“Cultivate” speaker series aims to create a more just KC

By Sara Wiercinski

Holmeswood Baptist Church wants to get Kansas City talking. This fall, their newly-launched Cultivate speaker series aims to create community conversations around complicated issues.

The format is simple: A local expert presents the latest research to an audience, who reconvenes one week later for discussion at a local restaurant.

The subject matter is anything but simple.

“We chose these topics in particular because they are intimately connected to each person in south Kansas City, whether they know it or not,” said Senior Pastor David McDaniel.

“We want to cultivate within south KC a space of equality, a way to understand different perspectives and livelihoods.”

On October 2, counselor Meredith Trank, PLPC, kicked off the series discussing mental health after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Trank presented research from the World Health Organization and Pew Research Center. During the pandemic, rates of anxiety and depression increased 25% overall, while those with chronic health conditions and who identify as LGBTQ suffered at an even higher rate.

“I’d offer stats then open it up for conversation. It was a lovely diverse group of people there, particularly in age,” said Trank. “It was really interesting having this dialogue.”

Solutions were part of the discussion: Trank recommends professional therapy, and praised the expansion of telehealth during the pandemic. “We are finding that now, even in more rural communities, people can access a clinician for support wherever they live.”

A sense of belonging to a community is another critical factor for mental health. “Isolation takes a toll. Find a community. Content does not matter as much as being connected and feeling seen in that group,” said Trank.

On October 9, the Cultivate group reconvened at The Borough KC to continue the discussion of mental health, in particular identifying barriers to care such as lack of insurance or fear of stigmatization.

Rev. McDaniel explained: “Our hope and intent is, that by sitting around a table together, we can know ‘What did we hear?’, ‘What do we feel?’ and ‘How might we approach this area practically to create a more just and equal city?’”

The next talk in the series is November 6 with Dr. Angie Turpin from Children’s Mercy Hospital’s Gender Pathways Services teaching “Transgender 101.”

“There’s still a lot that the general public does not understand about being trans,” said McDaniel. “With anti-trans legislation proposed in both Jefferson City and Topeka, what the public doesn’t know means they do not truly understand the impact.”

McDaniel hopes that discussing transgender perspectives will lessen fear of the unknown, “so we can all show up with a greater sense of empathy for people.”

Mayor Pro Tem Ryana Parks-Shaw is the final speaker on December 4, talking about gun violence in Kansas City. Parks-Shaw will discuss her involvement in KC 360, the community response to violent crime prevention using multiple approaches to systemic issues and inequalities.

Discussion follows both sessions, at The Borough KC, 8026 The Paseo, on the 2nd Wednesdays of the month, November 13 and December 11.

Holmeswood Baptist Church is located at 9700 Holmes Road and is part of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, a demonomination made up of moderate churches who left the fundamentalist-leaning Southern Baptist Convention in the 1990s. The church makes its own decisions as a congregation.

Rev. McDaniels, who has served as senior pastor since 2015, explains that the faith community is open to and affirms all human sexuality and gender identities.

“This is the kind of Baptist church we are.”

Talks are free and open to the public. The discussion portion involves meal cost. Learn more about the Cultivate Speaker Series at holmeswood.org.