Rising Stars: Meet Ken Kendall of NorthWest – Legends area

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ken Kendall.

Hi Ken, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Brooke and I have been married for 36 years and have three adult children (30, 28, 21) and three grandchildren. We have been in full-time ministry for 36 years, with most of that time being spent serving churches in Kansas. We moved our family back to Kansas, specifically to Kansas City, in 2010 from the Baltimore-Washington area of Maryland. The reason for the return was a vocational change as we were taking the lead pastoral role of a long-established church in the Kansas City, Kansas area.
7 years ago, I got the opportunity to partner with a local businessman in the automotive industry to start a local food outreach in one of his locations. We started Giving Hope KC in February of 2018. Currently, we feed over 200 people a week and have plans to expand into a neighborhood resource center providing goods in kind, educational opportunities, health screening, access to the arts, and other felt needs. This past year at our second annual gala, we raised close to $325,000 for these efforts and plan on hosting our next gala in October.
This past Christmas, my wife was diagnosed with breast cancer and has gone through a double mastectomy and three other surgeries in a 45-day period. We are continuing to lead the church and help the community through this time

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
As in any journey there are always highs and lows and the occasional bump in the road. Obviously, COVID was a major issue for both the church and the resource center. Even today, we are still serving in a drive-through format at the center until we can get some work done and get a new area ready for client choice. In the church, we experienced the slow climb as people got comfortable doing church at home, and some people in the younger generations are not completely comfortable being fully in society, even to this day.
The struggle we are facing revolves around issues and tragedies in our family. On Christmas Eve 2024, my wife was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer, and so after a double mastectomy in February, we have been walking that path and learning a new life rhythm. Then in March, our 28-year-old nephew died suddenly from misdiagnosed heart stenosis and left our niece at 22 weeks pregnant. She had the baby two weeks later, and Baby Beatrice is still in the NICU at just over 2 lbs.
I am also an only child, and my parents have health issues and live back east, which makes their care another ongoing concern that we manage.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Ive been in full time ministry for 36 years in the capacity of youth pastor and now lead pastor. I have a Masters in Christian Ministry and have spent a little time teaching in a few schools of ministry to train up younger ministers. My heart is in the preaching and teaching arena, giving people the tools they need to have the confidence and passion to live out the life and purpose that God has placed in them.
We also have been directing the Giving Hope Resource Center in KCK for the past 7 years. Where we fully believe tha the wisdom of Solomon holds true when he said in Proverbs
Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but fulfillment is the tree of life.
Meaning that if we withhold the simpilest form of hope, Jesus called it a cup of cold water, that our society and communities will become unhealthy places where violence, selfishness, crime, disrespect, jealousy, envy and rage will be the byproduct so things like food insufficiency, poor education, lack of opportunity, unsatisfactory heaalth care. So our goal is to provide a handout to those in need but also provide a hand up to move them into a life of fulfillment

Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
I think some of the things I’ve learned are…

We can’t do anything alone. Building strong teams is just as important as getting the right outcome

On those teams it requires the blend of competency (the right skills), collaboration (he right attitude), and chemistry (the right heart and motive)

On a more personal level the one thing I wished I had learned a lot earlier as a people pleasing perfectionist was…
The only way to do awkward things is awkwardly. Mistakes happen and experiments are ok as long as you don’t give up when they fail

Contact Info:

• Website: http://givinghopekc.org and https://visithopechapel.com/legends
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GivingHopeKC and https://www.facebook.com/hopechapelLegends