Farewell to the Kennamers
This Sunday will be Hunter's last day with us as our youth minister. He and Jennie joined us in January of 2018. For almost five years, they have been an important part of our congregation. We are grateful for their love and dedication, and we will miss them very much.
I don't know if we will really understand how good Hunter is at his job until he is gone. We've grown accustomed to how well he has served us. Hunter has formed strong bonds with our young people and their families, which is evident from the tears that have been shed since he announced his move to Nashville a few weeks ago. He and Jennie have not only formed strong relationships with the teenagers but with all our members. Ashville Road is a family, and the Kennamers have been and will always be a special part of that family.
Hunter has helped us grow through countless classes, sermons, devotionals, retreats, and activities. He is organized and has proven his abilities in planning and administration in events like the Deep Youth Experience, which brought over 200 teenagers to Leeds on a weekend not far out of a pandemic that made it very challenging for churches to host gatherings of that kind. Deep was the first big event we had been able to have since COVID struck. It was a tremendous experience for our young people, and we hope it will continue to be a good influence in this area.
Speaking of COVID, I feel that we were very blessed to have had Hunter’s help during the pandemic. Many of our leaders and members were crucial in bringing us through that difficult time, but Hunter played a special role in helping us adapt to that unprecedented challenge. I'll always remember what he did for us during that time. His leadership and ideas are part of what kept us strong at a time when many churches suffered setbacks they will never recover from.
Because of the size of our congregation and staff, Ashville Road has always expected the youth minister to be a jack of all trades. It may not be be entirely fair, but Hunter eagerly played the role, committing himself to teaching adult Bible classes, filling in for me in the pulpit, doing maintenance on the bus, mowing grass, pulling weeds, organizing the building, helping people move, planning activities, providing transportation, greeting people at the office, answering the telephones, doing visitation, helping with administrative responsibilities, and a whole host of other odd jobs, in addition to his youth ministry responsibilities.
Hunter and Jennie are mission minded. Every activity and event they coordinated was designed for outreach. I'll especially look back on the success of Fwednesdays (a term I'm still uncomfortable pronouncing), a monthly outreach event on Wednesday nights that would often draw as many as 50 young people to our building for food, fun, and Bible classes.
Hunter, we will miss your kindness and encouragement. Personally, I will miss your friendship, having spent almost every day of the last five years with you. Jennie, we will miss your love and artistic expression. James Hunter, we will miss those blue eyes, waves, and friendly smile. Jett, I wish we had had more time together. I’m sure you will turn out to be a godly young man who walks in the footsteps of your father and mother.
We look forward to a continued relationship with the Kennamers, although it will have to be over a long distance. Hunter and Jennie, all we can say is “thank you.” This church will forever be grateful for all the years of love and dedication you gave to us. May God bless you in your move to Nashville!
Drew Kizer