Let me share with you a personal testimony.  My story begins at the age of eight when I returned from a mid-week prayer meeting and knelt down in front of an old black sofa and asked Jesus Christ to take away my sin and come into my heart.  The context of my decision was a loving, Christ-centered family that had followed the call of God to be involved in home missions work for the Church of God in Anchorage, Alaska.  My parents, Rev. and Mrs. Paul Kendall, not only taught my brother Gary and me about the Lord Jesus Christ, they modeled his love, his message, and his passion for people who are far from God.  Thus, a lifestyle of following God was something I became keenly aware of even as a young boy.

            As a family, we moved to the Midwest (Kansas) and like many teens, I entered into a stage of life when I needed to test some of the boundaries and take ownership of my own faith.  It would be an exaggeration to say that I fell into gross sin by the world’s standards, but I clearly was walking in “the broad road that leads to destruction” (Matt. 7:13).  These were the hot and cold years when I wavered between what I knew to be right and what I felt like doing to gratify myself.  I was living with self on the throne and I needed a fresh experience of the Lord Jesus Christ.

            That fresh experience came when I graduated from High School in Kansas and was contemplating what I should do with my life.  I had a scholarship offer from a state university to study pre-law but was feeling no peace about that career choice.  At a summer camp I vividly remember sensing the Lord directing me to attend Gulf-Coast Bible College in Houston, Texas (now Mid-America Christian University in Oklahoma City).  A clear and specific calling had not yet emerged but I knew that I wanted to use my life for the Lord in some way.

            Wise, compassionate counselors and teachers at the college helped me crystallize my calling to full-time Christian ministry.  God specifically confirmed his call on my life one day when I was reading Matthew chapter 10.  In this passage Jesus sends his disciples out on a missionary journey, “As you go, preach this message: 'The kingdom of heaven is near.' …freely you have received, freely give.”   I felt the Holy Spirit quicken the words of Jesus into my spirit and my calling to ministry was firmly established; it has not been something I have doubted since that day.

            In his great wisdom, God knew that a helpmate in ministry would be needed and he brought a beautiful southern belle from Mississippi into my life by the name of Kristel Daniels.  After dating two and a half years we were married in 1983.  She likewise felt the call to ministry.  Together we made our first home in Anderson, Indiana as I embarked on my seminary career at Anderson School of Theology.  She worked at the Mass Communications Board of the Church of God as I hit the books.  Many wonderful relationships for both of us were formed during those seminary years.

            While living in Anderson, my wife and I made it our goal not only to learn about ministry, but also to be vitally involved in ministry.  It was a great blessing that the North Anderson Church of God (now Madison Park Church) under the leadership of David Shultz offered us so many opportunities to explore ministry pathways.  The people of the church were also very welcoming of a new addition to our family, our firstborn son, Ley (pronounced “Lee”).  Our children certainly have kept—and continue to keep—us grounded and in touch with the struggles and joys of families everywhere.

            Having graduated from the School of Theology in 1986, we followed the call of God to an associate pastorate in Shreveport, Louisiana.  It was in “Cajun Country” that our second son, Bryan, was born.  After a couple of years of “getting our feet wet” in full-time ministry we were invited to come back to Anderson to fill a position of Associate Pastor of Youth and Christian Education at the South Meridian Church of God.  It was in the midst of this ministry assignment that our youngest son, Collin, came along.  Some of our fondest memories relate to those long, grueling days of youth ministry where so many impressionable people where at a crossroads in life. One of our greatest joys has been the significant number of young people who have answered the call of God in their own lives to full-time Christian ministry. 

            For several years my wife Kristel and I had believed that the Lord was preparing us for the Senior Pastorate.  In 1994 that dream became a reality when we were called to pastor the First Church of God in Nappanee, Indiana.  While we were there God blessed us immensely through the people of First Church and we felt privileged to have helped the church grow and break new ground in God’s Kingdom.  But, as we began our seventh year of ministry in Nappanee, we sensed a stirring within us that eventually led to another adventure in ministry…

            In September of 2000 we began serving the Shartel Church of God in Oklahoma City.  Our hearts were drawn to this congregation that had recently experienced some difficulties and the exodus of nearly one-third of its membership.  We felt as though we were being called to a ministry of congregational healing in Oklahoma.  Though these kinds of ministries are never easy, we believe that God has used us to accomplish purposes that may only be revealed on the other side of eternity.  One significant accomplishment in the eight years of ministry in Oklahoma City has been the completion of the Family Ministries Center.  We were pleased to see that the church responded so enthusiastically to the “Forward in Faith” Capital Campaign that—in the span of three years—the amount of funds brought in to complete the building more than doubled the initial pledged amount.  This was accomplished without a hindrance to the general ministries budget of the church.  While there have been bumps as well as blessings along the way, we are thankful to God for the opportunity to have served in the “Sooner State.”  Our two older sons (Ley and Bryan) continue their collegiate educational pursuits in Oklahoma.        

            Some time ago, I was reading in my Harper Study Bible from my college days and I came across 1 Peter 2:2-3 “Like newborn babes, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up to salvation; for you have tasted the kindness of the Lord.”  While a college student, I had written in the margin, “God… I know how much a baby cries for milk—help me to want You that much!”  Now, many years later I can truthfully say that I still want God “that much!”  My passion (and theme verse) is “to know Christ and the power of his resurrection” (Phil. 3:10).  Not only that, my hunger is to see people far from God come close and claim Christ as Lord and Savior.  My desire is to help people grow and work together in the Kingdom, utilizing their spiritual gifts.  I want to be a force—and assist others—making a difference in the world to God’s glory.  Presently, my wife Kristel, Collin and I reside in Lee's Summit, Missouri and enjoy serving the Woods Chapel Church of God.  We look forward expectantly to whatever adventures of the Spirit that are awaiting us.