Get to Know: Kimberly Owens, Welcome Desk Coordinator

What happens when the testimony you prayed for turns out to be your own? Kimberly Owens shares a deeply personal story of faith, loss, prayer, and discovering God’s faithfulness through seasons she never expected, including the journey that ultimately brought her to Christ Methodist Church. 

HOME | PLAN YOUR VISIT | BLOG | DIGITAL BULLETIN

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:02

You're listening to the podcast of Christ Methodist Church in Memphis, Tennessee. Join us for an insightful conversation where faith intersects with real life experiences and discover how God is at work in our world. We're here today with Kimberly Owens. She is our welcome desk coordinator and she started in 2026. Kimberly,

Icebreakers and Favorites

SPEAKER_02 0:26

how are you doing today?

SPEAKER_03 0:27

I am doing well. How are you?

SPEAKER_02 0:28

I'm doing great. This is your first podcast, so I'm so excited to break you in and get you going, get you telling your story. So, as is tradition with the show, we like to start with some icebreakers. And these you are friends with another Christchurch staffer, and I went to her, Shirley Sh Shirley Sankey and asked her for some help. So if you don't like these questions, they're from her. Okay. So the first question I have for you. She said that y'all are big fans of a singer named C C C Wynans.

SPEAKER_03 0:57

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 0:57

What is your favorite song by her?

SPEAKER_03 1:02

The goodness of God.

SPEAKER_02 1:03

What's so special about that song to you?

SPEAKER_03 1:06

That song during a time when my husband was sick in the hospital. And I would go and just try to have time to minister to him even when he was not aware that I was there. You know, so I would turn on all of my music and all the things. And that was the one song that stood out to me because I had to just know that God is good, even in the midst of everything that's happening. He is still good. And then when he when he passed away, and I'm sure we'll talk about that a little later, that was one of the songs that I picked for his for his service. But it it ministers to me in just in so many ways. And we just lock in and we know no matter what's going on, he's always good.

SPEAKER_02 1:50

I'm sure that song brings up a lot of emotion when you listen to it today, too. Like I'm sure it's just it carries that weight even today.

SPEAKER_03 1:57

Yes, it's lighter than it was. Initially, it was heavy. My daughters, I couldn't play it in their presence, but it has over time it has gotten better.

SPEAKER_02 2:05

That's so special. Yeah. Oh, that's so special. Okay, so second question, a little bit lighter.

SPEAKER_03 2:09

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 2:10

I heard you got a new puppy. Tell me about this puppy.

SPEAKER_03 2:14

We have oh, let me backtrack. Last year we lost both of our dogs. We had a rat terrier and we had a cane corso. What were their name? Cane Corso. Roxy and Louie.

SPEAKER_02 2:26

Precious.

SPEAKER_03 2:27

So they both passed away within months of each other. Oh, that's heartbreaking. So we were saying, we're not gonna get any more dogs. We're not gonna do it, you know. And then I was on the rabbit hole one night looking at the puppies, and then I saw these little shits and shippos and all of that. And a neighbor had a friend that was breeding them. Long story short, we got her. She's Kiko, she's four months old, she is busy. She is busy but smart.

SPEAKER_06 2:54

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 2:54

She's smart, means she's grassed the let's go outside and do what we've got to do and come back in. But she just got her first haircut because she's gotten all of her shots now. So now she can go outside and step in the grass and all the things.

SPEAKER_02 3:06

So she's keeping us busy. You're gonna get her a friend?

SPEAKER_03 3:10

No. Actually, she has a little hernia.

SPEAKER_02 3:13

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 3:13

So they told me that when I get her fixed when she's six months old, they can repair it then. Gotcha. You know, and they said if I leave it and then she mates, it could pose a problem. So let's just get her fixed and one and done.

SPEAKER_02 3:26

Gotcha. Okay. All right. So last question, and then we'll jump in. It's a two-parter. What's your favorite m Mexican restaurant in Memphis? Oh, gosh. I heard you love Mexican restaurants.

SPEAKER_01 3:36

I love, I'm the person that you never This is a terrible question because you were just telling me about this new diet you had started. Oh, this is an awful question. I'm so sorry. I'm gonna make your mouth water.

SPEAKER_03 3:46

You know, I'm the person that you can't say, Kim, where do you want to go to lunch? Because I'm always going to pick Mexican. Yes. I say that I am a guacamole snob. You know, I like it chunky, not smooth.

SPEAKER_02 3:57

Who has the best guacamole then?

SPEAKER_03 3:58

Las Delicias, Park Avenue, and Casa Mexicana.

SPEAKER_02 4:04

Okay. In my opinion. Those are your your go-tos.

SPEAKER_03 4:06

Those are my go-tos.

SPEAKER_02 4:07

Okay, so what is your what's your go-to order aside from guacamole?

SPEAKER_03 4:11

It is the combination fajitas.

SPEAKER_02 4:14

Chicken beef, what are we looking at?

SPEAKER_03 4:16

And shrimp. Chicken beef and shrimp.

SPEAKER_02 4:18

That's so good. Oh okay, we're gonna stop. We're gonna jump off so

Memphis Roots and Family

SPEAKER_02 4:21

we're not tempting, we're gonna not tempt you anymore. Okay, so let's go all the way back to early Kimberly. Where are you from? Where were you born at?

