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about us
YWAM (pronounced Why-Wham), short for Youth With a Mission, is an international, interdenominational and global movement of Jesus followers seeking to KNOW God and make Him KNOWN. Learn more here.
YWAM Baltimore seeks to be cultivators who engage with culture by displaying the love of God through arts and creative expression.
Missions . Arts . Discipleship . Espresso
M.A.D.E | YWAM Baltimore Vision
Missions: to make the One who is Love known to others through creative and radical acts of service both here and abroad.
Arts: to develop an artist community, artist talks, workshops, camps, sponsorship programs and schools in order to invest in other creatives, culture and community with excellence.
Discipleship: to run mentorship and training programs that encourage relationship and development.
Espresso: to champion innovative start up businesses, like coffee shops, with support mentorship and community.
values
Creativity
We believe living life as creatives, thinking outside the box, being innovative and expressive produces a life of celebration and joy.
family culture
We believe that investing in our relationships as individuals, in our community and with our neighbors is the most important work we can do to transform a society.
Hospitality
We believe we should live life as if it were an invitation. We believe in serving and sharing, listening and responding, preparing and partaking in both small and celebratory moments.
integration
We believe we are to integrate in our community, not looking to be the solution, but being cultivators of the dreams of our neighbors and serving the heartbeat that already exists.
activation
We believe there is so much potential in the youth of our city, We are called to activate, come alongside and encourage them towards their dreams and goals. We want to be their cheerleaders and mentors that help them reach their potential.
borderwalkers
We believe that those on the margins, on the fringes of our society are gold. Those people tend to be artists, homeless, skaters, young people from broken homes, basically the ones forgotten. They are the ones we go after to love the hardest.
reconciliation
We believe in the hard and often long work of bridge building. We are not afraid of difficult conversations and are committed to creating a culture of listening, learning and helping to heal that which is broken in relationships.
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the latest
abode
NEXT ABODE : December 6, 2019 // 7pm-10pm
ABODE worship nights are held every First Friday of the month in varying locations. There is only one agenda for the evening, to create space for the Holy Spirit to dwell with us. Every month is lead by a different worship band or leader, from varied denominations and cultures. Every month, the body of Christ comes together to worship in different expressions. This month’s location: 642 E. 35th St. for Christmas Caroling.
éclos
Éclos (pronounced ee-clew) means "to bloom". We believe that reading God's word, renews our minds and is one of God's gifts to mankind to grow and to become all He intended for us. As we read the word and discuss what He's showing us and teaching us, we all grow together.
This is informal. Everyone is welcome. We have dinner (which we will post here each week) and just ask that you contribute a drink, side or dessert.
We are currently on a break.
art nights
Art nights include different gatherings of creative expressions. From Saturday hang outs that celebrate the culinary arts of food and drink, to intimate art exhibitions held in one's home, to open mic nights at local breweries, "art nights" are our way of connecting with the local arts scene of Baltimore.
convergence
A CONVERGENCE: the point at which lines, objects, streams come together and incline toward each other.
Convergence asks the various streams of the Body of Christ in the Greater Baltimore Area to come together to humble ourselves and pray. Sponsoring groups include BHOP, YWAM, Somebody Cares, Highland Church, AWAKE Baltimore, and Church of the Apostles in the City.
BLOOM CAFE
Bloom Cafe is a weekly outreach to the Station North Arts district. As we meet at 9 am at 2013 Saint Paul St. for a time of prayer. Then we go out with breakfast and coffee to meet and spend time with our neighbors. We’d love for you to join us.
art + Forgiveness
We are currently working on developing a curriculum to take to Baltimore City Public Schools for students. This course will be a combination of art and learning the power of forgiveness. Our city is reeling from violence, abuse and abandonment. We believe that forgiveness is a powerful weapon that can help heal our city and art a tool for healing.
ANNeX
First Tuesdays of the month.
Annex is an Open Mic we host at Vent Coffee Roasters from 6:30-9pm. Bring your song, instruments, performance, spoken word, poetry, art and and a friend! It’s a safe place to share your work with the local creative community.
One school for artists
Our biggest passion is for the arts. ONE School for Artists is a 6 month, 3 part YWAM Secondary School, held between 3 YWAM bases: YWAM Barcelona, YWAM Berlin, and YWAM Baltimore. This school is designed for artists who want to develop their skills and talents in order to become effective influencers of culture and the arts.
Read more here.
“Last night was burger night. All different types of people came. Different beliefs, different ages, different backgrounds, different nationalities. It was beautiful the connections that happened.
There is something extremely powerful about hospitality. And when food is involved, it just goes to another level. Baltimore baby.”
