Press Room

Hero Highlight: Teresa Kenneda, Evanston, Wyoming

02.08.2010
Meet Teresa Kenneda, Evanston, Wyoming
Church Champion
Evanston Alliance Church

Teresa, a dear sister in Christ, became the first woman Church Champion for Fathers in the Field last fall. A passionate, firecracker for the Lord, Teresa came to Christ at the age of 21. She and her husband of 42 years, Lon, have raised two boys and are now enjoying four grandchildren. Having had sons, Teresa is keenly aware of the power of a father in a boy's life. We recently chatted with Teresa to hear about her heart for Fathers in the Field and the fatherless.

Why did you and your husband, Lon, get involved with Fathers in the Field?

John Smithbaker came to visit our church and share his passion for the fatherless with us and we were sold. What an amazing story and ministry! We both love the Lord and His Great Outdoors and we have a passion for boys (we've raise two of our own) so it was great fit for us. Lon became a Mentor Father and I realized that the Church Champion position was a unique opportunity for me as a woman to contribute to the ministry.

How has the ministry impacted your church?

The first Sunday was marvelous. After one of the boys became an official Field Buddy, he came into church wearing his Fathers in the Field hat and t-shirt and couldn't wait to tell everyone he met, "I'm a Field Buddy! I'm a Field Buddy!" He was so incredibly pleased! It really tugged at my heart. He's never had a dad...never had a father who cared. His mom is doing the best she can but she can't be a dad. He was so proud-busting his buttons that he was a Field Buddy. It was such a witness to the rest of the congregation of the deep need for an abandoned boy to have a Mentor Father. Our church now has three Mentor Fathers and three Field Buddies developing relationships that will hopefully last a lifetime and have a lifelong impact.

The world typically tells boys who have been left by their fathers that they don't need their dads anyway. As a woman and a mom, do you think that's true?

Absolutely not. No matter how good of a mom you are, you are not a dad. And it's impossible for a woman to fill that role. At dinner recently with Lon's Field Buddy, Daniel, we were talking about how he treats his mother. Lon said, "Your mother knows you well." Daniel said, "She doesn't know me well at all." As a woman, she can't understand how a young man thinks. They are on different circuits. A woman has a perspective that is different.

As the mother of two boys, I understand the difference there. I am a very outdoorsy person-I've bagged four elk in five years! And, my favorite pastime is fly fishing. But no matter how much I enjoy these activities with my sons, they don't make me a father to them. God has wired men and women differently. We think differently. We have different needs. What is a point of connection from one woman to another is missing from a woman to a young man.

Speaking of connecting with women, you are in a unique position to connect with the single mothers in the ministry, aren't you?

Yes. Honestly, I felt a little uncomfortable being Church Champion of this ministry that is made up primarily of men and boys But then, our first single mom came to talk with us about registering her son as a Field Buddy. She met with all of us-me and the men involved in the ministry. When she came I could see how nervous she was. We have to remember that many of these women have been abused and abandoned themselves. For them to come and expose themselves and dare to ask strangers to love their boys is very risky. It's also very brave. I realized that my presence could soften the setting and make it a little easier on them. I think that God knew that, at least in our circumstances, the women who came for those interviews felt emotionally safer in not having to deal with just men.

Tell us about Daniel and your hopes for him.

In his lifetime, Daniel has spent less than a half day with his father. His dad doesn't want to be with him. Can you imagine what that does to a kid? How can he help but think, "What's wrong with me that my dad doesn't want me?" When a man abandons his boy, he is basically saying the child is worthless to him. Any man that comes after that has to prove himself to the young man. That is where we are with Daniel-relationship-building and earning his trust. It is so sad to see a child hurting so much and being afraid to be vulnerable. But, I am excited for Daniel because I think that God can break through the walls that Daniel has built to survive. It will take persistence and a lot of prayer but we are very hopeful and grateful for the opportunity to love him.

What would you like to say to other women who are considering involvement with Fathers in the Field?

To women whose husbands are Mentor Fathers, I want to tell them that their husband's success as a Mentor Father is dependent on their support. Mentoring a Field Buddy does take time away from the family. It would be easy for the Mentor Father's wife to look at her husband spending time with someone else's child and be jealous or upset. That will only make matters worse. So be encouraging, prayerful, and supportive, knowing that your sacrifice could have an eternal impact on a boy who has not had the benefit of a loving father in his life.

To women who are considering becoming Church Champions, it's a great way to come alongside the ministry in your church and be an encouragement, not only to the Mentor Fathers and field buddies, but also to the single mothers. It is really important to have a woman involved in this process somewhere.

To single moms considering signing their boys up for the program, we're not here to judge you. We're here to love your boys and provide the fatherly love in their lives that they desperately need. No matter how good of a mom you are, you cannot be a dad. It's just not possible. A Mentor Father can show him fatherly love and help him ultimately see that he has a Father in Heaven who will love him and never leave him.

Our thanks to Teresa and her husband, Lon, for the tremendous work they are doing for Fathers in the Field. Thank you for standing up for the fatherless!