SPEAKER_03 4:29

I am born and raised Memphis, Tennessee.

SPEAKER_02 4:32

There we go. Let's go.

SPEAKER_03 4:33

I am from Memphis, educated in the public school system. Okay, educated at University of Memphis and Lamoine College.

SPEAKER_02 4:40

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 4:40

And I've been here all my life. That's awesome. I have been here all my life.

SPEAKER_02 4:44

Okay. So tell me about your parents. What did they do? What were they like?

SPEAKER_03 4:47

My parents. My parents, Randolph and Betty McDaniel. Okay. Those are my parents. My father worked in the medical industry. He worked at, there was a place that I'm sure you don't know about because you were probably just a still a little twinkle in heaven. It was a place called Lamar Unit down on Crump Avenue. Now there are some apartments that sit there. But he worked at a rehabilitation facility there. My mother worked for a paper company we no longer have that was called Memphis Press Cemetery. We had used to have two newspapers, a commercial appeal in Memphis Press Cemetery. And my mom did key punch back when there was key punch with those little cars that you slide in the machines. That's what she used to do. And then she worked for International Paper until she retired. Good for her.

SPEAKER_02 5:30

So siblings?

SPEAKER_03 5:32

Yes. My father was married before he married my mother. Okay. So I have two older brothers.

SPEAKER_04 5:40

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 5:40

And then I have two sisters with my mom.

SPEAKER_04 5:42

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 5:43

And then my father remarried.

SPEAKER_02 5:44

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 5:45

And I have a younger brother and a younger sister.

SPEAKER_02 5:47

Who's your favorite sibling? Let's put it on the spot. You got one. I know you do.

SPEAKER_03 5:54

I'm the middle child.

SPEAKER_02 5:56

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 5:56

So I keep the balance. And I'll say it like that.

SPEAKER_02 6:00

That's funny. So I mean, growing up, a lot of kids in the house, a lot of going-ons, it sounds like. Was it a pretty rambunctious house?

SPEAKER_03 6:09

I wouldn't say rambunctious, but kind of busy. Yes. Kind of busy. My older brothers would come over and visit, and then it was me and my sisters at the house. And my dad remarried when I was in the maybe ninth or ninth grade.

SPEAKER_02 6:24

Gotcha.

SPEAKER_03 6:25

So there was a a little

Busy Childhood Memories

SPEAKER_03 6:26

bit of a gap there.

SPEAKER_02 6:26

Yeah, that makes sense.

SPEAKER_03 6:27

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 6:28

Okay. So what was young Kimberly into? What were when you were say five, six elementary school, what were the kind of things that you were into? What did you think you wanted to grow up and be when you were a child?

SPEAKER_03 6:37

I was busy.

SPEAKER_02 6:38

Oh yeah?

SPEAKER_03 6:39

I was busy. I remember when I was in kindergarten and first grade.

SPEAKER_06 6:43

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_03 6:44

And we used to have nap time then.

SPEAKER_06 6:46

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 6:46

I did not take naps because I was all over the place. I was all over the place. And my mom told me that one of the teachers wanted me to go and get tested because she felt like I had ADD.

SPEAKER_06 6:58

Oh no.

SPEAKER_03 6:58

My kindergarten teacher was like, No, she just needs to stay busy and I'll find things for her to do. So while the other kids were taking naps, I was dusting erasers, washing the boards, cleaning the room, all the things. So then when I got home, it was like, hey, time to go to bed. So that was me. And I still have that.

SPEAKER_02 7:18

Yeah, you gotta stay.

SPEAKER_03 7:20

I I'm still like that. My mom like to sit.

SPEAKER_02 7:22

No.

SPEAKER_03 7:23

My mom will say, Kim, do you ever sit down? And I'm like, no, there's always something to do.

SPEAKER_02 7:28

So how do you vacation? Do you I guess you're not a go sit on the beach kind of gal.

SPEAKER_03 7:32

Like you're hard to unline. Like this weekend, we're going to go, we're going to Texas to see my mom and my sister.

SPEAKER_06 7:38

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 7:39

I have two little great nieces there and a great nephew. So I'm looking forward to being with them. But it is just hard for me to just chill out.

SPEAKER_02 7:48

So I get were you, I mean, just always like that? Just always like needed to?

SPEAKER_03 7:52

I've always needed to spend that energy.

SPEAKER_02 7:55

How have you so as you grew up, how did you expend that energy? Because I mean it sounds like you were it was recognized fairly early that you need to be busy. So like growing up, how did you kind of try to flesh that out per se?

SPEAKER_03 8:08

Well, I grew up in a time where we didn't have cell phones and all the things. So we get up in the morning and we're out. Yeah. You know, I'm out, I'm playing with my friends, we're doing all the things, and it's just like get back home before it gets too late. So I was always around and playing, and you know, I'm at the house and I'm always doing something, organizing something, putting something where it needs to be.

SPEAKER_02 8:32

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 8:32

You know, so I just kind of burn the

Bounty Hunter Dreams

SPEAKER_03 8:35

energy off like that.

SPEAKER_02 8:36

So I mean, I guess being like a teacher's assistant per se, like as a kid, like did you want to grow up and be a teacher when you were a little girl, or was that kind of just part of the fun of growing up?

