they are and if you show enough care and ask enough questions you will learn–sometimes, the uncomfortable truth. By this time you are waist deep and you don’t want to turn back. You realize you are deeper as a friend and richer in your understanding of life. You’ll begin to thank your friends of different color and culture because you are seeing with new eyes.
As a city leader I find that many people who work alongside others of different culture or different color have learned to get along but they may not have learned to empathize and understand. It’s a privilege to use community building tools to breakthrough prejudices and knowledge gaps. Once people bond around things that are commonly important to them it is amazing what they can do. Sports and music are good examples where people on the team or in the band need each other and they learn that they can’t do it all alone. When they start to apply the same tools and learnings in a neighborhood or a workplace they can see transformation. The human family God had in mind from the beginning is multi-colored and multi-cultural and it is beautiful .
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m a pastor, an entrepreneur and a city leader. By God’s grace I’ve started a church , Indian Creek Community Church–now Hope Chapel, that’s grown and served in Kansas City for 41 years. I also launched a church planting network with a friend that’s served for nearly thirty years. Now I serve as one of the leadership team at Unite KC at the same time as I am a Campus Pastor at Speedway, Westside Family Church.
I’ve written two books, Backwards, and The Path to Power.
I have an earned Masters Degree in Pastoral Ministry and a honorary Doctor of Divinity from Mid-America Christian University.
I’m most proud of the family I lead, my wife is Belinda Kendall and I have three children and three grandchildren.
My goal is to give at least 50 years of service to Kansas City both in the ministry and in the not-for-profit world.
We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
I have an adventurous spirit. I’ve climbed mountains, sky dived, bungee jumped, and learned to fly an airplane. I’ve traveled extensively and love to visit other cultures.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.unitekc.org
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gary.kendall.92759
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gary-kendall-87bb3412/
- Youtube: Gary Kendall @lovekc1789
