Meet Joani

Christ-follower, Artist, Pastor, Entrepreneur, Speaker, Writer, Leader, Breast Cancer Survivor, Photographer, Mom, and adoring Mimi

Born and raised in Texas, Joani’s love for the Arts began at the age of 3 when she took her first dance class. Leading roles in school musicals, vocal ensembles, and dance team activities were merely steps to pursuing a degree in dance and theatre education from Stephen F. Austin State University.

Joani moved to Arizona in 1987 where she had "Damascus Road" encounter with Jesus that radically changed her life.  In 1992 Joani joined the staff at Word of Grace Church (a 4000+ member congregation), where she became a licensed/ordained Pastor and Director of the departments of Creative Service Programming and Theatrical Arts.  With a unique calling by God she initiated and built Word of Grace’s Theatrical Arts Program from the ground up. While serving at Word of Grace, Joani launched a Creative Arts School which eventually supported an attendance in excess 250 students;  produced, directed, wrote and co-wrote multiple stage productions; and toured multiple productions internationally (including Turkey, Argentina, Brazil...).  She also led hundreds of artistic expressions for public worship services, including dance, music, theatre, photography, creative writing, video, painting, and sculpting.

​Joani is a writer, editor, vocalist, and actress, playing a major role in the movie, “Forevermore, the Karla Faye Tucker story.”  Joani is also a gifted teacher. She has addressed a wide range of people at conferences, seminars, retreats, weekend services, schools, and has developed a reputation of spiritual depth and technical quality in artistic expression. Some of her speaking engagements, outside of her teaching role at her own Church, have included the following:  Saddleback Purpose Driven Church Worship Conference in California, the National Gathering Worship Conference held in Phoenix, Arizona, as well as multiple women's gatherings and out-of-state retreats.

During her 30 years of ministry, Joani functioned not only as a Pastor for Word of Grace, but also as the Worship and Arts Pastor for City of Grace Church.  She also served on the Executive Team as the Pastor of Central Ministries-which included oversight of the Hillsong Ministry School, interns, children and youth ministries for three different campuses.  When City of Grace became HIllsong Phoenix, Joani continued her Pastoral duties for two more years utilizing her unique abilities to troubleshoot and build varying departments, while also developing and empowering leaders and volunteer teams. 

In May of 2017, Joani was diagnosed with breast cancer and that August had a double mastectomy.  The next year would encompass not only her battle with cancer, but also her stepping away from her church staff position to launch an Arts School on multiple locations within the Body of Christ.   Throughout this journey, her faith and trust in God never wavered, and the doctors were soon to identify her as a ‘walking miracle.’ As of July 2018 Joani has been declared cancer-free!

​It is Joani’s passionate desire that God would use her creative and leadership gifts; her every trial and hardship; as well as the many victories she has experienced to encourage the Body of Christ to ‘Count It All Joy,’ and realize their potential as God’s appointed ambassadors in this world.  

Joani has two daughters, one son-in-law, four grandchildren with a fifth on the way.  Currently residing in Hallsville, it is Joani's hope to create an event/retreat center on the land of her childhood.

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