SPEAKER_03 8:46

You know, I can't really remember what I wanted to do when I was a little girl, but as I got older, I always envisioned myself as a bounty hunter.

unknown 8:56

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 8:56

And this was before uh what was his name? Dog the I always imagined myself going up to somebody's door, just kicking the door in.

SPEAKER_01 9:06

Where did you hear about bounty hunters?

SPEAKER_03 9:08

I have no idea. I have no idea, but that's I studied criminal justice. That was my first thing. I'm like, I'm gonna be a bounty hunter. I'm gonna, and as I got older, I'm like, Cam, that's a little dangerous. You know.

SPEAKER_02 9:21

Oh my gosh, that's incredible. So I mean, like, when did you like scale back wanting to be a bounty hunter? Was that in like high school or like college?

SPEAKER_03 9:30

No, it was in college. It was in college because I was I was taking classes, and then I started thinking, well, maybe I want to get into people's brains. Yeah, maybe I can do psychology. So I started taking these classes for that. And you know, bounty hunter just kind of went out the window.

SPEAKER_02 9:45

Okay. So you went all through high school with this like career path of being a bounty hunter.

SPEAKER_03 9:50

Being a bounty hunter.

SPEAKER_02 9:52

That's incredible. Oh, that's so funny.

SPEAKER_03 9:55

And I'm so glad that I didn't.

SPEAKER_01 9:58

Yeah. You could have had your own TV show. It could have been Kim the bounty hunter instead. You wouldn't be sitting here talking to me.

SPEAKER_03 10:03

Right, right.

SPEAKER_02 10:05

Okay. So I mean, was there sports or anything else? Or what would you do in the U.S.

SPEAKER_03 10:09

When I was in elementary school?

SPEAKER_02 10:10

Or just elementary through high school? What were you kind of involved with?

SPEAKER_03 10:13

Elementary, I did gymnastics.

SPEAKER_02 10:15

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 10:16

And I still, that is my favorite sport when it comes to the Olympics and everything. That's what I love to watch. I mean, I'm standing up, I'm screaming, I'm cheering.

SPEAKER_02 10:23

So you know what they're doing. Like you're like attuned to it. Okay, that's cool.

SPEAKER_03 10:28

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 10:28

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 10:28

And that was in elementary and middle school. Once I got to high school, I didn't play any sports or anything like that. It was just let's go to school, socialize, all the things. You know, I went to LaMorne College for one year. Okay. And I was a cheerleader then. And then that was it.

SPEAKER_02 10:47

Cheerleader life wasn't wasn't

School, Sports, and College

SPEAKER_02 10:49

for you? Uh-huh. I gotcha. So you went to Lamore for one year, what was after that?

SPEAKER_03 10:53

Took off for a year or two, and then I went to University of Memphis, which back then it was Memphis State University. Went over there for a little while, and then and then life just started life just started happening.

SPEAKER_02 11:05

Yeah. Okay, so you you started studying criminal justice and then you switched to what you I mean, did you want to be a psychologist or what was kind of the the plan for that?

SPEAKER_03 11:17

I was thinking about how can I get into people's minds and understand why they think the way they think.

SPEAKER_02 11:22

So you were taking a more you weren't gonna go attack the criminals. You were gonna sit them down and have a conversation.

SPEAKER_03 11:29

I guess so. To find out how you're doing this, right, right.

SPEAKER_02 11:34

So okay. So so I guess did you pursue that any further or what what happened after college there?

SPEAKER_03 11:41

Just kind of started doing Kim. Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_02 11:45

Doing a little Kim. Okay. So what was your first job out of college then?

SPEAKER_03 11:48

My first actually my job that I was working at, I worked for TJ Maxx and I was working there while I was in high school.

SPEAKER_04 11:53

Oh wow.

SPEAKER_03 11:54

So once I stopped going to school, I I worked there full time.

SPEAKER_04 11:58

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 11:58

I worked there full time for quite a few years.

SPEAKER_04 12:00

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 12:00

I worked there. My very first job was Taco Bell. That was my very first job. It was short-lived.

SPEAKER_02 12:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 12:06

I got a little taste of fast food and it's not what I want to do forever.

SPEAKER_02 12:10

And so that's why uh the is that where your Mexican love of Mexican food roots sound too?

SPEAKER_03 12:14

Well, with Taco Bell, I was like limited. I was like, I'll eat the tacos and the Mexican pizzas, but nothing with all the stuff on it. But as I've gotten older, you know, I used I didn't like avocados, but now I love guacamole and salsa and all the things. Because I was a kid, I didn't like for my food to touch. I would have the everything separated. I hated for my bread to get wet.

SPEAKER_02 12:35

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 12:35

And I'm not like that anymore.

SPEAKER_02 12:37

You just eat it all. I just eat it all. Good for you. Good for you.

Church Upbringing and Worship

SPEAKER_02 12:41

Okay, so before we get more into adulthood, let's go back then talk about like, did you grow up in the church or were you were you acclimated into church life any growing up?

