About Pastor Kenn

Rev. Kenneth V. Blanchard, Sr., was born in Suffolk, Virginia but raised in Maryland.  He is the pastor of Historic Berean Baptist Church in Washington, DC where he has been serving since 2006.  He became a licentiate minister at Mount Sinai Baptist Church in 2001.  He was ordained in 2007, and called to pastor in 2008.

He is the founder of In The Wilderness Ministries and the Forgiven Christian riders an international motorcycle ministry that helps churches utilize the motorcyclist in their congregations to evangelize.

His favorite Scripture is from Philippians 3:12-14

He is also a staunch defender of personal freedom.  He was a former federal police officer.  Became a firearms trainer for law enforcement and protective security specialist.  Traveled as bodyguard.  Studied classroom dynamics, facilitation and course design and later became a trainer of new police recruits.  Wrote and published Black Man With A Gun, A Responsible Gun Ownership Manual for African Americans in 1991.  

He created a firearms consulting business called African American Arms & Instruction, (A3i) in 1992. He has lobbied the US Congress.  He has testified in the state legislatures of Virginia, Texas, South Carolina, Michigan, Maryland, and Wisconsin.  He was instrumental in the passing of concealed carry reform in 1992 for Virginia and Texas.  He founded the Tenth Cavalry Gun Club, a national pro-gun organization for African Americans.

He has done commercials for TV against racist gun laws and been featured in Michael and Me, Larry Elder,  Dickens in America, BBC/ Scotland Lion Films,  Not Without A Fight 2009 by Max Lemux.  and worked around the country after that to promote safe and responsible firearms ownership. 

In 2000, he created the Black Man With A Gun URL and has been active guest on talk radio and television, on the controversial subject of gun control and minorities since then.  Known internationally as the Black Man With A Gun and blogs regularly on http://kennblanchard.com

About ITWM

In 2002, I started “In the Wilderness Ministries” - Serving the Lord without Boundaries. After becoming a licensed Christian minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ but not fitting in with the politics of a large metropolitan Baptist church.  I served at the church as the sexton/janitor, and then after becoming a minister, as the pastor’s aide.  My opportunities to preach the Gospel were at Men’s groups, at pistol ranges and biker rallies that I attended.  It led me to believe that I would always be an outsider.  I learned that God met many, In the Wilderness.  

ITWM has gone through its ups and downs since then.  In its heyday, we  would do meet-ups at parks, the shooting range or where two or three of us could gather to talk about things that mattered, parenthood, divorce, marriage, sex, love, health and the miscellaneous. We were bikers, police officers, blue and white collar guys. There were women too and that was a good thing. As a fundraiser the group even got connected with Carnival Cruises and took a five day cruise to the Caribbean. I got the chance to marry a couple aboard ship.

In The Wilderness Ministries almost became a home church but I was afraid that I didn’t have the qualifications to lead a church back then.  I soon found a church that needed a minister and had hoped that the thirty or so members of our group would join me at this new place but that didn’t happen.  The new place had all the issues that keep churches from growing.  I stayed--- and my friends left.  

Nine years later, I am the pastor of that church and trying to bring the same God I met In the Wilderness to them.  So they can be free.  

Today, my heart’s passion is to pick up the mantle of ITWM again.  This time using all that I have learned on the internet doing my podcast and social media and combine it with a focused effort to reach people where they are.

I would operate a mobile ministry.  The "office" would be a recreational vehicle.  I would travel to homes, malls, conferences, pistol ranges, lodges, outdoor events and meet people where they are.  I am serving the Lord without boundaries.  This would be for those looking to connect outside the walls of a traditional church.

I have a growing number of people that refer to me as the Pastor of Patriots and Pistoleros right now.  All I am missing is the actual legal entity to raise money, travel and do all that I have haphazardly done.

We are the church.  I think I have the gift to pick up where Billy Graham left off when he led a crusade for Christ in colleges and across the nation.  My target audience is national.  We need God now more than ever.

I am in the process of raising money for the incorporation, legal and administrative stuff right now.  

 I could use help though making it happen.

God has given us the tools.  We have to take them and build this community. 

This is In the Wilderness Ministries, Welcome.