About the Sacred Stories Project
“As long as we have stories to tell each other there is hope.” - Henri Nouwen
Our lives are made up of stories. Nothing shapes a life like the stories we tell ourselves and the stories we receive, yet so often these stories are not registered at a conscious level, or are shared only in whispered tones.
The Sacred Stories Project exists to reimagine what can happen in the lives of Christians through stories. For young adults, whose stories are still taking shape, questions about work, relationships, faith, family, community, purpose, and belonging often arrive all at once. Some choices feel full of possibility; others are made with real constraints. And while the language of calling can suggest that there is one right path waiting to be discovered, most lives are more complicated – and more interesting – than that.
The Sacred Stories Project creates spaces for young adults to tell the truth about their lives as they are actually being lived: the choices and questions, the unexpected turns, the losses and hopes, the ordinary moments that take on meaning over time. We call these stories sacred not because they are tidy or extraordinary, but because we believe God is present in the midst of them.
What We Do
The Sacred Stories Project brings together young adults, churches, local organizations, and the Westmont College community to create places where stories can be shared and heard.
Over five years, the project will support storytelling and vocational reflection in many forms. We partner with Westmont faculty and departments to create programs that invite students and alumni into deeper reflection. We provide grants to churches and community organizations developing their own creative approaches to storytelling and discernment. We gather young adults for a yearlong fellowship centered on story, listening, community, and vocation. And we capture and share stories through film, audio, writing, gatherings, and other creative forms.
Across all of this work is a simple conviction: telling our stories—and learning to listen well to the stories of others—can change the way we understand our own lives.
Who We Are
Director
Laura Turner
Laura Turner is the Director of the Sacred Stories Project. Laura has been practicing storytelling since she was very young, first pulling pranks on her younger siblings and eventually graduating to writing essays and stories as a freelance journalist. She worked as a nonprofit executive in San Francisco before returning to her alma mater and pinches herself every day that she gets to work to bring people together around storytelling. Her favorite book of all time is probably East of Eden, although North Woods made a recent run for top spot. She loves Joan Didion, California, black coffee, Henri Nouwen, hiking, and her family - not necessarily in that order.
Assistant Director
Hannah Martin
Hannah Martin is the Assistant Director of the Sacred Stories project and holds a Masters of Divinity from Vanderbilt Divinity School. Hannah has always been drawn to the way stories bring us together, shape communities, and help us to know the divine. Her favorite storytellers include Mary Oliver, Carole King, and Madeline L’Engel, artists that remind us of the sacredness and magic in everyday life, and that meaning can be found in the most unexpected of places.
Program Coordinator
Micaela Fernandez
Micaela Fernandez is the Program Coordinator for the Sacred Stories Project. She is an alumna
of Westmont College, where she earned a B.S. in Biology. She is especially interested in the
connection between storytelling and our experiences in the natural world, and how those can
shape us, connect us, and help us see God within our own lived experiences. Some of her favorite books are The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, My Name is Asher Lev, Consider the Lobster & Other Essays, and A Prayer for Owen Meany.
