In 2011 Ashley Hammack and her young family began attending Nativity. Looking for a preschool for their daughter Eleanor, the Hammacks found welcome through the members of the NPK community, which led them to worship on Sundays.
The Hammacks had moved to Asheville from Tennessee and were immersed in raising three children in a household with two working parents. Years later, Ashley still feels deep gratitude toward those in the preschool who offered their time and energy to help make daily life workable, so that their kids could find a home in the God-centered program of Nativity Preschool and Kindergarten.
Ashley remembers a time when she was asked to share with the congregation her family’s experience with the preschool: “I looked out at the faces of the preschool teachers and realized how much love was shared with our family. So many people gave up their time and generosity to allow us, as a family, to be able to be a part of that community.”
Ashley’s involvement in the congregation has not been limited to the preschool. For example, she has helped lead an adult Faith Formation class called ‘Blessed and Stressed.’ The class was originally designed for parents of young children, but Ashley broadened the scope of the class so that couples and individuals without children would feel welcome.
As the Hammack children grew, all three found a comfortable place in Nativity’s Young Youth and Youth Groups, which Ashely describes as currently “small but mighty”. She finds joy in knowing her kids are so comfortable at Nativity, and that the church building feels like a home.
“When I think of ministries [at Nativity], I think of people. It’s the people,” Ashley shares. The welcome and care that the Hammack family received at Nativity has had a positive impact on their spiritual journey. In response, Ashley and her family want to return God’s love by discovering new ways to show that same welcome to others.
