Staff Reports
The latest undercover footage published by Townhall puts a bright spotlight on the Church of the Resurrection in Leawood — the very megachurch led by Adam Hamilton, who is now running as the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Kansas. In the video a staff pastor openly describes the church’s embrace of transgender and drag-related activities, including a claim that the church performs “queer weddings” and sent money to help protect a drag queen story hour. For voters who thought Hamilton’s campaign would keep his church life at arm’s length from politics, that curtain has been pulled back.
What the undercover video shows
The video features Lydia Kim, listed as Leawood Connection & Care pastor at Church of the Resurrection, telling a visitor the church has trans members, participates in KC PrideFest, and is “open and affirming.” Kim says some of her favorite volunteers are trans and brags that the church “did [queer weddings] before when we weren’t supposed to.” She also claims the congregation provided money to an affiliated church after threats over a Drag Queen Story Hour. That last claim is significant — if true it signals the church didn’t just preach inclusion, it put cash behind it.
Notable quotes from the footage
Kim, on camera: “Our pastor is currently running for Senate as a Democrat…We have trans members here…we sent money to help with security…all of the pastors are ‘open and affirming’…we did them before when we weren’t supposed to.” Those are her words, captured on video and now part of the public record.
Church records and outside reporting add context
The Church of the Resurrection’s own staff page lists Adam Hamilton as senior pastor and confirms Lydia Kim and Cheryl Jefferson Bell in the roles Townhall mentions. The church’s public materials also show it has sponsored or participated in KC PrideFest and runs inclusion and justice ministries — so Kim’s description isn’t out of thin air. At the same time, regional United Methodist reporting noted police found the threats to the affiliated Omaha group “not credible,” which complicates the narrative around the security claim Kim described.
Why Kansas voters should care
This matters because Hamilton is not a private pastor in a backwater parish — he built a nationally known megachurch and is now asking Kansans to trust him with a Senate seat. Polling shows a tight race with incumbent U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, so these revelations could matter at the margins. Voters deserve to know if Hamilton’s public campaign statements align with the culture and choices of the church he built and still leads. If a senior staffer can boast of “queer weddings” and financial support for drag events, that’s fair game for anyone weighing which values will be represented in Washington.
Bottom line: Clear answers, not warm slogans
People can have strong views about faith and inclusion — that’s fine. What’s not fine is vague campaign messaging when hard questions are on the table. Adam Hamilton’s role as senior pastor ties him to this church’s practices in voters’ minds, whether the campaign likes it or not. Kansas voters should demand straightforward answers: did the church perform same‑sex or “queer” weddings; did Resurrection provide funds to help with security for that event; and does Hamilton endorse the “open and affirming” posture Kim described? If the campaign wants to paper over this story, good luck — video doesn’t lie, and neither do voters at the ballot box.