SPEAKER_03 12:50

Yes. I grew up going to Faith Temple Pentecostal church. So I know sometimes people hear Pentecostal and they're like, oh, what are you doing over there? But I mean it it was the clapping of the hands and the tambourines and the drums and you know, the speaking in tongues, the physical visible, physical worshiping of the Lord, all of that. You know, but this church at the time, it was a small church. The pastor and his wife, they had like, I want to say Pastor Jackson had like 10 kids, maybe. Oh wow. And one of their sons or their kids led Sunday school. Wow. So we got a lot of a lot of grounding there because they were being taught by their father and in turn they would they would teach us. So it was a church that me and my mom and my dad didn't go to church.

SPEAKER_02 13:42

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 13:42

But it's a church that my grandmother went to and my aunts and uncles. It was just like a family, yeah family thing.

SPEAKER_02 13:48

So I mean, growing up, you didn't really know church any other way. So it wasn't unusual to you, I guess is the word. Right. But so as you've grown up in faith, how has that kind of shaped how you view worship now? Has that changed anything or is it?

SPEAKER_03 14:05

I look, everybody has a way that they worship. My husband went to a Methodist church and it was very calm. You know, I was used to people, you know, amen, clapping their hands, all the things. But his church was very quiet. They didn't there was no call and response with the pastor. It was like you sit there, you get the word, and then you and then you go home. Yeah, you know, and then after I left Faith Temple, as I grew in in my faith, you know, I've attended different churches. Like I was a member of World Overcomers. Uh that was a Baptist church, and then they changed over to I can't remember what they what what how they affiliate.

SPEAKER_06 14:49

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 14:49

But and then when my girls were little, I was still attending World Overcomers, and they had like a nursery for children, but it was always full. So I was on the back row, you know, feeding the kids snacks to keep them quiet. But I was not being fed in that space. And I can't remember exactly who told me about the life church, but I went and my girls were probably five and three, maybe, and that's where we've been, and they're 18 and 20 now. Wow. You know, and it was it was a different environment. It was a multicultural, diverse community, and it there was still praise and worship, not to the level that I had had been accustomed to, but it was there and the ministry just spoke to my spirit.

SPEAKER_02 15:42

What what kind of I think I may be retreading the question that I just asked, but like what do you what do you appreciate, what did that give you an appreciation of worship now kind of growing up in that where it's so free to worship? And you know, you talk about the reservedness of that your husband's Methodist church. What kind of like respect or whatever has it given you that you kind of have taken forward with you?

SPEAKER_03 16:07

Well, one thing I'd I'd just say people, however they worship, and if that's what fits them, then that's what works for them. But to be able to outwardly, outwardly express how you're feeling, what you feel stirring in your spirit, because when people come into the church, you don't know what they're bringing with them and what it took for them to just get out of bed and get there. So when they walk into a space where they are free to worship, they're not judged, they're not side-eyed, and all those things, there's a release there. Wow. Because sometimes people just need to be in the presence of the Lord and to release the feelings that they've been holding on to. Not that they can't do it at home, but when you're surrounded by a group of believers and they're praying with you and for you, it it gives you that that comfort to just

Grandmother's Prayer Legacy

SPEAKER_03 16:54

to just release.

SPEAKER_02 16:55

Man, that's powerful. So I guess you've grown up in the church. Uh is that kind of your testimony? Is you've always grown up in the church, or how did you come to know the Lord? Okay.

SPEAKER_03 17:04

No, because I've had my in-and-out phase. You you walked away for a little bit. Okay.

SPEAKER_02 17:09

Can you tell me a little bit about that?

SPEAKER_03 17:10

Uh being being younger and out on my own and not looking at, you know, church as a priority, just basically saying, hey, I'm I'm being I'm being Kim. I'm enjoying my life and all the things. But I had a, you know, there's a thing in our community where we say we had a praying grandmother. And I truly, my grandmother, Maggie Payne, she was the glue that was holding us together. I remember I would spend the night with her on Saturday nights, and I would say, Granny, are you gonna shout tomorrow? And she'd be in the kitchen preparing for Sunday, and she said, I don't know. You know, and then we get to church and she would just cut loose. And I'm like, wait a minute. I asked you last night if you were going to do this thing. Because for a while it was like shocking, you know, just like, why is this happening? But as I grew, you know, I was able to understand why people, you know, do whatever they do.

SPEAKER_06 18:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 18:07

But when it comes to her, she was my grandmother was always the one that would say, I'm praying for you. You know, or she would just always be depositing God's word with us. She could have regular conversation, but it always went back to God. She was always able to connect the dots back. And I remember one Sunday I had been going to church, and this particular Sunday I had taken my niece to church with me. And when we left, I went by my grandmother's house. And she was like, Kim, where have you been today? And I told her. And we just sat and we talked. And before I left, she told me, she said, Kim, God's got a call in on your life. She said, He's gonna do some wonderful things with you if you'll just let him use you. You know, and that my niece is 31 now, and she was still like some months old. You know, that I can remember my grandmother having that conversation with me. And I think no matter what stage in my life I was in, I always heard her words in the back of my head telling me that.

SPEAKER_02 19:08

Was that kind of the the moment where God pulled you back in or you came back to God? What was that kind of that moment, that light bulb moment, I guess? Almost?

SPEAKER_03 19:15

No, I was still, you know, figuring it out. Just figuring it out.

