Sheryl Myers lives in Hot Springs, Arkansas with her husband of thirty-six years, Jack. Sheryl has been a kindergarten teacher for more than thirty years. She and Jack are the parents of three grown sons, Marcus, Matt, and Craig.
When son Craig came out to them as gay at the age of sixteen, Sheryl found herself on a journey that began as a search for understanding of their gay son. She discovered on that journey that her child had spent his young life with a secret he had been afraid to share with his family and she grieved for the “motherless child” he had been. She began to grieve for all “motherless children” everywhere, no matter their age, and her desire was to affirm them, to love them and embrace them when their own mothers couldn’t or wouldn’t, and to help reconnect parents with their beautiful GLBT sons and daughters.
Along the way, she heard the hate-filled messages coming from many people who called themselves Christians, yet condemned her gay son, and those like him, to hell. When she began her earnest search for God’s heart and the truth of Jesus’ love, He led her to Open Door Community Church and Pastor Randy McCain. She found Open Door to be an oasis of God’s unconditional love and grace, a place where serving Him and loving all his children, gay and non-gay, is joy unspeakable.
Sheryl was ordained as a minister in September 2005 during our annual Fall Conference and assumed duties as Associate Pastor of Open Door Community Church.
Sheryl posted the following concerning the Supreme Court ruling on Marriage Equality on her facebook page:
“June 26th, 2015…What a day! I promised our wonderful son Craig, when he came out to us 20 years ago at the age of 16, that someday he would have the right to marry the person he loves, because we live in a country that pledges justice for all and the right to the pursuit of happiness!.
Thank-you, thank-you, thank-you to Judge Piazza, Pulaski County Clerk Larry Crane for your courage and kindness, Judge Wendell Griffen for the same and for sharing the love of God with the outcast Children of God, to Pastor Randy-Eddy McCain and his husband Gary for showing the world what beautiful human beings and a beautiful marriage look like….for being the” poster children” for this hard- won fight when few were able to step up and take the risk….. and remaining grace-filled followers of Christ all the while!!!.
Thank you, thank-you, thank-you to the millions of brave LGBT persons who have had the courage to show the world that their “true “colors are beautiful”, including my hundreds of personal friends!!!!.
Thank-you, thank-you, thank-you, to the non-gay friends and families who have helped progressive, loving people everywhere move this ball down the field! Thank-you to” Modern Family” and Whoopi Goldberg and the ladies of the View!
Most of all, thank-you to our courageous, compassionate president Obama!!! And thank-you God for your followers…we know them by their Love!!!
As I watched the anxious crowd in front of the Supreme Court awaiting the decision, I expected their reaction and mine to be an eruption of cheers…but instead it was an eruption of tears!! The cheers came, but Craig and I shared ours over the phone with 5 minutes of joyful crying! LGBT people everywhere, I love you!!! Congratulations!! To the 55 couples I have married…Best Wishes for a Lifetime of Happiness Together!!!”