As I reflect on my first few weeks at Anew Day, I am touched by the warm welcome I've received. From Tricia and the staff, to our lay and professional counselors, and the Board of Directors, everyone has reached out to connect so personally. Even Gary, the landlord, stopped by to welcome me. It’s been a wonderful start to a position at a company I hadn’t even heard of a year and a half ago.
There’s a Yiddish saying that resonates deeply with me: “Man plans, God laughs.” Looking back, I can see how God has laughed quite often at the various plans I’ve made in life. My imagination often hears a chorus of angels joining in His laughter, especially when I became particularly serious about one of my plans. What brings a smile to my face now is recognizing that while I always intended my plans to align with His will, they were often far from the path He had for me. If I’ve learned anything in my 50 years, it’s that God is the author of my life’s story. My role is quite simple: be grateful, obey joyfully, and get busy with the work set before me. Through many twists and turns with plenty of heartbreak, failure, victory, and countless surprises, the perfection of His plan is evident, and the hubris of my many plans are comical. With age, I’ve learned to let go of the steering wheel and embrace that I am not in the drivers seat. In doing so, I’ve begun to see the humor in my backseat driving and can laugh along with God and His chorus of angels. His divine orchestration is certainly no laughing matter, but, as I regret my willfulness and immaturity (and pray I continue to grow farther away from such behaviors), I can’t help but see the humor in my foolishness.
Reflecting on my past, I particularly remember the plans I had as an undergraduate studying economics. I had no inkling that such plans would lead me through so many twists and turns, culminating in the past decade spent caring for the sick and dying as a hospice chaplain. If someone had told me in college that I would someday be a chaplain, let alone a hospice chaplain, I wouldn't have even had a clue how to respond. Yet, God’s call led me to chaplaincy, and now has called me to serve at Anew Day.
As I sit in my new office, I recall first learning about Anew Day through the Nevada County Christian Ministers Fellowship. I was invited to join that group when I became the chaplain for Hospice of the Foothills in Grass Valley, CA, two years ago. Tricia stood out among that exceptionally dedicated group of ministers. In our first conversation, her heartfelt commitment to Anew Day was clear. I could see how she embraced God's love and how it overflowed into her work. I now recognize that His love is present not only in Tricia and her work but in everyone who serves in this ministry.
My decision to join Anew Day was straightforward because its center is His love, and the organization is dedicated to addressing suffering with that love. In 2006, when Nevada County faced a devastating surge in suicides, ranking highest in per capita suicide rates among California’s 58 counties, an untold amount of suffering was going unaddressed. Our founders, a small group of concerned Christians, united to establish Anew Day, acutely aware of the pain and anguish behind that tragic statistic. What began 18 years ago has blossomed into the grassroots, nonprofit mental health care clinic we are today, providing a range of affordable services to Nevada County. In 2023, Anew Day provided 2,830 hours of counseling for individuals, couples, and families, along with weekly support groups for men and women, as well as various trainings, classes, and workshops throughout the year.
Today, Nevada County is ranked 17th on that somber list. I know that Anew Day played a role in that change, with every contribution stemming from God’s love, which remains our constant center. As I start my tenure here, I invite you to join me in offering a prayer expressing gratitude for Tricia's significant impact at Anew Day and seeking blessings for her and her family, as well as the ministry she now leads.
I also ask for your prayers that the Lord continues to bless this ministry by guiding and strengthening us as we care for those who suffer. But above all, please hold those who suffer in your heart, and pray that Jesus blesses and comforts them, helping them know that no matter who they are, what their journey has been, or their beliefs, we will answer our door if they knock. We will welcome them without judgment, with true hospitality, and embrace them with unconditional love, “…just as Christ loved us…” (Ephesians 5:2).
Gregory Ingram
Executive Director