SPEAKER_02 19:19

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 19:20

But I knew. I just I just knew because she had always instilled that in us that she was praying for us and God was not going to let anything happen to us, and that once we're in his hand, no man can pluck us from that. You know, so she was always that voice that was planned, playing in my head, and she instilled it in her children, and her children instilled it in us, but she was always the one. You know, she was like, if something was going on, we could be on the phone talking to each other about it, and we may say, Did you call Granny and ask her to pray? You know, it's like, it's okay for everybody else to pray, but we really need her to be praying, praying with us. So I think it was just a thing of it just never went away. Even when I was, if you want to call it straying or whatever, that that voice and that word was always playing in my head.

SPEAKER_02 20:11

It's so interesting. When I was talking to Shirley ahead of this interview, she noted that you were a prayer warrior and she emphasized that. And she said, if I ever need prayer, you're the person she's calling.

SPEAKER_06 20:23

Oh.

SPEAKER_02 20:23

So apparently it's in your lineage and you you have that gift now. I mean, you seem shocked by this, but like I am. It's not what I'm hearing. It's not the word on the streets.

Prayer Boards and Intentions

SPEAKER_02 20:34

So, you know, I mean, what can you say to that? Like, do you I mean, talk about prayer, how important it is to you then?

SPEAKER_03 20:41

One thing I believe is that when you tell somebody you're going to pray with them, do it.

SPEAKER_02 20:46

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 20:46

You know, because a lot of times we'll say, How are you doing? And somebody may tell you, I'm gonna pray for you. And as soon as you walk away, they forget. You don't you forget. You forget about that. So I think that if we tell somebody that we're going to be praying with them, we need to do it.

SPEAKER_02 21:01

Matters.

SPEAKER_03 21:02

And and one thing that has helped me, because, you know, memory does what memory does, in my bedroom, I have you know how people make like at the beginning of the year, they'll do like a vision board. Well, I don't have a vision board anymore. I have a prayer board that I put on the wall. So when people tell me to pray for them, you know, I make a note of it and then I put it on my wall so I don't forget it, you know, and it's got the person's name and what that specific prayer is. And then I've got little envelopes at the bottom that when they come back, and you know, if they've got a praise or whatever, I put it in that envelope. Those are those answer prayers. You know, and you see how that envelope of the answer prayers, it's just more of them and more of them. And then that reminds us God hears us and he sees us, and he's answering the prayers. And sometimes it may not be the way that we want it, but he's answering those prayers.

SPEAKER_02 21:56

How often do you go back and look at those answered prayers? Just I mean, that's a great. Source of encouragement.

SPEAKER_03 22:01

I look at them maybe every few weeks or so. Okay. Every few weeks or so. Yeah. That's incredible. Mm-hmm. Just to look at them and see. But I just, and this has just come over the past maybe year or so to just be intentional with those prayers. Because I've had some friends that have really gone through, you know, some really tough times with their health and just a lot of things. You know, and I don't want to be that person that's saying, I prayed for you as you were saying it. And I did I really pray or did I just kind of say, Lord help them? And I kept it moving. And not that he done honor those words, but I just want to try to be intentional in those places. Because I've learned even with raising children, it keeps you on your knees because you don't know what's going to present itself, whether it be struggles in school or struggles with friends or just a grown-up piece because young people have so much to deal with now. And I think it's just important to to pray as much as we can and believe that God is going to answer the prayer.

SPEAKER_02 23:06

Well, and it also speaks to just like how you view friendship. I mean, that's that's a level of friendship that i it's not flippant. I mean, that's a very loyal friend to say like, not just say it, but do it.

Friendship and Community

SPEAKER_02 23:20

I mean, that's I mean, has has that kind of friendship always been significant to you?

SPEAKER_03 23:26

I think as you get older, you look at your friendships, and I don't want to sound negative, but all relationships that we call friendships aren't necessarily friendships. And it can be people that you've known for a long time. But sometimes everything has a season. You know, it's not that you don't care for them anymore, it's just that the relationship looks different, and you people may call them acquaintances or people that they know, but the level of the friendship is not as deep, I think. Because I have friends that I've met at church, and there was a time I probably would not have connected with these women, you know. But I had one friend that was working me down. She was like, Don't you want to come serving kids' life? Don't you want to come serving kids' life? Because I was dropping my girls off, but I was just going back to church and she like she wore me down, you know, and I'm thankful for that because her being persistent with me, it created our friendship and then it blossomed into friendships with so many different women that I probably would not have connected with had Kathleen not been working on me.

SPEAKER_05 24:42

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 24:43

You know, so then it was the door that, you know, it the door was open, she was a vessel to open the door, and it blossomed into so many more areas, and then I have some people that have been friends for years, and it just kind of looks different.

SPEAKER_02 24:59

The thing that I'm picking up on your story, and I may be way off here, is like you have so many significant people that have poured into you and pursued you. I mean, because your grandmother, you know, this lady you were just talking about. I mean, there it just seems like that it's it's a recurring theme that I'm noticing in your story. And I I think there's something that I mean, even that's reflective of how you treat other people, it sounds like too. I mean, it just seems like such a like you pursue people. I mean, is that something you learned or something you developed? Was it something your grandmother taught you? Where does that come from?

