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Writer's pictureAmber Jones

Letter From Amber: October 2024

Dear GraceStory Community,


We are just days away from the ABUNDANCE women’s conference. Since our launch in 2019, this is our 6th weekend of gathering to worship, learn, and sit in the holy tension of hope.  This year has a special significance as we hit pause on our full-production conferences. 


Our weekends together each year are special for me and my family—we literally build our calendar around it!  However, I have been sensing, both physically and in my spirit, that God is leading GraceStory into a new and good season (listen to the full story on the GraceStory Podcast). 


I have been so focused on producing conference that it has limited my ability to connect with you all in the way I’ve always intended to. Quite frankly, I miss you!  Sometimes, we are so busy doing the familiar that we don’t make space for the necessary. So, every now and then, we must pause that which is good to find that which is best.


GraceStory is Coming to You!


You might be thinking, if not conference, then what? How do we stay connected? While the ripple investment of these powerful weekends is invaluable, we believe there is a better way we can steward GraceStory’s resources to bring the healing and hope of conference to you at a local level.  This will also serve our current community and bring GraceStory to new folks! 


One way we hope to do this is by hosting intimate “taste of conference” seminar evenings at local coffee shops in Florida, Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio.  These would include storyteller/counselor teachings, discussion, and fellowship. This will also give us the space to hear from YOU: what you are facing, what resources you need in your current seasons, and the ability to hug-pray-love you as we journey together! This is the aspect we have put some very cool thoughts into, and when the time is right, I look forward to meeting with you near your hometown! 


Would you consider donating towards this new offering? Your donation will provide for team travel and paid staffing needs. We trust God to bring the people and provision needed to continue bringing HIS hope to family change.





The Launch of GraceStory App and Communications Team


We are excited to announce that our GraceStory App has launched!  You will now be able to easily access all GraceStory content in one place and get notified on new blogs, podcasts, videos, daily quotes curated by Ryan Watters, and more). Our favorite feature is that you can now ask LIVE questions through the app when we are doing virtual and in-person events. And, exclusively on the app—you can watch all conference archives for FREE!  We are grateful to the generous friends of GraceStory who have made this possible! 


Our commitment to evidence-based, biblically grounded mental health resources is seen in the members who comprise our new Communications Team! We are so thankful to welcome Lisa Carnegis as our new Communications Director. She is a mental health nurse and content marketing manager and has been trained as a Narrative Focused Trauma Care Facilitator through the Allender Center, making her a great fit for this team.


Other team members include familiar faces from conference: Sue Bowles, Amy DeBerg, and Taylora Bookie, all mental health professionals.  The Communications Team will coordinate with the GraceStory Podcast to bring topical bite-sized personal narratives and reflective prompts to you on the blog.


Support for Ministry Leaders and Helping Professionals


Another aspect we are shifting our focus towards is supporting ministry leaders and helping professionals.  This is the third arm of GraceStory that God gave me in 2019: women, men, and frontline ministry workers.  The time is now.  Leadership is a lonely field…a powerfully rewarding and humbling place to serve, but lonely.  We have leaders in our community and beyond who simply do not know how to get help because of their place of influence.  How do you ask for help when you are the help?  We have created a Leadership Support page to address this immediately.  And, in the days ahead, we will be sharing some practically powerful tools.


Reorganization of GraceStory Leadership and Team


Finally, our team is strategically reorganizing how the leadership at GraceStory works. The pause from conference will allow for unrushed space to do this over the next 12-18 months.  Part of this will be moving to an advisory board rather than a working board, which we will introduce in 2025!  We are creating a few new ministry director positions and other key positions, as well. This will free the working team to connect more with YOU—our community. 


We are excited with the dreams of what’s next, but we can’t do it alone.  Join us through your prayer, support, financial partnership, and becoming a part of this team!



Gratefully,

Amber Jones

Founder & President

GraceStory Ministries, Inc

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