Twenty years. Twenty years of suffering, sacrificing and settling in his spirit what God had ordained him to do. That is the partial saga of the Rev. Dr. James A. Kuykendall, founder and pastor of the Agape Christian Ministries Church located in the city of Paterson, NJ.

Back in the day, Dr. Kuykendall and his lovely wife, Elder Kathy Kuykendall, planted where nothing had yet been sown and the harvest they are both enjoying is a testament not only to their faithfulness, but to God's faithfulness as well.

I remember those lean days when the good reverend and his devoted wife, along with a handful of faithful members were housed hither and yon and displaced many times in the city as they carved out the vision God had placed in the pastor's heart for lost and troubled souls.

Recently, more than 400 folks feted Dr. Kuykendall and his wife, and seemed to say, “I feel ya, pastor, I know God has brought you from a mighty long way." And He has.

Today, the progressive minister has a weekly telecast that covers 114 cities and says his church has one of the most lucrative high school scholarship programs in the state, assisting students towards higher education.

His academic and military background may have prepared him to become the disciplined, innovative man of God. He is to the point where he appears to have leapfrogged into the spiritual "A" list amongst ministers and pastors of national renown. A veteran of the U.S. Army, he continued his education at Montclair State University and ?attended Ramapo State University. He was employed by Merck Pharmaceutical, a Fortune 500 Company for 14 years, was a member of the Gilmore Memorial Tabernacle Church, also in Paterson and expanded his spiritual training at The Hawthorne Gospel Evangelical Church in Hawthorne, NJ. Rev. Kuykendall was awarded an honorary doctorate in 1999 from the Shiloh Theological Seminary in Stafford, Virginia, for his outstanding church and community involvement. The rest, as they say, is history.

His wife, Kathy is a former educator in the Paterson school district and founder of the Women's Fellowship at Agape Church. She has been licensed to preach the gospel since 1997 and conducts a very popular Tuesday afternoon Bible study at the Passaic County Jail in Paterson where her husband is the Chief Chaplain.

The Kuykendall’s have a daughter, Tanisha Vonetta and one grandson, Te' Ras Trae Samuels. Those are the basic "stats" regarding their lives and their academic backgrounds.

I know both these young people and can tell you unequivocally, they have paid dues like you wouldn't believe. They've gone through the fire and flood, complained little and never, repeat, never veered from the course from which they started. They truly deserve the numerous congratulatory messages they've received from well-wishers.

I attended a Friday night service during the Founder's Week celebration. Bishop Roderick Mitchell from the state of Mississippi was the preacher that night. He preached, as they say, the uncompromised word of God. Of course, like Bishop Mitchell, Pastor Kuykendall reiterates that he will never dilute the gospel of Jesus Christ under any circumstances. Years ago, he pronounced, "God has given me Paterson." So, during the last mayoral race, he threw his hat into the ring. He didn't win, but tenacity and perseverance seem to be this young man's modus operandi.

I maintain that both he and Elder Kathy have just scratched the surface regarding their ministry. I believe before long they may very well have one church in two locations. No, no one told me that, I'm just guessing.

No matter. If they remain on Ward Street in Paterson with the same determination to win souls for Christ, the anointing coming from that ministry will roll down that particular thoroughfare and on to who can tell where. After all, in the final analysis, like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., we all just want to do God's will.

Rev. Nance is pastor of The Church by the Side of the Road in Passaic, NJ. She is also a radio talk show host and documentary filmmaker.
t_nance@hotmail.com