SPEAKER_03 25:34

You know, my sister says that I am an empath, and she says that I take on the things of so many people. And that may be a true statement, you know, but I do I value my friendships. I value my friendships, I value my family, and all of that came with age, you know, and I and I always say I don't apologize for my past because everybody's got a past, you know, so I don't apologize for it. I'm just thankful that I'm not where I was and I'm nowhere where I need to be. But I'm, you know, I'm trying, and I just want to be sincere with with people. Because there was a time where I didn't necessarily worry about what people thought, what they or whatever. And now I still don't care about what people think because this journey is not for them. This journey is for me and and that and that God is pleased with me.

SPEAKER_02 26:29

Yeah. So you get your life together somewhat or get back, you you stop straying

Love, Marriage, and Ernest

SPEAKER_02 26:36

so much. What does life look like? What what what's going on in life when that kind of things start kind of pulling back together a little bit?

SPEAKER_03 26:44

Well, I met my husband during during that space where I was still working on getting my life together. You know, we eventually got married, we had kids, and it's just like settling into that routine, and and there's no perfect marriage, everything has a lot to go with it, but I think at some point you remember that your vows weren't just to your husband or to your wife. They were they're they're a promise that you make to God. You know, and and we had our struggles and spaces, but I'm What was your husband's name? Ernest. Okay. Ernest. Ernest was his name. And you know, it was it was a work in progress, but would I do it again? Probably so. Probably so, because I there's a lot that I know now that I didn't know then, you know, to respect the roles of husband and wife, you know, and you know, let the man be the man and and all of those things. But all of it was a part of growing and growth and just just knowing.

SPEAKER_02 27:45

Tell me a little bit about Ernest. What was something that you really loved about him?

SPEAKER_03 27:50

Ernest worked in construction. His father had a construction business, so he drove a what do you call the thing? A backhoe, I think that's what it's called. He drove one of those, hard worker, loved his family. I could people talk about foods that you do and don't like. I cannot name not one single food that he did not like. I had tried and tested my brain. I mean, like beets and caviar and all the things are just so gross to me.

SPEAKER_04 28:25

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 28:26

He there was never a time where I cook a meal and he said, I don't like that. Wow. You know, he it was just what we have him for dinner, and whatever was on the menu was fine. He had a healthy appetite. He had a healthy appetite. You know, and I think about things that I miss about him, I think I miss his hands. I miss his hands because when we would go places, he had like worker hands. He had big hands and they were callous from working. But when he held my hand, I felt safe. When we would go places and if we need to cross the street, when he grabbed my hand, you were secure. I'm secure he's got me. You know, and it's just those those things. I remember looking at his hands and then his eyelashes, you know, and I know those are things of this of this flesh, but those are the things that I miss. I miss hearing his voice. You know, he Ernest was not a big church gore, but he had a good heart. And he knew he knew God loved him, and he knew that he was on a journey and that God was waiting for him on the other side.

Hospital Days and Farewell

SPEAKER_02 29:40

So d y we spoke briefly earlier about your husband and his illness. Do you mind telling us a little bit about what happened and if you want to go there?

SPEAKER_03 29:48

Okay. Ernest had he got diagnosed with congestive heart failure in either 24, 2014 or 15. I can't really remember exactly when it was. He had been having some problems with breathing and being out of breath and all the things. So we went down the rabbit hole, doctor's appointments and all those things, and they had diagnosed him with congestive heart failure. So he, you know, he was doing what he could to try to manage that and all the things. And over time the heart would be out of rhythm and all those things.

SPEAKER_02 30:19

Did it force him to retire?

SPEAKER_03 30:21

It forced him to retire. Um he had to have uh ICD put in place, which is an automatic defibrillator that they had to put in place for the Was that hard for him to stop working?

SPEAKER_02 30:31

Would did that really take a number do a toll on him? Or was he okay with that?

SPEAKER_03 30:34

No, he was like, okay. Oh, it's it's a rap, it's a wrap, you know. Let me just let me just try to relax, you know.

SPEAKER_06 30:40

Sure.

