As the director of the Ministries of Hope and Healing at St. James African Methodist Episcopal Church in Newark, NJ, Rev. Babydoll Kennedy is prepared in heart, mind and soul and as such she also oversees several pastoral care ministries–GriefShare™, Divorce Care, Tamar and the Encouragement Ministries, under the leadership of Rev. William D. Watley, Ph.D., Senior Pastor. In addition, she is a Ph.D candidate at Union Theological Seminary in New York City.
Rev. Kennedy is an extremely talented, creative and dedicated individual whose gifts are boundless and are powerfully exhibited through her work as a poet, songwriter, graphic designer, expert in most software technology. Her talents don’t stop there; she is resourceful with children, earning her the nickname “the child whisperer”.
Although Rev. Kennedy is talented in several areas, she is an exceptional teacher, preacher and scholar. The courses she taught at the St. James Christian Learning Center were always filled to capacity as were the ones she taught at the Summer Bible Institute. As the Education and Youth Leadership Coordinator at the Urban League of Morris County she honed her skills as she directed major youth centered programs whose primary focus was on education and leadership one that helped students develop basic life skills and critical thinking. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from Tennessee State University with a concentration in Mental Health as well as a Masters of Divinity degree from Drew University where she graduated with honors and was the recipient of the Patricia Wickham Award for Feminist Scholarship and the David Greybeal Award for a Ministry that Makes a Difference. She also received her Masters of Philosophy degree from Union Theological Seminary in New York City where she was the recipient of a full doctoral scholarship and where she is currently working on her Ph.D. in Christian Ethics and Social Theory. Her doctoral dissertation focuses on the works of Toni Morrison and intra-group racism within African-American communities.
Rev. Kennedy has contributed to many publications including: The African American Pulpit, The AME Review, The Sky is Crying: Race Class and Natural Disaster and has been quoted in a number of scholarly publications. She is an Itinerant Elder from the 13th Episcopal District of the AME church.
In her spare time Rev. Kennedy can be found serving God by seeking justice as an advocate for children’s and women’s rights as social justice activist. Her key verse for ministry is:
"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me…God has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to announce to prisoners their release…and to set at liberty those who are broken by life." (Isaiah 61: 1-2)