Forty Years and Counting

As I stand on the threshold of the fortieth anniversary of Where Grace Abounds (WGA), I am filled with a profound sense of gratitude and wonder. Established in July of 1986, WGA was born from a shared vision to “…guide and support men and women who seek to understand sexuality and relationship, and to inspire all people to know and personally appropriate God’s plan for their sexuality and relationships.” The journey has been nothing short of an adventure, marked by many moments of confusion, breakthroughs of understanding, and the privilege of listening to countless stories of individuals seeking to know God and to be known by Him in ever-deepening ways.

When we embarked on this mission, I often felt like a nine-year-old facing  a job too big for me. This feeling sat at the base of my psyche, a throwback to my childhood, when I was left responsible for  the care of my younger siblings (who simply  ignored my attempts to corral their wills into my interpretation of our parents’ will.}  I often felt powerless and woefully  ill-equipped for the task. I think that view of me may still describe my siblings’ memories of me during those years—the personification of  Lucy of the cartoon Peanuts, the bossy ineffectual older sister.

However, my childhood  experience became  an unlikely teacher.  It  was precisely this sense of being out of my depth that fueled my reliance on God’s guidance and wisdom.  As Dallas Willard said, years later, in his talk, How to Know God, a primary key to knowing God is to “constantly undertake, for God, those good and holy things that you cannot do in your own strength.”  As I said “yes” to Gods’ call to ministry, for which I knew I was unqualified, the Holy Spirit led us to build the ministry of WGA.

Over the years, He has called various staff members to join our mission, and together we have bonded over the task before us, each bringing our unique strengths and perspectives to the ministry.  And we brought our baggage too—we  celebrated and capitalized on each other’s gifts and abilities, and were at times humbled together over our blind spots and immaturity–which drove us back  to prayer  It was during those earliest years when I sensed from the Lord that “all the seeds of direction for WGA will be planted in corporate prayer”—we still pray as a staff regularly and hold bi-monthly prayer meetings with leaders and group members invited to participate.

The founding of a leadership team in those early years bore fruit in the guidance and development of ministry programs. This team helped to keep our focus on following Jesus, even as we wound our way through the complex and often conflicting opinions of experts on issues of sexuality and relationships. As we discovered, research on issues of sexual orientation and gender was  helpful, yet the truest wisdom proved to be found in God’s word and His principles.  The Holy Spirit application of biblical principles and  best practices of researchers and theorists has become the bedrock of WGA programs.  100% Grace and 100% Truth:  No Compromise became our conviction and tagline for our approach to ministry.

Throughout these four decades, God has also added to our number people who supported the ministry financially and through their prayers. Some of these dedicated supporters are still active in giving and praying.  To all these donors and prayer warriors  we owe a debt of gratitude. We pray that the Lord will return to them a hundredfold for all they have invested in WGA.

Reflecting on the past forty years, I am reminded of the countless lives that have been touched by our ministry. The stories of transformation, healing, and growth are a testament to God’s grace and faithfulness. Each person who has come through our doors has contributed to the rich tapestry of WGA’s history, and it is their journeys that inspire us to continue our work.  I am reminded of them when I hear the lyrics to a song sung by Bette Midler in the late 1980s:

Did you ever know that you’re my hero?
You’re everything I wish I could be
I could fly higher than an eagle
For you are the wind beneath my wings[i]

WGA group members  are the “wind beneath our wings.”  They are God’s gift to us—inspiration and encouragement to continue in our mutual goal of knowing God more and more every day.

As we look to the future, our mission remains steadfast: to guide and support those who seek to understand and embrace their sexuality and relationships within the context of God’s plan. We are committed to fostering an environment of compassion, understanding, and biblical truth. The challenges ahead may be great, but we face them with confidence, knowing that God who has been with us from the beginning will continue to lead and sustain us.

In closing, I want to express my heartfelt thanks to everyone who has been part of WGA’s journey. Your prayers, support, and dedication have been instrumental in shaping this ministry into what it is today. As we celebrate this milestone, we do so with a sense of humility and gratitude, acknowledging that it is by God’s grace that we have come this far.

Here’s to the next forty years of Where Grace Abounds, and to the countless lives that will be touched by God’s transforming love.

[i] “The Wind Beneath My Wings” was written in 1982 by Jeff Silbar and Larry Henley.  Bette Midler recorded a version of the song for the soundtrack of 1988 drama Beaches, in which she also starred as singer CC Bloom.  Bette Midler – Wind Beneath My Wings Lyrics – Genius, https://genius.com/Bette-midler-wind-beneath-my-wings-lyrics.