On Sunday, April 3, 2022 the members of All God’s Children MCC (AGCMCC) gathered for a special congregational meeting after a weekend getting to know AGCMCC’s candidate for senior pastor, Rev. Kenny Callaghan. After a stirring sermon, the members voted unanimously to approve Pastor Kenny’s candidacy.
We are all extremely excited to welcome Pastor Kenny to the All God’s Children family. He comes to AGCMCC with over 35 years of experience in ministry. He has demonstrated to the Pastoral Search Committee and to the Board of Directors his excellent leadership skills, strong pastoral talents, dynamic preaching style, as well as passionate commitment to church fiscal responsibility.
Pastor Kenny is a native of Southern California and attended Chapman College in Orange, Calif., studying music, psychology, and education. He received a Master of Divinity from Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, Calif., with post-graduate studies at Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary in Berkeley, Calif., Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota, Claremont School of Theology in Claremont, Calif., and Fuller Theological Seminary.
Pastor Kenny was ordained in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America in 2000 after serving congregations in many leadership roles for more than 15 years and became part of the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches (UFMCC) in 2016. In his ministry, Pastor Kenny served as the senior pastor of MCC Richmond, in Richmond, Virginia and has served congregations in Gardena, Redondo Beach, Rancho Palos Verdes, San Luis Obispo, Santa Clarita, and Long Beach, Calif. He was also the lead Chaplain and Bereavement Coordinator of Five Star Home Hospice in Pasadena, Calif.
Pastor Kenny is an advocate for meaningful change, he is passionate about social justice, serving those within our society who are over-looked, oppressed, marginalized, those struggling with food insecurity, and people forced to live on the margins of society. He works timelessly for the equal rights, equity, and social change for LGBTQIA+ people and is passionate about diversity and inclusion because all people have a seat at God’s table. In 2010, Pastor Kenny designed Koinonia Prison Ministry with volunteers writing letters to incarcerated men and women. One letter at a time, this ministry reminds inmates of God’s transforming presence and love. Koinonia Prison Ministry is now represented in five California prisons. He has also worked with post-incarcerated men and women living with HIV and has facilitated HIV/AIDS support groups.
Pastor Kenny’s volunteer service includes arranging and composing choral and liturgical music, helping to revitalize congregations, and serving as a mentor in UFMCC’s Thriving in Ministry program. Among Kenny’s talents are music performance and composition and an engaging, personal style as a public speaker.
In 2022 Pastor Kenny legally married the love of his life, Kirk Blandford. Together, they enjoy their two dogs Bentley and Bailey and the queen of their household, Ginger the cat. They love exploring the Twin Cities, especially bakeries, coffee houses, and small restaurants, and consider it a joy and an honor to live and serve in Minnesota.
Pastor Kenny believes there are many paths to God and enjoys helping others discover and develop meaningful and inspirational spiritual practices. He teaches that all people are created in the image of a loving God and embody the essence and holiness of the Divine and that all people are loved, accepted, and celebrated by God … just the way they are.
Pastor Kenny has an open-door policy … all are welcome to stop by and say “hi.”