A Call to Care
Mercy ministry is working to alleviate the burden caused by brokenness. God’s Kingdom and Christ’s authority are realized not only through his word ministry, but also his deed ministry (Matthew 11:2-19; Mark 1:15). For Jesus Christ, these two aspects of ministry are not mutually exclusive. His word and deed ministries were clear signs of the “already / not yet†aspect of the kingdom of God. Christ word and deed ministry incorporates all of the effects of the coming of the kingdom of God and thus is a visual, viable representation of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
We believe the gospel calls us to be a church that participates in the physical as well as spiritual healing of human brokenness in order to display the Kingdom of God. Therefore, we establish ministries that best meet the needs of our wider community. Among our active ministries, we offer marriage and family counseling, Renewed addiction support, and general counseling.
Mercy Ministry in the Church
If the church truly comprehends the mercy that was shown to her, then there will be action taken to respond to the injustice and brokenness in the world. The call of mercy is not just an individual call but a corporate call as well. The church is to be the embodiment of Jesus Christ to bring healing and redemption to all areas of brokenness. The church will be open and generous toward the social outcasts and the unlovely. The church is called to appoint deacons who are ordained to care for the needs of the people. But, we must emphasize again that deacons are not the only ones responsible to respond with acts of mercy, but the corporate body as well.
The Specifics of our Mercy Ministries
Deacons lead in missions of mercy:
The office of deacon is an office of service and ministry directed especially at the physical needs of the congregation. They are to lead the congregation in caring for the hurts of people both inside and outside the church. (Acts 6:1-4)
What deacons do:
Broadly speaking, we are focused on serving people in the congregation of the church in times of emotional and physical crisis in the context of a caring relationship. Very often this means providing financial assistance from the mercy fund, but it also involves encouraging, mentoring, counseling and praying with those in need. Our task is to assess specific needs then responsibly and generously provide for them.
Some examples include praying with and providing financial help for single mothers, people in job transition, people suffering from AIDS and homelessness, mentoring and counseling to emotionally distressed people and financial counseling. We also reply to requests for phone calls and prayer on the feedback cards from Sunday services, and refer people to pastors, counseling services and other ministries that Redeeming Grace partners with (such as City Team, First Resort, etc.). In the past we have been able to serve Hurricane Katrina victims through financial support and by sending a team to the hurricane site to participate in the rebuilding efforts.