Is it a serendipitous story or did God have a hand in Wendy Kinsolving becoming the pastor at JourneyBe in Polson?

Kinsolving, who was living in Polson at the time, talked to her best friend, Cheryl Wolfe, and asked if she could come to Polson and hang out with Cheryl and her husband Mike Kuhlmann for the summer of 2022 “until I figure out my next step.” 

Then Cheryl and Mike brought Kinsolving to JourneyBe for Sunday services.

Cheryl told Kinsolving it was a spiritual church community unlike any she’d known or been a part of, plus she thought a lot of Kinsolving’s ideas were similar to those of its pastor, John Payne. 

Cheryl introduced Kinsolving to Payne and some congregation members by saying, “This is my friend Wendy – she married Mike and me.”

At least three people asked her if she was looking for a job. 

When Kinsolving saw the progressive tenets on the wall, she thought “maybe these are my people.” 

Payne, who was planning to retire in 2023, had been concerned that there wouldn’t be another pastor to take over his job. When he heard that Kinsolving was ordained, he was equally sure she’d take over, although he warned her, “It doesn’t pay anything” in a conversation a couple of days later.

The congregation was all for Kinsolving taking over as pastor too.

“I was looking for a church community to be part of because I was pretty new in town,” she said. 

Kinsolving wanted an anchoring place to be able to participate in community activities and to do something meaningful with her time. 

One community activity is attending Polson City Commission meetings. She’s volunteered to serve on the City/County Planning Board, too.

Since assuming her new duties, she’s been working hard at putting together an office and unearthing church paperwork, and has assembled a board and hammered out JourneyBe affirmations with the congregation. 

A sample of these follow:

• We are a community committed to the ideals of openness, inclusiveness and spiritual freedom.

• We honor the idea that our connections and similarities are more important than our differences, and how we behave is more important than what we believe.

Kinsolving’s goals for the church are to continue to offer free meals, work with the Interfaith Pastors group, provide a classroom space, and hold a weekly Chautauqua group for adult enrichment.

Born in Wisconsin, Kinsolving traveled with her family to Missoula when she was 4. Her dad had gotten a job there as an electronic technician.

Her parents had five children “so they packed us up in the Rambler and a trailer with the dog on top of the load,” she recalls.

Missoula has always been a hub for her, but “I feel like this (Polson) is my Montana home now,” Kinsolving said. 

She’s a writer, reader, published poet, artist who does pen-and-ink sketches, a knitter, cookie baker, avid walker, and devoted grandmother. Now she also has a church community, and JourneyBe members are grateful to have her.