Dear Liberty Christian Fellowship, I’ve called LCF home for three years now, but it came with some reluctance, a hesitancy that you could love me the way I’ve been loved before. My attachment to my previous church is welded because of the fire they've walked through with me. I would often say that the only way I could ever call another church home is if God made it abundantly clear that I was called somewhere else. God did just that when I married one of your pastors three years ago. And so my place of worship shifted and I found myself gathering with a new group of believers on Sunday morning. And while the focus of our worship is the same, the community looks different and the coffee is a little better. Change.
Some people thrive off of change while others don’t. And while I never mind change, my church home had been the constant part of my life for the years when my life changed as quickly as my daughters swap out costumes during a performance in our living room. However, calling a new church “home” wasn’t a hard change… at first. It wasn’t until that first Easter morning with you when I felt the weight of this change. Easter rings in the anniversary of my sister’s death. As our church gathered to worship our risen Savior, the tears poured down my cheeks and for the first time, I felt desperately homesick. Many people at my old church would know the heaviness of this day and they would understand why the tears poured uncontrollably. They would know why I struggled to get the words out even though my heart was bursting with worship. They would look at me crying and know. And that’s such a comfort - to be known. I began throwing myself a little pity party that first Easter with you. But then… Kerry and Jackie came and gave me a hug. Kerry had been there at the hospital with my family. Early one morning as I slept on hospital chairs, he had woken me up with donuts and a prayer. They knew. Then Jenna came and hugged me. She had coached my sister’s dance team in high school. Jenna and her daughter cried with me. She told me she missed her. They knew. Andrea came to hug me, too - my sister’s other dance coach. She knew, too. And Joelle. She remembered how significant this holiday was to me. With tears in her eyes, she hugged me. She knew. And as I type this memory, the tears still stream down my cheeks because I’m just so thankful. When I thought I was alone and unknown, God made it very clear to me that I’m not and I wasn’t. He used the people of LCF to minister to my very sad and weary heart that Sunday morning and the homesickness slowly lifted with each embrace. There were many moments like this one in the first year. The way Betsy held me and cried with me when she heard I’d lost our first baby. The way Kirsten went out of her way to make sure one of our girls felt safe in her class on Sunday mornings and the way the children’s ministry took care to make sure my girls felt at home. And then our son was born a little early and needed to stay in the NICU. I’ve walked the NICU journey before, mostly alone and incredibly sad. But as our little boy’s tiny body lay tucked away, protected in the heart of the city, we were never alone. From meals and texts, to money for gas and coffee, to checking in and taking our girls to play to give our parents a break… you surrounded us. You held us up when we were exhausted. You carried us through days that could have been really dark and really difficult. They were lightened by the love and support poured out on us by you, our church. And when we finally made it home, there you were with more meals in hand. Some of you would sit in our kitchen and eat with us. Others would snuggle our baby while chatting with us in our nursery. One of you would send us gift card after gift card while getting our girls special gifts to celebrate being big sisters. You’ve shown me again and again that every time I felt I may be alone - I’m not. You are right there. When I walk into the church and PD’s eyes light up as he says hello, or Papa Ray reminds me to stop by and say hello next time I’m on a walk, I know that I’m seen. When Katherine makes a point to come up to my children and say hello and welcome them to church week after week, I know they’re seen, too. When Isabella and Alex message me privately to let me know my toddler did an amazing job in his new class, I know that his little soul matters to the ones tending to it. When I walk into the nursery to see Jane so captivated by my littlest baby that she doesn’t even notice me, I know that he’s adored with you as much as he is at home. This is what Jesus was describing when he called us to be the Church! To love and serve others. To bear one another’s burdens. To care for the wounded and the hurting. I’ve had the special gift of getting to see your care for each other at a deeper level as the wife of one of your pastors. I’ve gotten to see how LCF deeply loves the people that call this place home. For the ones who hesitate, the ones who come reeling from past church hurt, the ones who have only been able to come for a little while, the ones who come inconsistently, the ones who have been at this church from the beginning… the love and the care and the compassion is deep and it is vast. And it is beautiful. So beautiful. I’m thankful for you. What a blessing it is to be cared for so deeply by the people who attend LCF. Beyond all of that, I’m proud of this church and what you are doing for the Kingdom in Liberty, Kansas City, and beyond the borders of our own country. You serve and love the refugees who call Kansas City their safe place. You come together to build beds to make sure no kids have to sleep on floors. You keep an entire house stocked with clothing and items that families with kids in foster care may need. You serve with Hillcrest, helping people with transitional housing. You support Liberty Women’s Clinic, reaching women in their most vulnerable of times. You are passionate about making sure people in our community have plenty of food. You see the local schools as our mission field - you are teachers, coaches, support staff, and administration. There isn’t a school in our town that isn’t touched by our church in some way. But the mission field doesn’t end where our borders end. No, we are truly bringing the Gospel to all ends of the earth and supporting ministries and missionaries that are discipling people from their own countries to go and spread the Gospel. You work to bring the Good News of Jesus everywhere. I could go on and on, and maybe it seems that I have, but you are a gift to me and a gift to many others who don’t even call this church their home. Keep up the good work. Keep pressing on. Keep doing the kingdom work you’re doing. May the Lord bless you and keep you and make his face shine upon you. May more and more be added to the Kingdom through the sacrificial and selfless love of Liberty Christian Fellowship. I love you. Kendra LeeAnne Kuntz
2 Comments
Teresa Law (Aunt of course)
10/31/2024 07:05:13 am
God is amazing.
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Rebecca Adams
10/31/2024 12:35:41 pm
What a beautiful shout of good, solid encouragement for the local Church! As always, wonderfully said, dear friend!
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Hi, Friend.I'm Kendra LeeAnne and I'm so thankful you're here. I hope Jesus meets you somewhere in the midst of my sprawling words and pondering heart. If you're looking for previous Bible studies I've written, click here to find them.
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