Rev. Sara Ewing-Merrill, HopeGateWay’s Lead Pastor, focuses on Thecla’s courageous resistance against sexual assault and unjust power structures in first-century Antioch. Pastor Sara draws powerful parallels between Thecla’s defiance of those who tried to control her body and contemporary struggles for justice, encouraging us to embody her courage by trusting the divine love within ourselves and refusing to lose hope while resisting injustice.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​