Dedicated professionals who bring compassion and expertise.
Board Member
Andrea Casteel Smith is the author of Scarred Beautiful and the founder of the Scarred Beautiful movement, a community, a platform, and a training forum for those who want to take their purpose and destiny to new remarkable levels. She is a TEDTalk speaker, a Certified Professional Life Coach, a Certified Professional Christian Life Coach, an ordained minister, and a licensed Chaplain. She has also completed Christian Counseling at Trinity College and Seminary.
Board Member
Richard Lopez is entering his twenty-first year with Faith Christian Athletes. He is the FCA Campus Director at the University of Arizona and the Football Team Chaplain. Engaging, equipping, and empowering athletes, teaching them how to live and play for Christ. Richard also leads multiple Bible Studies throughout the week, encouraging and challenging Coaches to build up athletes in sports and everyday life.
Board Member
Pastor David Drum is a Tucson native, with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Arizona and an M.Div. from Trinity Lutheran Seminary. He served as the solo/lead pastor of Community of Hope Lutheran Church in Tucson from 1990-2011. In 2011, he became the full time Church Domain Director for 4Tucson, helping churches and pastors throughout Tucson work more closely together. David has been married to his beautiful wife Valerie for 30 years, and they have 4 children and two grandchildren. David has served as the president for Tucson Association of Evangelicals and Tucson Ministry Fellowship, on the national Board of Trustees and Board of Ministry for Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ, and as the founder/leader for the Evangelical Renewal District of LCMC. He has authored three books, Jesus’ Surprising Strategy, If It Was Easy, Jesus Wouldn’t Have Prayed for It, and Peace Talks: The Good News of Jesus in a Donkey-Elephant War. In October, 2018, David founded J17 Ministries to further align with Jesus’ heart. A frequent preacher, teacher, conference presenter, and workshop facilitator, David shares the good news of Jesus with both passion and humor.
Founder and Executive Director, Board President
After the tragic loss of her late husband in 2005, Ashley was instantly used by God in several ways to help others facing loss. Through God's redeeming grace, He blessed Ashley with remarriage several years later to her husband David. Through the years, Ashley and David served as volunteers to several ministries and staff to a couple. The desire to help families facing loss was a small ember and it continued to grow through time. One day the holy spirit spoke to Ashley, David confirmed this should be ministry and a couple years after that Joy in the Mourning was founded in 2020, pre-pandemic.
They started Joy in the Mourning locally in Tucson, AZ which ran for 3 years where they created awareness and care for women who have been widowed by death or abandonment by providing immediate assistance, building community around them and offering ongoing support and extending the model of care to others who have experienced loss .They recognized the need for the model to extend beyond Tucson and shifted to providing tools and resources for communities nationally.
Their dream is to bring back the idea of the church being a place of comfort and support for those facing loss. Since the death of a spouse, a widow loses 75 percent of her support system and 75 percent of widows say their church has no organized widow program providing intentional care. They want to help change the 75% and in turn, change the rest.
Ashley has been serving in ministry for the past 20 years. Ashley has worked and volunteered for numerous ministries and church roles, including worship ministries, Save the Storks, National Day of Prayer, GAP Ministries, Breakdown International, and Hands of Hope Tucson and Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
David has been in various ministry leadership roles for the past 20 years. He is passionate about serving the body of Christ through discipling, developing, and building leaders. Pursuing his giftings, he has worked with Pantano Christian Church, Hands of Hope Tucson, and served on the Tucson Ministry Alliance Admin Team. He received his Bachelor's Degree at the University of Arizona in Leadership and is currently pursuing a Masters Degree in Christian Ministry and Leadership at Biola University.
Together they have 3 beautiful and incredible children. They are full time RV missionaries who travel, homeschool, minister and speak where God leads. Together Ashley & David are committed to helping individuals, churches and organizations bring Joy in the Mourning.
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