We are so excited to be able to tell you about a new member of our team at the Foundation for Sustainable Care. Teri Capehart is stepping into the role of Operations Manager to focus on Foundation strategy, operations, and overall mission moving forward. Please take a moment to get to know Teri below.
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
I grew up in Illinois and moved around a bit (South Carolina, Michigan, and back to Illinois) before landing in Westfield, Indiana in 2000. I moved to Australia in 2018 as part of the Grace/ Nairobi/ Australia church planting initiative. I came back to Westfield in 2021. My main motivation for returning was my three adult children, my son-in-law, and a soon-to-be son-in-law! Brandon Hutton, Alyssa Albright (Joe Patras), and Ashlyn (Teegan) Heiniger.
I’m a foodie and am working on my sommelier certification. I love being in nature. One of the many things I miss about Australia is deciding if I want to take my daily walk on the beach, in the rainforest, or in the mountains. I’m a passionate traveler and explorer because I love people and learning about other cultures.
What was your first interaction with the Grace Care Center or the Foundation for Sustainable Care?
I was on staff at Grace Church when I first heard about the plans to open the Care Center. As someone who had found myself in need of help a few years earlier with food and housing for my family, I was even more thrilled to hear about the type of care center Grace was building. My youngest daughter and I both went to training to be a part of operations when it opened. I found my place unloading green bags and stocking shelves while she enjoyed helping bag groceries.
I have been blown away by all the ways God has continued to expand the reach of the care center and impact lives. Being a part of Grace Church and having friends involved in creating and growing the Foundation, I’ve known about it since it started and am so excited to take a more direct role!
How does being in this role help you accomplish your personal mission?
I’ve been in full-time ministry for the last 20 years. Whether through my roles in ministry or in my personal life, my personal mission has been to share God’s love with people in the most practical ways. To ensure people feel known, loved, respected, included, and supported.
If you volunteer one day at the Grace Care Center, that’s what you will see happening all around you! As part of the Foundation staff, I look forward to adding my experience to the team to help sustain and grow the capacity of the Grace Care Center.
If you could snap your fingers and give one thing to the Grace Care Center what would it be?
I’m just being reintroduced to the Care Center, so I can’t say I would change anything (looks amazing to me!). But what I’d love to give is capacity, or I’d wish to take away limitations.
I’d love it if we never had to turn a family away because we don’t have enough volunteers to serve. I’d love the ministry to have the financial availability to grow when and where the Lord gives direction or ideas. And I’d love the capacity to go and help others start this model in new cities across the world. No stressors about limitations of people, time, or money, and through that, we’d see more lives transformed.