Meet Joan Saylor Tate, FCM Valley Thrift Store Manager

Many of us try to shoulder burdens and hardships on our own, however, that’s not what God intended for us. In Matthew 11:28, Jesus says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” The Lord asks us to let go of our desire to be in control and to trust in him. It’s not always an easy thing for us, but if we do, the Lord will sustain us and give us strength to endure.

Joan Saylor Tate, the manager of Four Corners Valley Thrift Store in Valley, Alabama, can attest to the peace and joy that comes with trusting in God and putting your life in his hands.

Joan grew up in a Christian home in Opelika and attended church with her parents and younger brother. At the age of 13, she remembers feeling the Holy Spirit come over her one day after church service. She was in her bedroom with music from her stereo playing when she felt an overwhelming presence that felt bright and powerful. 

“I realized that it was God showing me his mercy. There was no doubt about it. It was something I’ve never experienced before, and I just knew Jesus was standing right beside me,” she said. “That’s when I gave my life to Christ.” 

Joan remembers getting on her knees, crying, praying, and talking to Jesus. She promised to follow him and has never looked back. During the hardships in life, she has learned the importance of trusting in the Lord and relying on him. Joan got married after graduating high school and had three kids – Trey, Nicole, and Larra. In 1996, after 17 years of marriage, her husband, Travis, was killed in a car wreck. At the time, Trey was 15, Nicole was 14, and Larra was 9 years old.

“There’s no guidebook to such grief and such pain. People say you take one day at a time, but no, you take one minute at a time,” Joan said. “The only thing that gets you through is relying on God to loan you his strength, and that’s it. God will get you through those dark times.”

Several months after the sudden loss, Joan decided to take her children on a trip to North Carolina to get away and try to heal. While sitting on top of the mountain there in North Carolina, she remembers God giving her and her children peace.

“It freed us, and we said goodbye,” she said. “When we came back, it was totally different. We were still grieving, but it wasn’t the same. We had strength. God gave us that strength to keep going.”

Joan experienced this type of strength and support from God again in 2019 when her daughter, Nicole, passed away after battling cancer. Nicole was 36 years old and had two children. Through prayer and dreams, Joan realized she will only be separated from her loved ones for a short time. They are patiently waiting in Heaven to see her again. They are free of pain and suffering and are in the presence of the Almighty. 

February is a special month for Joan and her family because it’s a time for them to remember two family members who have passed away, Joan’s father and her daughter. She celebrates their birthdays on February 14 and February 26 by releasing balloons and lighting candles in remembrance of them. While these two days are difficult and bittersweet, Joan has joy knowing they are in Heaven.

“When God lets you realize they’re part of your future, you understand that you have something to look forward to,” she said. “It’s looking forward to going home because that’s where they’re waiting on us.”

Until the Lord calls Joan home, she plans to live her days for Jesus both at home and at work. Joan started working in retail at the age of 16 and fell in love with it. Later she went to work at East Alabama Medical Center as a switchboard operator with her mother, but after nine years there, she decided to return to retail.

She was a regional manager at a store in North Carolina before moving back home to Opelika. While working as the manager of Valley Thrift Store, Joan met Jamie Taylor, the FCM director of thrift store operations. Over time, Joan got to know Jamie and found out FCM was looking for a manager for the new thrift store in Valley. Around this time, Joan was at a crossroads in her life. She was trying to decide if she needed to stay where she was or if she was being called to a new position. She prayed for God to direct her path and promised she would follow it. She met with Jamie and Yancy Carpenter, the president of FCM, and everything fell in place. 

“I realized that Jesus wanted me to be here, so I had to take it. I couldn’t turn it down because I felt that it was the right decision,” Joan said.

She became the manager of the FCM Valley Thrift Store in February 2023. Since then, her goal has been to make the store a home away from home where customers can enjoy shopping. She loves getting to know the customers and helping fund the mission of spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ in her local community and in Uganda.

“This Valley community has been a wonderful support. The people here are very gracious, loving, kind, and willing. Their donations are wonderful and allow us to help more people,” Joan said. “I love to interact with our customers, and I also love the team that I have. If it weren’t for them, we wouldn’t be as successful as we are.”

Joan is celebrating her one-year anniversary as the manager of FCM Valley Thrift Store this month and is excited to see what God has planned for the future of the thrift store.