Mercy Ministries Graduates Share Their Stories In An Unforgettable Way!

This is something you have to see for yourself! On Friday, December 10th, we had our Merry Mercy Christmas celebration in Nashville, TN, and over 25 graduates put together a surprise presentation that touched the hearts of everyone there. We were able to capture it on video and wanted to share this amazing moment with you.

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Christian Rock Band, Circleslide, Sings With Mercy Girls!

The talented guys from up and coming Christian rock band, Circleslide, were so moved by the work being done at Mercy Ministries, they knew they had to do something to help! Little did we know what an adventure was in store for everyone! Gabe Martinez (guitar, lead vocals, harmonica), Eric Vickers (bass, vocals), Jonathan DeAnda (electric guitar, vocals), and Lee Yoder (drums) came to one of our graduation ceremonies last August to perform for the girls and learn more about our ministry. Here’s what they had to say about that experience:

Behind the Scenes with Mercy Ministries on SuperTalk 99.7!

It has been an amazing two weeks since launching our new live radio show, Mercy Multiplied, on 99.7 WTN. We have been getting some great feedback from our listeners and we hope you are spreading the word! We thought you might enjoy this quick look behind the scenes at SuperTalk 99.7 WTN with Nancy Alcorn and Mercy Multiplied.

St. Louis Residents Give Back to Their Community

Our St. Louis residents and staff had a great time last week at the St. Louis Dream Center putting together Thanksgiving food baskets for needy families.  Watch this video and hear straight from our residents on why they love volunteering:

Nashville Runs for Mercy!!!

Check out the full story here!

St. Louis Runs for Mercy in Biggest Race Yet!

The weather was absolutely perfect as over 500 people gathered at the starting line to show their support for Mercy Ministries in the St. Louis Run for Mercy 5K and Family Walk this weekend. We had double the amount of participants this year and double the amount of money raised for a total of $55,000!!! This is the most money ever raised at one of our 5K events! Serious runners, mothers with strollers, families, and even dogs turned out to participate in this fun family event. Check it out!

Mercy Ministries Graduate Speaks at Catalyst 2010 Luncheon

Check out this amazing video of Mercy graduate, Kim Brownie, speaking at a luncheon for women in ministry at Catalyst 2010!

Mercy Ministries Celebrates 22 Baptisms!!!

Tuesday night in an awesome demonstration of the healing and transformation that takes place at Mercy Ministries, 22 young women from our California home were baptized! The special baptism service and dinner were held at the home of Buzz Oates, key supporter of Mercy Ministries. Buzz, a commercial real-estate developer from the Sacramento area, gave $2.5 million and the land for the building of the Lincoln home through the Buzz Oates Charitable Foundation.

It was an incredible night of celebration and praise for the lives changed as well as a time for the girls to show their gratitude to some of the California home’s biggest supporters. One of the residents, after being baptized, walked straight to Buzz Oates and said, “Thank you for helping to save my life.”

Greg and Kathy Fairrington, pastors of Sunset Christian Center and daughter and son-in-law of Buzz Oates were there as well as Lou Engle, Founder of The Call. Check out this inspiring video from the special night:

With the help of faithful supporters who are the lifeline of Mercy Ministries, we are able to give hurting young women the help they so desperately need. However, there are still room sponsorships available for the California home as well as much needed support for our current operations! If you are interested in knowing what needs still exist or would like to sponsor a room, contact Kaci Davis, Community Relations Manager at kdavis@mercyministries.com. Thank you!!!!

