Man of Faith

John J. Kennedy was a man of faith. That faith manifested itself in multiple ways and in multiple settings.

Faithful to community. As a true public servant, John took his role as a Councilmember seriously. He ran for office to serve his beloved community and fight for fairness with the understanding that we should cherish the principles of fairness upon which America was founded. His faith was in the belief that God’s son died on the cross for our salvation, and he accepted Christ into his life as a young man. In his Christian walk, he embraced and respected others’ faith and religion; his role was to serve and welcome every faith into working together to make a difference in our community.

He attended the City Council meeting just three days before he passed away to vote on a critical issue. He was operating from a place of healing, health, and faith in God’s unchanging word. He realized and accepted that to be of service sometimes requires significant sacrifice to take care of many people. His community commitment was boundless and reflected his dedication to the concept of “One Pasadena.” John’s service was not just for Pasadena Council District 3; he often received calls from residents in other districts who requested his help with neighborhood issues and John responded. When his neighbor who lived across the street and in another council district called him at 2:00 a.m. one morning to complain about homeless people sleeping on their porch, John awakened and immediately took action to resolve the problem.

Fighting injustice drove John due to his deeply held belief that we could all rise to fairness. He ran for and became the youngest president of an NAACP branch (Pasadena) after seeing injustice in Pasadena. John fought for individuals that society opposed. The Bible says we have a responsibility to take care of those less fortunate:

He raises up the poor from the dust; he lifts the needy from the ash heap to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor. For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s, and on them he has set the world. 1 Samuel 2:8

For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore I command you, “You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.”

Deuteronomy 15:11

What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. James 2:14-17

Faithful to Friends. John’s friends could count on him. John could be asleep and if a friend needed help, John would do what he could to make sure the person was OK. He wanted all his friends to know of a man called Jesus and of God’s goodness. He wanted his friends to experience what he had experienced. He wanted his friends to have a relationship with God. If you spent any amount of time with John, at some point you would know his love for Christ, which he wanted for all.

Faithful to God. If you were fortunate enough to spend some time visiting John’s childhood home at 493 W. Hammond Street, Pasadena, you could not help but witness that Christian faith permeated the home. John’s mother, Leola, was at the center. “Praise the Lord, Johnny” would often greet John as he entered through the front door. Older siblings would often echo Leola’s exhortation in their own way as they conversed about the importance of living right while declaring the goodness of the Lord. John’s mother was reared in the African Methodist Episcopal Church and his father was reared in the Baptist Church. His mother Leola attended Brown Memorial AME Church where the children were members (his mother always thought that John should be a minister) and his dad Thomas Foster Kennedy attended Metropolitan

Baptist Church. The children would attend Sunday school with their father and church service with their mother.

As a young teenager, John embraced this spiritual tutelage and applied it to his life. John’s strong faith foundation was atypical for someone of his age. Many boys, at this stage, focus their attentions on standing out athletically, impressing their friends, trying to be “cool,” getting noticed by young ladies, etc. Not that John shied away from such things. In fact, John was perhaps the best athlete of his peer group. By age 13, he was close to six-feet tall and was a muscular 150 lbs. He was strong, fast, and skilled. He was one of McKinley Junior High’s fastest runners, was the best high jumper, and took (2nd) second place in the oneon-one basketball tournament. At Blair High School, where John played on the basketball team each year, the varsity football coaches all but begged him to apply his athleticism to the football field, but, to their defined him. And his faith was in Jesus, his Lord and Savior. great disappointment, he declined. Socially, John was engaged as well. For example, he expressed disappointment when he was not named winner of the 8th grade dance competition. Moreover, John was intellectually curious, as shown by the fact, at age 15, he used his own money to purchase the two-volume Oxford English Dictionary.

Around age 15, John regularly began attending Metropolitan Baptist Church with his dad in Altadena, where he was under the pastorate of the late Rev. J. Edward Henry. He was not only a regular at Sunday School and Morning Worship, but also participated in special events and outreach activities. For example, you could find John on his knees in prayer during Metropolitan’s Annual Watch Night Service every New Year’s Eve. Significantly, John made a point to invite others in his peer group to attend his church; he hoped and prayed that they would experience the strength, peace, and comfort that John enjoyed.

However, despite John’s multiple talents and myriad of interests, it was his faith that grounded him; it was his faith that propelled him; and it was his faith that

As part of his faith journey, John sought to develop meaningful connections with adults who could serve as role models and mentors. John was blessed by the fact that there were several upstanding men and women at Metropolitan Baptist Church, at other churches, and elsewhere who took interest in John and were vested in John’s growth and development as a young man. John did not wait for someone to approach him, but instead initiated conversation with those in whom he found admirable qualities. John was never afraid to ask questions; he really wanted to know how to become the person that he aspired to be. Those in John’s circle were blessed by his journey of faith. John would encourage and admonish those around him to establish a spiritual connection, strive for higher ideals, and consider their impact on others. Many of John’s peers gravitated toward him because of his forward thinking, his optimism, his mindfulness, his ambition, his character — all of which were rooted in his awareness of God’s love for him and his feeling of God’s presence in his life.

As John took the reins of adulthood, he continued to be an inspiration to others as he practiced his faith. He became friend, mentor, advisor, and life coach to many young people, particularly young men. He always challenged them to be at their best, to do the right thing, and to man up. Some of these young people were the children of his longtime friends who were happy to have John involved in lives of their children.

John’s faith also directed him to look above for his strength and to aim high for his life’s work. John was gifted by God in many ways, and he honored his gifts by putting them to good use. His intelligence, his energy, and spirit of adventure allowed him to become exceptionally educated, to become financially successful, to travel to many places around the world, to meet many dignitaries, to engage many celebrities, and to champion many worthy causes. But, despite his ability to hang out with the rich and famous, and to visit places that many only dream about experiencing, John’s faith never allowed him to lose his common touch. He retained a humility that kept him available and accountable to all he ever encountered. He never ceased to be that concerned brother, that loving uncle, that good friend, that caring advisor, and that faithful companion.