Worthy Now to host gathering, reminding women of worth and identity in Christ
Worthy Now will host its annual fall event in the Stone Chapel on Wednesday evening. The gathering invites all women on campus to hear from a variety of speakers, engage in a time of worship and prayer, and connect with others while being reminded of their worth in Christ.
“Worthy Now started in 2014. A group of women at Lee were reading a book together that had themes throughout about embracing your worth- to know you are worthy of love and belonging, right now, as is. It impacted them so much, they decided they wanted to share this concept with the female students on campus,” said Stacey York, chair of the Worthy Now Committee and Administrative Projects Coordinator at Lee.
Raybecca Calvert, a student leader at Worthy Now, described the event as a “gathering of women on campus to be able to reset their hearts and focus on what the Lord is teaching them in this season.”
Worthy Now is fabricated through the planning of several committee members: Stacey York, Sarah Sajja, Ghalysa Swann, Udella Walker, Kelsey Baker, and Ally Seward. This year, the event will not take the form of a conference as it has in years past, but instead be an intimate gathering of women across campus seeking to learn more about their identity from a biblical perspective. Student leaders Raybecca Calvert, Anah Fickett, Aly Prater, and Aleigha Thomas will speak on passages in Scripture and offer reflections on their own life experiences. The event will also incorporate worship, prayer, and a dessert reception following the event.
“…I hope this event will create a space for women to see themselves as following in the steps of the women we read about in Scripture. I want them to know the importance of their role in the Kingdom,” said Anah Fickett.
Both committee members and student leaders of Worthy Now hope women will be impacted in positive and transforming ways following the event. According to York, the mission of Worthy Now is to embrace worth, empower others, and inspire calling. “That is our goal. That the girls would know that they aren’t worthy if they get the perfect grades or if they land the perfect job, etc. – they find their work and identify through Christ.”
“I want for any women who attends a Worthy Now event to know that she belongs and to feel accepted in their unique journey of discovery and acceptance of their worth,” said Ghalysa Swann.
“I want them [the women] to know that they’re seen, and they’re known, so deeply known, and they’re very loved, and not just because somebody tells them they’re loved or they have friends that know them, but because they were literally knitted together by God. I just want them to get a glimpse of how beautiful the Lord sees them,” said Aleigha Thomas.
On a deeper level, Worthy Now also hopes that when women know and believe their value from the Lord, it acts as a pathway towards freedom. Raybecca Calvert believes that Worthy Now can show women how the Lord has given them freedom from bondage, shame, and sin. “…I want to see…girls walking out with freedom in their hands and like, ‘Okay, I don’t have to be bound by depression. I don’t have to be bound by anxiety or suicidal thoughts…the Lord has given me freedom and I can live in that.’ You don’t have to live in bondage…you can be free and the Lord gives you that freedom.”
Although the gathering is only happening for one night, the desire is that women who come to the event will be changed, encouraged, and inspired to believe who God says they are and walk in belief in the truth of His Word.
Swann hopes the event inspires women to have grace on themselves and be patient as they navigate their individual and unique journeys towards worth and belonging.
Learning to walk in worth, according to Thomas, can be achieved through the everyday little things. “…when you’re walking to class, when you’re stressed about an assignment or when you’re dealing with situations with your family, through everything being able to recognize that God is with you and He is Sovereign…even the storms that we go through the Lord has allowed us to go through and that should bring us comfort because if God allows it, He’s gonna take care of me.”
Worthy Now invites all women at Lee to join them Wednesday, November 8 at 7:30 p.m. at the Chapel for a night of reflection on their value and importance as a daughter of God. The event hopes to leave attendees inspired and encouraged to walk in freedom. To learn more about Worthy Now, visit their Instagram page @leeu_worthynow.