LEE'S SUMMIT MAN CELEBRATES FIVE YEARS CHAMPIONING MESSAGE OF CHARACTER
JULY 7, 2005
Rod Handley had no idea that his friendship with two Kansas City Chiefs in the late 1980s would be the genesis of a nationwide movement championing principles of character.
Sixteen years later, the Lee’s Summit resident leads Character That Counts and crisscrosses the nation, challenging audiences to live with personal integrity.
On July 22-24, Handley will join friends from across the United States to celebrate the organization’s fifth anniversary and – more importantly – a legacy of changed lives.
“What God has done, nobody can take credit for,” Handley says. “We want to celebrate His story and what He has been doing in the lives of men, women, families and marriages.”
The weekend-long anniversary party will include appearances from local television personality Katie Horner, Christian musician Steven Curtis Chapman and Kansas City Royal Mike Sweeney, plus other guests.
Handley moved to the Kansas City area from Washington state in 1989 to serve as chief financial officer for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA), which is headquartered in Kansas City near the Truman Sports Complex. It was there that he met Kansas City Chiefs Steve Pelluer and Ken Karcher -- Christians who aspired to grow in their faith and character.
The three met regularly and challenged each other to live out what they believed. The personal transparency and genuine goodwill the men had toward one another began a transformation of Handley’s life.
“I had been a Christian for years and was striving to follow Christ, but there were many areas of my life that remained untouched by Him,” Handley says. “This group brought support, encouragement and accountability to my faith that I’d never had before. I began to set aside bad habits and to see real, steady life changes take root.”
As a leader in FCA, he often accepted invitations to speak. At these engagements, he shared about the challenge and encouragement he was receiving in his personal accountability meetings with Pelluer and Karcher. People began asking for books and resources, but he had nothing to give them.
This motivated him to write his first book, “Character Counts: Who’s Counting Yours?”, published in 1995.
The character message resonated with more and more audiences and led to Handley spending evenings and weekends speaking to groups while still serving FCA, now as chief operations officer.
“I did a serious juggling act,” he says. “By 2000, it became clear that something had to give.”
In the spring of that year he resigned from FCA and launched Character That Counts, which would become an extension of the ministry of Lee’s Summit Community Church, 1440 S.W. Jefferson.
“I didn’t know if Character That Counts would last six months or not,” Handley says. “I just knew I had to be obedient to what I felt God was calling me to do.”
Since then, the ministry has seen a rapid progression of changes. In 2001, the non-denominational TGIW group was formed with the partnership of Lee’s Summit Community Church Pastor Dan Erickson. Since then, Greg Griffin has joined the ministry to champion TGIW locally and nationwide.
TGIW, which stands for Teaching God's Infinite Wisdom (or Thank God It’s Wednesday), is a weekly meeting involving scores of churches that challenges men to model character and integrity. Several chapters meet in the Kansas City metro area.
The forum is not only for men. A TGIW group for women began in Lee’s Summit in April.
The character message has also been exported through the work of associate staff whom Handley and his team have trained. These 39 people are certified to teach the principles espoused by Character That Counts. The ministry has plans for still more associates.
Handley and his expanding team have spoken at more than 500 events to religious and business audiences and have no plans to slow down. In addition to the rigorous travel schedule, he serves as an unpaid pastor at Lee’s Summit Community Church and continues to write books.
“This has not been about me, but the vision that God laid on my heart to focus on character, integrity and accountability, to build a ministry that helps people with practical life issues from a biblical point of view,” he says. “It’s amazing to me that five years have passed. I’m blown away by what God has done. It’s a privilege to be able to bring hope and help to people’s lives.”
Celebration weekend schedule
All events are open to the public on a first-come, first-served basis. Tickets for some or all of the events can be purchased through Willbrooke Ministries at 816.781.6603 or www.willbrooke.com.
Friday, July 22
Pre-game tailgate party from 4-6:30 p.m. at Kauffman Stadium. See the Royals vs. The Blue Jays (with post-game fireworks), enjoy local contemporary Christian artists, hear testimonials and meet Royals players. A representative of the ministry will throw out the opening pitch. The first 500 ticket purchasers will receive Mike Sweeney “Sween Team” t-shirts.
Saturday, July 23
Attendees will convene in the morning at the Hyatt Regency Crown Center for music and stories of changed lives through the work of Character That Counts. Kids (ages 5-12) will enjoy Kaleidoscope. A picnic lunch is planned at Crown Center Square, with optional tours of Liberty Memorial and Union Station, plus indoor movies scheduled for children. Dinner is at the Hyatt with guest Katie Horner (KCTV 5 chief meteorologist) and former Chief Ken Karcher. Musical guests will be Land & Hildebrand.
Sunday, July 24
Sunday’s worship service will feature Fellowship of Christian Athletes Foundation President Carey Casey, plus a local Christian band. In the evening, Christian musician Steven Curtis Chapman will perform at the Folly Theatre (seating is limited to 1,078). Kansas City Royal Mike Sweeney will emcee the evening.
Contact |
Please contact Roy Harryman, director of communications, for more information at 816.524.6786 x104.