Noahs of Ark

Dear Emmaus Commuity:

As we close out 2023 I want to address our wonderful Emmaus community and offer each of you a heartfelt Thank You!   It has been an honor and privilege to serve as your board chair this year.  I have worked with a tremendous board and am excited to see what the future holds for Noah of Ark.

It is my joy to share with you the board that will serve our community in 2024:

Past Chair – Tonya Morris

Board Chair – Skip Bell

Vice Chair – Danny Byrd

Secretary – Cheryl Doddridge

Emmaus Lay Director – Amy Birmingham

Emmaus Spiritual Director – Michael Bolin

Chrysalis Liaison – Andrew Orr

Chrysalis Spiritual Director – Greg Schick

Face to Face Lay Director – Bruce Holstead

Face to Face Spiritual Director – Clayton Bulice

Agape Chair – Mike McAvoy

Fourth Day Chair – Richard Duncan

Team Selection – Telia Dunn.

We ask that you pray for this board as they seek God’s guidance as we step into 2024. 

A quick review of 2023:

This year we hosted three successful walks – one men’s and two women’s - for a total of 76 pilgrims!  A huge part of this success is our new and ongoing partnership with the Heart of the Ozarks community.  We have formed this partnership in an effort to help the HOTO community reestablish itself -but to also walk in the spirit of unity and come together to be the hands and feet of Christ.   Because of this partnership – we were able to see each of our walks this year make.   Our efforts have resulted in shared responsibilities on the teams as well as pilgrims from the HOTO area.   What a blessing this has been and will continue to be as we move forward into 2024. 

There are walks already in place for the spring of 2024 as well as plans being made to host a Face to Face and a Chrysalis Flight.

The board made some hard decisions this year – the vote to raise our walk fees was not a popular one – but a necessary one.  This allows us as a community to be the best stewards of the funds that God has entrusted to us and allows NOA to continue to operate in the black. 

The board has also revamped our scholarship program.   We have voted to name it the Legacy Scholarship Fund and have set up guidelines.   You will find the new scholarship policy attached to this email, along with a copy of the new scholarship application.  

To fund the scholarships the board has voted to allocate all funds collected at fourth day events to the scholarship fund.   All individual donations to the scholarship fund should be earmarked for the scholarship fund and are tax deductible.  

We have also established a new payment plan for our team members who may need some additional time to pay walk fees.   Attached you will also find the new policy for this.

If you are not part of the NOA Facebook community – please send an email directly to me at tokemo@gmail.com so that I may send you an invite to our private page.   This page is only for people who have already attended a walk. 

And finally, I want to extend a thank you to the 2023 board -  Jim Doddridge, Cheryl Doddridge, Skip Bell, Telia Dunn, Richard Duncan, Mike McAvoy, Carol Collins, Greg Schick, Amy Birmingham, Michael Bolin, Bruce Holstead, and Judy Rudd.   I also want to extend a thank you to Connie Moody who serves as our registrar and administrative secretary and Sherry Shearer who serves as our treasurer.  And last but not least, to our community trainer, Debbie Buckles.  It takes the combined efforts of each one to make this work.  You are each treasured and I appreciate you!

Richest of blessings to my NOA Emmaus Family in 2024,

Tonya Morris

Scholarship Policy