Gracie Stamey of Mount Zion Baptist Church in Hudson, North Carolina, was recently named to the 2024 National Acteens panel.
Stamey, age 16, joins panelists Sarah Elizabeth Shelton of First Baptist Church Columbiana, Alabama; and Faith Howard of Retama Park Baptist Church in Kingsville, Texas. To read about Shelton and Howard, read the full story here.
The young women will be part of WMU’s Missions Celebration and Annual Meeting in Indianapolis in June prior to the Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting. The panelists also will blog for wmu.com/students and be given leadership and speaking opportunities throughout the year. Each will receive a grant from the WMU Foundation through the Jessica Powell Loftis Endowment for Acteens.
“She is one of the most active students in our church,” said Stamey’s pastor, Edward Ford. “Gracie exemplifies a godly and loving character. Her heart for the Lord is evident in how she carries herself.”
Sara Lamkin, student and ministries consultant for WMU of North Carolina, shared in her recommendation of Stamey that she “has an eagerness to grow and learn in her faith so that she may better share Jesus with the world.”
“Gracie was called to [a] life of missions work while at summer camp,” Lamkin said. “She hopes to get a nursing degree then go to seminary for a global missions degree and then work for the IMB.”
Stamey said it was her aunt April, while stationed in Africa with IMB, who made “a huge impact on how I view missions.”
The teen has been active in her association’s Parade for the Hungry each year. She and other volunteers walk through the community collecting food for the local food banks and travel with their church to Shelby, North Carolina, to lead Backyard Bible Clubs. They also offer lawn services as well as simple construction projects and cleanup efforts while there.
Stamey accepted Christ as her Savior at age 7. She was baptized a week after her decision was announced in church.
It was while she was at Fort Caswell on Oak Island, North Carolina this past summer that Stamey was among those who responded to the call to talk to others pursuing a call to ministry. She was able to talk to others who responded but also to those who are already pursuing that call in seminary.
“Over the past year, I have felt a call to ministry,” Stamey said. “Being an Acteens panelist will help me pursue my dreams of working for the Lord and influencing others to do missions.”
For more information about Acteens and student missions discipleship, visit wmu.com/students.
