By: Kristie Goodwin, Sacred Worth Team
“What kind of church could we be if we were all honest about who we are and who we are meant to be?”
That’s the question a life-long Christ Church member and former Lay Leader, Kristie Goodwin, asked herself one day, after reading Isaiah 6:1-8 as part of the Sunday service. Isaiah’s words “Here am I; send me!” resonated with her on a deep level.
She considered who the church might be excluding—people like her friend Sherwin, a deeply religious gay man from the Philippines, who struggled with the fact that his faith tradition would never accept him for who he was. Kristie thought, “What if he felt loved and accepted in a church?”
Her thoughts transformed into action. “A small group of us began to plan things at Christ Church—an ice cream social, a prayer vigil, a s’mores party in the parking lot. Along the way, we became Sacred Worth.”
Sacred Worth’s mission is to affirm and celebrate the sacred worth of all. We strive to create a loving space that affirms the value, integrity and sacred worth of every person, to engage in mutually respectful dialogue with others, and to be beacons of welcome and hope.
We’re people of different ages, different personalities, and different backgrounds, all with varying stories. Our members are involved in the church in myriad ways, from singing in the choir to serving in children and youth ministries. We participate in different Sunday school classes, serve meals at Fourth Avenue Ministry and help with the Pass It On Kids Sale. In all these facets, we endeavor to be a welcoming presence and to share God’s love and light.
This mission of love and light is what drew others to the group when it first formed in 2018. Bryan Carter, retired child/pediatric psychologist, states his “deepest belief is that the church is the place where one comes to experience the grace, acceptance and love of Christ’s sacrifice—no ifs, ands or buts!”
In his forty years of practice, Bryan witnessed firsthand how challenging it was for families when a child or teen was struggling with sexuality and gender identity. Sacred Worth’s mission to be a place where all God’s children are welcomed was something Bryan supported because of his personal experience.
Personal experience, and particularly how a person or community experiences the Holy Spirit, is one of the four parts of the Wesleyan quadrilateral. This is a common theme around the table at a Sacred Worth meeting. Joy Monsma states, “I met my closest gay friends at church and watched as they poured themselves into their professions and church ministries. They taught children, teens and adults. They worked on committees and boards. They were tapped time after time because of their skills and leadership qualities. Yet some had to marry in a building where they didn’t worship. Some felt it best to keep quiet. Others moved away. I went looking for another church at one point, so frustrated that mine seemed to accept my friend’s gifts and service, but never fully and openly embraced and welcomed who they are.”
The choice to leave or stay in the United Methodist denomination was one that hung heavily on several members of Sacred Worth, especially for those who identified with one of the letters under the umbrella of LGBTQIA+.*
Joyce Young recalls how she and her wife, Judy Lawhorn, felt the need to hide in plain sight for years. “During the 1990s and 2000s, we disclosed our relationship to only a few people at church we knew would be supportive. We took a break from Chancel Choir for several years, during which time we moved to Oldham County. We had planned to find a church closer to our home, and we did visit several, but we ended up returning to our Christ Church home, since we both have a love for traditional liturgy and for superb choral singing. There have definitely been ups and downs with acceptance here. However, we have friends, especially in the music ministry, who have loved and supported us for many years.”
As founding members of Sacred Worth, Joyce and Judy knew all too well the importance of having safe spaces where people could be honest about themselves. Chancel Choir provided this for them, and they were thrilled to be part of another group that could offer this same fellowship, support and love for others.
Since its inception, Sacred Worth has always taken its mission of inclusion and celebration of all people very seriously. The invitation for all believers has been extended through a Sacred Worth presence withing the past year. Representation by Sacred Worth has been an important means of becoming living proof of God’s love. From the Sacred Worth Art Exhibit inside the church to Twilight Markets within our neighborhood to the Louisville Pride Festival, Sacred Worth has been present to celebrate the Body of Christ in all its beauty.
Kristie Goodwin offered a final reflection on what it means to be a member of Sacred Worth, and what we can accomplish together with the help of all God’s people. “Personally, my heart aches for the stories we don't know. We may have friends who are hiding their beliefs and guarding their secrets. All people are worthy of love and all are invited to be disciples of Jesus. My hope is that Christ Church can step forward as a UMC congregation, listen to stories, focus on relationships and mutual understanding, and begin healing not only our congregation but also our community.”
*LGBTQIA+ is an acronym that stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning, Intersex, Asexual. The + acknowledges the existence of other identities which are not considered heteronormative.