FAITH, CONFLICT + THe ARTS
This is a conference we host every other year. Faith + Conflict was started in N. Ireland and has been hosted in areas of conflict such as Palestine, Lebanon and South Africa. Last year was the first time it was hosted in the USA and we tackled racial reconciliation and explored how to heal as a city as well as how the arts can be a tool for reconciliation. Our next one is scheduled for 2020. More information to follow. To see our past conference, visit here.
COMmon Creative
Common Creative is the artistic umbrella for YWAM Baltimore. We are a community made up of many different creatives and as we explore how God wants to use art to be a way to care for culture, we wanted a name that reflected our vision. Under Common Creative we have a number of initiatives: Sponsored Artist Program, Artist Talks, Artist Workshops, CRUX + a Photography Studio (currently in dreaming + scheming phase).
DTC (discipleship training course)
DTC is a 12 week course that’s meant to bridge the local church with the foreign mission field. Once a week, 4 hours a week for 12 weeks, students learn from teachers, leaders and missionaries from both Baltimore and other nations on topics such as, The Character and Nature of God, Jesus as a Servant, Cultural Sensitivity and more. At the end of the 12 weeks, we take the team on a 2 week mission outreach somewhere in the world. Our first year we went to Cambodia, this past year we took two teams out, one to Taiwan and the other to Mexico + Baltimore. January 2020 we are headed to India. For more information on how you, your church or your youth group can get involved, please email us ywambaltimore@gmail.com
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who are we
Kristin + devon potler | base leaderS
Married for 25 years, parents of 5 amazing and creative kids, Devon and Kristin have a heart to support others and encourage them to fulfill the call on their lives. They both hold high values for hospitality, gathering around the table, family, and arts + culinary excellence! They began working with YWAM 16 years ago.
Erik + Ariel WuestHoff | staff
As a musician, photographer husband + costume designer wife, Erik and Ariel add creativity and servant hearts to this team. They both currently work for a local coffee shop, learning the ins and outs of the business, while serving at Cosplay events using photography as a way to integrate in the community. Ariel leads Bloom Cafe.
Rachel Stenger | staff
Rachel joined us from YWAM Ålesund, and helped us kick off the Baltimore phase of ONE School for Artists and lead one of our DTC outreach teams to Taiwan! Passionate about visual story telling, she specializes in wedding and commercial photography and is down to go anywhere for work! You can check out her art at @fairfoxes and @rachelstengerphoto!
zebadiah Potler | staff
As a professional photographer, Zeb recently completed his creative DTS with Ywam Ålesund and has plunged full force into the world of freelance photography. He is local staff for the Baltimore phase of the ONE School for Artists and is helping pioneer Common Creative.
PHOEBE MAST | staff
Phoebe just completed the ONE School for Artists and fell in love with Baltimore. She moved here shortly after and is getting settled in. She’s a gifted fine artist and we love the creativity she brings to the team.
Ericka Lynch | MISSIONARY
A native of the PNW, Ericka was instrumental in our formation as a base. She is currently raising support to move full time to Ireland. She lead will while here in Baltimore, volunteering with us and leading us in intercession, prayer and communion. She can also make a mean cake.
Nahum + Shantha Potler | Staff
Nahum left his heart in Battambang, Cambodia where he did his DTS. He has a heart to see artists walk in their full calling, and he lead our first short term missions team to Cambodia in 2018. Shantha loves people and this city, fiercely. As a teen, she’d travel on public bus, into the heart of the city to take boxing lessons in an underprivileged community, the same neighborhood where the Baltimore Uprising began. She is on a mission to see those who don’t know they’re loved, to encounter the One who is Love. These two currently lead our DTC.
OLIvia bankard | staff
Olivia is also a local whose heart burns for the city of Baltimore to discover its original design. She’s an artist and visionary and believes in being on the ground serving being a tangible representation of Jesus. She is currently on our Core Leadership Team.
Ywam Board
Devon & Kristin Potler
Jamon & Nicole Bailey
Mike & Terrill Esposito
Kristen Hoover
Rick McDonald
Psalms Rojas
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get involved
YWAM Baltimore is in the pioneering stages. We believe in order to grow and become God’s desire, we must first seek His face for direction and vision. Therefore, the first thing we set into motion were monthly worship nights, called ABODE. Join us on the first Friday of every month. Follow here for current updates on location.
You can also join us for Bloom Cafe. Bloom is a weekly outreach on Wednesday mornings to our Station North neighbors. We meet at 9 am for prayer at 2013 St. Paul St. then we head out with breakfast to serve and pray for our community.
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CONTACT US
If you have any comments, questions, or interest in bringing something new and innovative to our team, don't hesitate to reach out! Fill out the form below