Beloved,
Today is my last Sunday, I want to take this opportunity to thank you all for your hospitality and love. I am moving on to a new role at Cincinnati Children’s with the Spiritual Care Department. However, this career move comes with bittersweet sorrows, it means my time with you is coming to an end.
I came to you all in the fall of 2022, needing to pursue a role in church leadership. I went into seminary in 2017 with hopes of working for the church. When I was denied ordination from my former denomination because I am queer, chaplaincy was the net I needed as I jumped ship from what I had always known. When my residency finished up, I knew I had to give church another try, since I had seen there was space for me in denominations like the Episcopalians, the Presbyterians, and the Methodists.
All of you have helped heal some major wounds I had from my previous church experiences. For in your hospitality my family has been celebrated, wined and dined, and embraced in a way I could have never imagined. I also want to thank you for letting me love you and care about you. To let someone care and love you is vulnerable, and with time I saw you all open up, flourish, learn, and see yourselves as God sees you. HPCUMC will always have a string attached to my heart.
With love,
Sarah Knapton
Resources for Genesis 19
History of “homosexual” translation: https://www.1946themovie.com
Amplify Media:
• Click on this link: https://my.amplifymedia.com/amplify
• Then enter this code: TVSWBP
• Once you’re in, search “Faithful and Inclusive” in the search bar. The second episode, “Old Testament Passages”, discusses Sodom and Gomorrah in detail.
Teen Resources: Beloved Arise – God is For You https://www.belovedarise.org/publications/p/god-is-for-you