Dear Friends and Supporters of The Potter's House,

I am thrilled to introduce myself as the new Managing Director of The Potter’s House. My name is Justin Bray, and I am honored to be part of the incredible legacy of this organization. Although I originally hail from Georgia, I have found a welcoming home and vibrant community here in Washington, D.C. I look forward to deepening my connection with this community and exploring how we can collaborate to serve our neighbors even better.

To share a bit about my journey before we dive into the exciting future ahead, I most recently served as the Executive Director of Books for Keeps, a nonprofit dedicated to creating joyful experiences around literacy that can forever be associated with learning. During my time there, we reached the milestone of distributing over 1 million books to people across North Georgia. My background also includes roles in business management, food service, and community engagement.

Here at The Potter’s House, we are approaching a significant milestone that many other Church of the Savior ministries have done before us – after being lovingly guided by the 8th Day Faith Community and Church of the Savior community at large, we are thrilled to announce our transition to becoming an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit as we file our paperwork in the coming days. This marks a pivotal moment of growth and expansion for us, and I invite you to be a part of this exciting new phase, just as you’ve done for us time and time again.

To celebrate, we are hosting a special event on August 30th at The Potter’s House. For the first time in years, our doors will be open from 8 AM to 8 PM, and we hope you will join us for a day filled with celebration, connection, and community spirit. We’ll be unveiling our new Pay-What-You-Can model for both our bookstore and cafe, our renewed vision that ensures everyone in our community has access to nourishing food and meaningful reading materials regardless of their means.

Whether you can join us in person or support us from afar, your involvement is crucial to our mission. You can make a meaningful impact by:

• Enjoy a Meal or Coffee: Stop by for a delicious meal or a refreshing coffee. Every purchase supports our mission and helps us continue serving our community.
• Spread the Word: Tell your friends, family, and neighbors about our new chapter and invite them to join the festivities. They can even donate from afar by visiting www.pottershousedc.org/donate.
• Pay It Forward: Can’t make it in person? You can still make a difference by donating online. Just $10 provides a full meal or 2 gently used books for someone with limited access to either.

Every contribution, no matter the size, helps us continue to nurture meaningful belonging within Adams Morgan and beyond.

In closing, I am excited to embark on this journey with you and look forward to meeting you at our event or in the community. I’m an open book and would love to hear your stories, ideas, and visions for the future of The Potter’s House.

Thanks so much for all you do and, even more importantly, thanks for being you. I hope to see you on August 30th!

Sincerely,

Justin Bray

Managing Director

[email protected]

www.pottershousedc.org

P.S. - Did you know? I keep a portion of my calendar open every week to meet members of our community and I’d love to share that time with you! If you’d like to find a time to sit down and discuss all things Potter’s, you can find a time that works for us both on my google calendar appointments page. I look forward to meeting with you!