SPEAKER_03 30:40

But then, you know, as as time progressed, conditions just it just got worse. And then when there's heart issues and anything else comes up, it just makes the heart harder to do what it needs to do. So he did all he could do, and then um in 2023, finally convinced him to go into the hospital because he was still not feeling well. And it w all the visible signs were showing up that he was not he was not doing well. So he went into the hospital on January 6th of 23, and he passed away February 3rd of 23. So almost a almost a month long in the hospital, you know. But it but it gave us time to do some reconnecting, you know, to remember what matters, you know, and to remind each other how much we loved each other. And there were times when he may not have known that I was there or be able to verbalize that I was there, but I know that he he knew. You know, and one thing, when Ernie was in the hospital, I had a wonderful group of people that were helping me. His cousin, Denise, she was helping, his sister, his brother, his mom. It was like a well oil machine. So when I could not be there, we had a rotation. So when doctors would come in, we had a group chat and everybody was communicating all the information. Um, he has a cousin that's a doctor in Texas, and she has a friend that's a doctor in Texas, and everybody was on board. So when there was communication that I was not understanding with all the medical terms, I had Tracy to lean into to say, okay, Kim, this means this, this means that. I had my sister. My sister is a nurse practitioner, so I had this full staff of people that were just leaning in and trying to make it all work. And then when things got down to where the doctor said, Well, there's really nothing else we can do. And then I checked the boxes with the other people, say, Hey, do you all agree? Do I need to do anything else? You know? And then, you know, Ernie went through a period where he was not fluid in his thoughts. But one particular day, I walked into the room and he was sitting on the edge of the bed. And I'm just like, What? So he's sitting there, and then they're telling us that they're gonna have to do this continual dialysis thing with him where he'd have to kind of be sedated for the whole procedure. So the hospital, I don't know whether he was the administrator or the CEO or something that he was. Anyway, he came in and he sat down and he talked to us. And he was like, Mr. Owens, we're going to try this. But I need to know if you have any issues with your heart, what do you want me to do? You know, because that was always my fear that I would have to decide for him. You know, and Ernie looked at the doctor and he looked at me and he said, Kim, I love you. He said, But if there is no quality of life, I don't want to do it. And the doctor was like, So are you saying that you want to do a do not resuscitate? And he said, Yes. And that was nothing but God because I didn't have to bear the weight of that. I didn't have to tell the family that I decided. It was written out with his signature on it saying, he said, this is what he wants. You know, and he Ernie kind of he he helped me along that path because even even just on our regular conversation when we would talk, you know, husband and wives, they talk about what do you want if your what are your final wishes, you know? His one final wish was, don't dig a hole for me. He said, I have spent all my life digging holes. I do not want one to dig a hole for me.

SPEAKER_04 34:26

Wow.

SPEAKER_03 34:27

Cremate me.

unknown 34:28

Wow.

SPEAKER_03 34:29

I didn't have to decide that that part of the puzzle. You know, he's he said, Don't do this,

Carrying the Testimony

SPEAKER_03 34:35

do this.

SPEAKER_02 34:36

Wow. I mean, and that's that was my next question. Is like, since losing him, how has God revealed himself in ways that you would have never seen otherwise? Like, I mean, it seems like there's a I I don't even know. Can you I mean, does that help? Does that answer a you know?

SPEAKER_03 34:52

I remember when Ernie would be sick and I would say, You're gonna be okay. You are going to have a testimony. Ernie, you are going to come out on the other side of this and you are going to have a testimony. And I will still believe in that the whole time he was in the hospital. I know there were days when I would be in the hospital on my hands and knees beside just begging and pleading and negotiating and bargaining and all the things with God. You know, if you do this, then I'll do this, all those things, you know. And then when it got down to the wire, you know, and I looked back when I was telling Ernie, you're gonna have a testimony. The testimony was not for him, it was for me. Wow. It was for me. You know, because I felt like I'm not gonna be able to live behind this. My daughters and I, how are we going? We are not going to make it behind this. But God was like, Yes, you will.

SPEAKER_02 35:47

That's so powerful.

SPEAKER_03 35:48

Yes, you will. You know, and it and it takes it takes time. It it just takes it takes time, you know, and it just for me it it there are spaces where I think it grounded me even more. You know, because I went through a phase, I was I was angry. I was angry at people, places, things, you know. And I had to get to the point and say, Kim, you can't be mad at them. They couldn't help him because they couldn't help themselves.

SPEAKER_06 36:21

Wow.

SPEAKER_03 36:22

You know, and that and that took a while. And I I knew that there was a change when I would see the person and I wouldn't get mad.

SPEAKER_02 36:31

That's

Daughters and New Beginnings

SPEAKER_02 36:32

powerful. Kim, thank you so much for sharing. I know this took a lot of vulnerability, but I really appreciate it. Changing the subject a little bit. You've mentioned your daughters a couple of times. Do you mind telling us a little bit about them?

SPEAKER_03 36:42

Oh, sure. I have a 20-year-old and 18-year-old who will be 19 in a little over a month.

SPEAKER_02 36:49

Oh, congratulations. Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_03 36:51

So, yeah, if we had to like back to back kids, you know. So when I see people with little kids and they're right there close together, I'm like, oh, bless your heart.

SPEAKER_06 36:57

Bless your heart, you know.

SPEAKER_03 36:58

But they'll have a friend for life.

SPEAKER_06 37:00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 37:00

You know, so uh have two daughters. They'll both be starting at University of Memphis this fall. One did the two-year program at Southwest. So she graduated with her associates in May. And then my youngest, she went away to school, wasn't a good fit. She came back, did a semester here at Southwest. So they'll both enroll at University of Memphis. My oldest wants to teach kids with special disabilities pre-K through third is her desire. Wow. And then my youngest, criminal justice.

SPEAKER_01 37:30

All right. Dog the bounty hunter, where did we get this one from?

SPEAKER_03 37:34

She wants to she wants to do restorative justice.

SPEAKER_01 37:37

Okay, cool. Because she's very awesome.

SPEAKER_03 37:38

She knows she feels for people that are in their space, you know, to help them out if possible.

SPEAKER_02 37:42

That's incredible.

SPEAKER_03 37:43

Yeah. And one thing I did fail to mention, I do have a stepson.

SPEAKER_02 37:46

Okay. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 37:47

My stepson will be 32 next week. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 37:51

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 37:52

He'll be 32 next week. Awesome.

SPEAKER_02 37:54

Well, congratulations.

