Dr. D. Robert Kennedy is the pastor of the Emmanuel Worship Center Seventh-day Adventist Church in the Allegheny East Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, Alexandria, Virginia. He has been in ministry practice for 53 years now. He has served in such areas as pastoring, Conference/Union Departmental Director, College/University professor, and administrator. His formative years have had a profound influence on the style of his ministry. Since then, he has chosen to make prayer and discipleship the frontline of his ministry practice. He also has also placed great emphasis on the diversity as integral to his ministry.
He has traveled to six continents and many islands, preaching, teaching, and offering seminars in faith and spirituality, leadership, organizational management and family life issues. In replanting Emmanuel Worship Center, Dr. Kennedy, argues that he is given the greatest opportunity to be creative and connect to the community, especially through the Fairfax Health Department. He has authored 15 books, three with his wife, Dr. S. June Kennedy, who is celebrating 54 years of marriage with him.
He and his wife are happy for their three sons who are married, giving them three beautiful daughters and all seven gorgeous grandchildren, of whom they are very proud. Dr. Kennedy is a graduate of West Indies College (now Northern Caribbean University) in Jamaica; Columbia University in New York; Andrews University in Michigan; McGill University in Montreal, Canada; and Greenwich University in Hawaii. He holds degrees in Theology, Religion, and Education.
He also holds certifications in Life Skills Management, Non-Profit Organization leadership, Prepare/Enrich (to assist couples with marital issues), and Crisis Intervention to assist persons facing trauma.He loves music and tries to play the piano, the harmonica, and the guitar and sings with his wife wherever the pastor. He is a life-long learner still trying to be proficient in Spanish. He says, “I have enjoyed every aspect of my ministry. His mantra is “Being confident of this that he who began a good work in me will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:6).