Danielle Hartland
Director of Communications

What do you do at Grace? I direct . . . communications: everything from brochures to newsletters, and this website to the weekly bulletin. I try to coordinate this lovely staff and their events the best I can! I also lead a team of visual artists who create amazing PowerPoint presentations for our weekend services.

How long have you been at Grace? Since my junior year of high school: 10 years (yikes).

Family Information: Married to Dave Hartland, the best husband in the ENTIRE world.

Education:
I’m currently working toward my degree in…COMMUNICATIONS.

Fun Stuff:
If you were an animal, what would you be (why)? DEFINITELY a llama. Hopefully, my name would be Tina. Seriously, though, there is a llama at a house I drive by all the time and her life looks so sweet.

Favorite color: Blue…I especially like various shades of blue in awesome stripes.

Favorite Food: I really like the banana crème pie at Max & Erma’s. Those people were really thinking.

Pet Peeve(s): This list could go on for days:
• There are two places in Erie where traffic is supposed to merge, but everyone races to get ahead and then traffic stops. I go by one on the way home every day. It happens…without fail.
• When someone calls me on my cell phone and everyone asks me who it was.
• When people interrupt meetings and conversations.
• When I’m having fun doing something and someone wants me to do something ELSE, and they don’t think I’m having fun unless I’m doing that other thing.
• Dishonesty.

Hobbies: Scrapbooking, photography (but I’m not good at it and I don’t have a good enough camera), getting people obsessed with television shows and watching them in a big group (i.e. ALIAS, the Amazing Race, 24…)

If you had 24 hours to live, what three things would you do? I would talk to my family about Jesus. I’d spend some time with some very important friends. And after all that, there is someone I need to make sure I say all of the unsaid things to…

Tell us about a few influential (or favorite) books you’ve read:
Celebration of Discipline: (Foster) this book really shaped the way I approach the disciplines of study, solitude, and fasting especially.
Desiring God: (Piper) I don’t think I need to explain why this book is awesome.
Mere Christianity: (Lewis) this book is AMAZING. I read it once every couple of years…I absolutely LOVE it.

Spiritual Stuff:
Tell us a little bit about your spiritual journey: I learned about Christ through my best friend, Molly. She shared with me after an experience that she had. We started attending the youth group at Grace (Highpoint), and that’s where I learned a lot that became a foundation later in life.

Since that time, there have been a lot of ups and downs, but the Lord truly has provided for and protected me in amazing ways. He has confirmed over and over that there is something important I’m going to do for Him, and I’m excited…REALLY excited. I don’t know exactly what it is, I just know it’s there.

At this point in my life, I’m probably the strongest I’ve ever been, and I feel closer to Him than I ever have. I have just recently been focusing on contentment and what that looks like for me. He’s really teaching me how to be happy with what I have, and I’m being challenged to love Him for HIS SAKE alone. It’s an amazing time in my journey!

What did you do before you started working at Grace? A lot of odd-jobs and weird things. I was an “Employment Specialist” for a few years. I would train disabled individuals in their jobs. I also currently work at the Northwestern PA Cleft Palate Institute as a Clinic Secretary. One of my favorite things to do is house, dog, and/or kid sit. I’m pretty good at that…and I like living in different people’s houses.

Why are you passionate about church and ministry? I love building teams up to accomplish amazing things through the Lord. My favorite thing is to see a group of people come together under a vision and chase it with everything they have. I consider myself blessed to spend my life working in ministry, it’s so amazing to be able to spend this much time serving the Lord. We have a job to do: it’s inspiring and life-changing…I am so unworthy of this.

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