OUR CHURCH
We are an open and affirming community, following the teachings of Jesus. We seek God's will for today through an inner journey of spiritual reflection and an outer journey of engagement in community life.
Our worship style is relaxed, featuring music ranging from Bach to Bluegrass. We offer weekly communion to all who hear Christ's invitation. We honor the early traditions of the universal church, recognize the rites of all other Christian denominations, and actively support Christian unity.
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OUR PASTOR
Rev. Erin Wathen
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Following more than a year-long search process, Grace Immanuel called Rev. Erin Wathen as our new pastor, with her tenure beginning in January 2022.
A native of London, Kentucky, Rev. Wathen is a graduate of Transylvania University, and of Lexington Theological Seminary, where she earned her Master of Divinity.
Since her ordination in 2004, Rev. Wathen has served as senior minister for Disciples of Christ congregations in Phoenix, AZ, and in the Kansas City area. In 2019, she and her family (husband Jeremy and their 2 children) moved back home to Kentucky, settling in Louisville. For the past 3 years, she has worked for the disaster relief ministry of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).
During her previous calls, Rev. Wathen has been involved in leadership roles at the regional and national levels of the church; written the popular blog “Irreverin” on the Patheos interfaith network; published two books; and earned a Certificate in Nonprofit Leadership (CNP) from Rockhurst University.
Rev. Wathen was the 2010 recipient of the Fred Craddock Award for Excellence in Preaching. Her most recent book, “Resist and Persist: Faith and the Fight for Equality,” was a 2018 Publisher’s Weekly Book of the Year, and an Indie Book Award winner. She still enjoys writing, as well as hiking, cooking, music, and spending time with family and friends. She is passionate about refugee ministry, social and economic justice, and gender and LGBTQ equality. Rev. Wathen looks forward to a long tenure serving Grace Immanuel and the wider Louisville community.
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