Career Shift to Christ Church

SPEAKER_02 37:55

So circling back now to you work with us, you work at Christchurch. I know you had a little bit of a story coming here. Do you mind telling us that story?

SPEAKER_03 38:05

Sure. So before I came here, I worked for Cygna Healthcare. I have been with them for 31 years. Back in August of last year, they sent out emails. Congratulations. You qualify for voluntary early retirement. I'm angry because I'm like, I'm not retirement age. I can't get social security. What is going to happen after this? You know, and I did not take it. Then during that time, I'm a woman of a certain age, and our bodies start saying, Hey, I'm going to drive you berserk right about in this space, you know, and it was just driving me crazy. And then I said, Well, Lord, if they offer it again, I'm going to take it this time. I don't know what this is going to look like, but I am stepping out on faith and I'm doing it. And then January rolled around and they were like, hey, you still qualify.

SPEAKER_01 38:56

And I was He signed on the dotted line.

SPEAKER_03 38:58

He signed my name, and everybody was like, What are you going to do? What is it going to look like? What about this? What about I said, I don't know about the whatabout, but I am going to take this because this is clearly a sign to say it's time to do something different. So I did that.

SPEAKER_02 39:14

What were you doing at Signa House? What was your role?

SPEAKER_03 39:16

When I first started at Signa, I was doing claims processing customer service. And then over the years, I started doing quality auditing.

SPEAKER_06 39:22

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 39:22

So that's reporting with vendors, pharmaceutical companies, drug programs, all of that. So all the the reporting pieces are around that. Got it. And I and I worked from home since my daughter was the oldest is 20 since probably since she was maybe seven. Wow. I had been working from home.

SPEAKER_02 39:40

Wow. So yeah. Okay. Yeah. All right. So you signed on the dotted line. You're asking God what's next.

SPEAKER_03 39:45

What's next?

SPEAKER_02 39:45

What happened?

SPEAKER_03 39:46

And then one day I'm having a conversation with Shirley, just our random conversations. And I'm telling her about it, and she was like, Well, Kim, there's a position at our church. I don't know if you'd be interested. It won't be as challenging as your job that you're doing now. And I said, okay, well, tell me about it. So I came over, I talked to her about it. I talked to Jay, and then I had an interview with Josh, you know, and I told Shirley, I said, No, it's got to be a good fit. It's got to be a good fit for both of us, you know. And even in the process, I was asking God, I said, if this is not for me, block it on both sides. If it's not for them, it's not for me. Don't let it happen. You know, but I came into the church and there was a peace there. There was just a peace there. And it was just like, huh, you know? And then I was still like, well, God, are you sure? Are you sure this is the space that you want me in? You know, and the doors just kept, the doors just kept opening. So I was like, okay, I'm gonna step out. And everybody was like, but you just took this retirement. Why are you going back to work? I'm like, what else? Retirement don't mean just sit at home because I was like my garden and I can clean some stuff out of the house, all the things. I never got it done. I got the garden going, but that garage that still has a bunch of Ernie stuff in it, is just, it's just there. Yeah. You know,

A Peaceful New Chapter

SPEAKER_03 41:08

so and then I'm here.

SPEAKER_02 41:10

Wow. So what excites you most about, I mean, this is a pretty significant career change for you. What excites you most about this?

SPEAKER_03 41:20

I will say there's I don't want to say no pressure.

SPEAKER_02 41:24

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 41:25

But it's I'm coming in.

SPEAKER_02 41:28

It's not the world of insurance.

SPEAKER_03 41:29

It's not the world of insurance, and I'm coming in and I'm meeting new people. And when I leave at the end of the day, my head is not swimming about what am I going to do tomorrow? What is on the to-do list for tomorrow. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 41:43

That's awesome. Well, Kimberly, on behalf of the congregation, we're thrilled and delighted to have you here. It has been so wonderful to sit down and chat with you today. I'm not going to stop laughing about the bounty hunter thing for a solid week. So this is so exciting. But anyway, we're so thrilled to have you. Thank you so much for sharing and being so open and vulnerable into our chat today. But we look forward to seeing what God does through your ministry here. So thank you.

SPEAKER_03 42:08

Thank you. And you speak of ministry, I am actually on the calendar to go and talk to the college and youth Sunday school, is that what it's called?

SPEAKER_02 42:18

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 42:19

Amber leaned in to me. Nice. She figured it out. Yeah, she came over one day and she was like, Miss Kim, have you ever done the spiritual gifts test? And I was like, I don't think so. So she sent it to me and then I sent it back to her. She's like, Wow, would you like to come and speak? I said, Oh, that was a trick. That was a trick. So I'm preparing myself because I've never done that before. And I just had to say, okay, Lord, you got some jokes.

SPEAKER_02 42:46

I have a feeling you're gonna be excellent. So you're gonna do great. Well, Kimberly, thank you so much for chatting today.

SPEAKER_00 42:52

We appreciate you. Thank you.

SPEAKER_02 43:07

Thanks for tuning in to another episode of the podcast for Christ Methodist Church in Memphis, Tennessee. We pray that today's message has inspired and encouraged you in your walk with Christ. To stay connected with our church community, visit us online at Christchurch Memphis.org. We hope to see you this upcoming Sunday for worship as we seek to glorify God and make disciples of Jesus Christ among all peoples.