Residency Program
Apply for Residency
A doorway to healing, community, and a story rewritten by grace. If God is stirring your heart, we invite you to take the next step.
Who We Welcome
Stories Made New is a residential discipleship program for single women who are carrying wounds they cannot carry alone. We believe that healing is possible, not through our strength, but through the love of Jesus Christ, poured out in faithful community.
We are not a clinical treatment center or a crisis shelter. We are a home, a family, where women learn to live whole lives grounded in Scripture, shaped by the rhythms of prayer, work, and worship, and encouraged by the love of sisters walking the same path.
If you are a single woman between the ages of 18 and 40 from the Anabaptist community, and you are struggling with emotional wounds, spiritual discouragement, relational brokenness, or a lost sense of identity and purpose, this ministry may be for you.
Eligibility Overview
A resident of Stories Made New is typically a woman who meets the following description:
What the Residency Looks Like
A typical residency at Stories Made New lasts 6 to 12 months. During that time, a woman lives in community on the ministry property near Ephrata, PA, sharing meals, chores, worship, counseling sessions, and the ordinary rhythms of a godly household.
Community Living
Residents share the home with staff and other women in the program. Meals, household responsibilities, and daily routines are shared in a structured but warm family atmosphere.
Biblical Counseling
Each resident receives regular one-on-one biblical counseling sessions with trained counselors. Sessions are rooted in Scripture and focused on lasting heart transformation, not just behavioral change.
Discipleship & Mentorship
Every resident is paired with a mentor and participates in group discipleship. The goal is not merely recovery but genuine Christian formation: becoming women of depth, prayer, and Scripture.
Work & Vocation
Work is a gift, not a punishment. Residents participate in meaningful household and ministry work that builds dignity, routine, and a sense of contribution. Creative crafts and cottage industry are part of daily life.
Prayer & Worship
The rhythm of daily prayer anchors everything. Morning devotions, evening prayers, and weekly worship gatherings are not optional additions to the program. They are its heartbeat.
The Five Pillars
Everything we do flows from five convictions about what women need in order to truly heal and grow.
Biblical Counseling
Scripture is our foundation for understanding the heart, sin, suffering, and grace.
Community
We believe women heal in the context of genuine, loving, accountable community, not isolation.
Prayer
Prayer is not a program element. It is the air we breathe. Daily prayer anchors every rhythm of the home.
Work
Purposeful, dignified work restores identity and teaches faithfulness in small things, a cornerstone of wholeness.
Worship
Gathering to worship together each week reorients our hearts toward the One who is making all things new.
Application Process
We take the application process slowly and prayerfully. Our goal is not to fill beds. It is to welcome the right women at the right time, with the right heart readiness. Here is what the journey typically looks like:
Initial Inquiry
Reach out by email or phone to express your interest. Share a little about yourself and what brings you to consider this program. There is no pressure. This is simply a conversation.
Application & References
We will send you a written application and ask for references from your home pastor or church leadership. We want to understand your story and your support network.
Personal Interview
Ernest or Yvonne Witmer will meet with you, in person or by phone, to discuss the program, answer your questions, and discern together whether this is the right fit and the right season.
Prayer & Discernment
We believe every placement is ultimately in God's hands. After the interview, both the applicant and the ministry team take time to pray before any decision is made.
Acceptance & Move-In
If we sense God's leading for you to join us, we will work together on a start date and help make the transition as smooth and supported as possible.
Ready to Reach Out?
You do not have to have it all figured out before you call. We are glad to simply talk, answer questions, and pray with you about your next step.
Request an Application"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."
Matthew 11:28