Adi Wassink had an epiphany 10 years ago during a regular sermon.
“If this isn’t good news for everyone, it can’t be good news for everyone,” she recalled saying in 2014, two years before hosting her “coming out party.” There is.
Sanctuary Community Church in Coralville is known today as a space that supports the LGBTQ+ community, but that wasn’t always the case when it was first founded 25 years ago.
The book, Sanctuary: Inquiring the Church in the Heartland, released on October 8th, was written by pastoral staff members Adi Wassink, Katie Imborek, and Tom Wassink, and is a book about the past quarter century and the evolution of evangelicalism. The focus is on transitioning away from the rooted vineyard movement. To become the inclusive and anti-racist church that it is today.
“Part of this story is also a story that’s hard to tell, and to tell it well, and we wanted to be honest, so this book is about who we were at the time, and who we are. “It’s really honest about who we were at every step of the way in this controversial internal battle,” says Tom Wassink, chaplain at Sanctuary and psychiatrist at University of Iowa Health Care. “It’s true about the experiences of queer people who came to the church container and what so many had to endure to get here.”
The Sanctuary’s first service was held in the Q Bar. This concept is still often referred to by church leaders. Worship services are primarily held at the Robert A. Lee Recreation Center, until in 2010 the church secured a permanent location at 2205 Grantview Dr. in Coralville.
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change the focus of the church
A decade after joining the Vineyard movement, which relied heavily on a central, unifying message and national leadership, the Wassinks and Imborek began to question the community they had built. They chose to rewire the church to embody their mission of welcoming all people, a concept they believe is fundamental to Christianity.
“It came out of a bit of frustration, not the community itself. The community has been great, but given our experience, we decided why not bring some people together.” said Adi. “Even in the early meetings, we didn’t know it would become a faith community of several hundred people.”
Although the Wassinks did not set out to start their own church, they felt a desire and drive to make a difference in the community they had built and sustained over the years.
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“We see this as a vibrant, spiritual space with a lot of freedom. We have LGBTQ friends who want to be part of the church. I don’t judge the expression of Christianity in , but a lot of people do,” Tom Wassink said. “But we can’t fully welcome them because of the uncertainty, and that has become increasingly problematic.”
Sanctuary staff were troubled by how most religions treat the LGBTQ+ community. They wanted to provide the community with a safe space to worship freely and comfortably. A place where you feel welcomed, appreciated and accepted.
“It’s terrible what religion does to people, but it’s especially terrible to the queer community,” Addy added. “We welcome them and we welcome them, but behind closed doors, there are conversations going on about whether they can teach our children or whether they can preach from the front. We are happy to have you here and welcome you, but we are no different. We are as safe as other congregations who have imposed restrictions on participation (based on status). Not.”
Bringing Love Sanctuary to a New Era
A breakthrough moment came when the staff realized that their church was not actually a sanctuary for everyone.
Katie Imborek, a member of the church community and co-author of the book, asked Addy to bless his marriage to his wife. Prominent leaders of the vineyard movement were present that day, so Addy had to decide whether to give the couple his blessing, even if the senior leaders didn’t like it.
Touched by love, friendship, and connection, Addie blessed Katie and his wife, sparking a new direction for the church.
“The church world and the evangelical world try to increase difference and separation so that we become afraid of the other, but empathy and friendship bypass all intellectual disability,” says Tom. spoke.
Thus began the transition of Sanctuary Church into its present-day organization. These conversations are highlighted and well documented in a book written by church leaders over eight years.
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The coming out party was motivated by the Vineyard Movement’s new politics
Sanctuary’s coming out party in 2016 followed the Vineyard movement’s anti-inclusion public announcements. The church restricts women from holding leadership positions and does not welcome the gay community into its places of worship.
One of Sanctuary’s biggest changes since leaving the movement is that the church can now perform same-sex marriages, which is prohibited in Vineyard movement churches.
Since coming out, the church has grown to a congregation of 420 members. On a typical Sunday, about 200 guests gather for worship, while others come throughout the week for community events.
“We have people from a variety of faith backgrounds,” Addy said. “We have people who say they’re atheists, but they like it because of the community, the spirit of it, the feeling they get when they go home on a Sunday morning. It’s a change of pace.”
“Sanctuary: Queering a Church in the Heartland” is available now at Barnes & Noble and Amazon.
Jessica Risch is the entertainment, dining and education reporter for the Iowa City Press-Citizen. Contact her at JRish@press-citizen.com or on X (previously known as Twitter) @rishjessica_.