Christian Rock Band, Circleslide, Visits Mercy Ministries

Last week, residents at the Nashville home were so excited to have up and coming Christian rock band, Circleslide, visit the home. Members of the band, Gabe Martinez (guitar, lead vocals, harmonica), Eric Vickers (bass, vocals), Jonathan DeAnda (electric guitar, vocals), and Lee Yoder (drums) toured the home Thursday morning and performed their soon to be released single “Looking Up” at the opening of the graduation ceremony. Here’s what lead singer, Gabe Martinez and drummer, Lee Yoder, had to say about the experience:

"The band and I were not prepared for the life-changing event that was our visit to Mercy Ministries. Touring the facilities, meeting the wonderful staff, and participating in the graduation will not soon be forgotten. Etched in our memory is the way the Mercy staff pours into each girl in the program with attentiveness to their uniqueness and personality. The time of worship was sweet and rich, radiating with each girls individual story and reminding me of the power of God's redemption. We were so humbled by the experience and each of us walked away in awe of how God’s grace has the ability to restore us all.”
-Gabe Martinez

“From the moment I walked in the doors at Mercy Ministries, I knew God's work was being done there. The thought that kept running through my mind as we were touring the facilities and then sitting in the graduation ceremony was ‘This feels like home.’ To hear the stories, and see pictures of where Amanda, Sarah, and Kara (the graduates) were before coming to Mercy brought tears to nearly everyone’s eyes. But as the girls finished their testimonies, those tears of disgust and sorrow turned into tears of joy and praise to God, because the healing that took place in the girls’ lives was so undeniable. I've always known that Love is a powerful thing. I have an even better grip on how powerful it is now. After seeing the lives changed, because of the love displayed to "the least of these," I would encourage everyone who has thought about it, to invest into Mercy Ministries!”
- Lee Yoder

Check out this video of the band performing at the graduation ceremony:

Mercy Ministries Goes to Gold's Gym in California

Residents and staff at the Lincoln home have been blessed with the opportunity to work out three days a week at their local Gold’s Gym. The gym is owned by Mercy Ministries Community Board members, Joe and Diane Wenson. Joe and Diane have given free memberships to all residents and staff, attend every graduation at the Lincoln home and have even offered to help employ any graduate who is staying in the area.

Check out this great video of Joe and Diane and some of the Mercy girls working out:

Mercy Ministries Special Thank You to CAbi

Residents of the Nashville home were surprised with a “shopping spree”, when 40 boxes of designer clothes arrived at the home thanks to The Heart of CAbi Foundation! There were hundreds of items for the girls to choose from and for some of them, the clothes were the nicest they had ever owned. All of the other Mercy homes will receive similar clothes donations in the next few days! Here is what one of our staff members who witnessed the spree had to say:

What a privilege it was to pass out these beautiful clothes to the Nashville residents. It was incredible to see the looks of shock on their faces when they found out the clothes were free. Their faces really lit up when they came in to “model” what they got! Each girl felt so beautiful and blessed by this amazing CAbi donation. A huge thank you to The Heart of CAbi Foundation for blessing Mercy Ministries in this way.—Whitney Nall, Nashville Community Relations Manager

The Heart of CAbi Foundation is an extension of CAbi, a designer clothing company that provides a personal shopping experience through home-based parties. Here is the mission of The Heart of CAbi Foundation as described on their website:

(From the website)
Established in 2005, The Heart of CAbi Foundation, in partnership with CAbi, LLC, works to fulfill the mission of providing the poor and disenfranchised women of the world a greater opportunity and realization of empowerment through the gifts of our clothing, our financial support, and our volunteer efforts, all given in the spirit of God’s love.

Thanks to The Heart of CAbi Foundation and founder Carol Anderson for a donation that will allow these young women to walk into the future with style!

UK Friend, Steve Gambill, Visits Mercy Ministries in Nashville

Steve and Charlotte Gambill from Abundant Life Church in Bradford, England visited the Nashville Mercy Ministries home last week. During the afternoon session, Steve encouraged our residents to build their lives on who Jesus is, and that as they follow Jesus, they will begin to see the impossible become possible. This was an amazing time of ministry. To learn more about Steve Gambill or Abundant Life Church, visit www.alm.org.uk.

Charlotte Gambill shares a timely message about being a life-giver at Mercy Ministries

Steve and Charlotte Gambill from Abundant Life Church in Bradford, England joined Mercy Ministries’ Nashville residents and staff in order to share strong encouragement and instructive teaching. The day started with Charlotte speaking to all the girls and staff. She shared about being a life-giver, through the words we speak and our attitudes! Her message was so timely and encouraging for everyone. To learn more about Charlotte Gambill or Abundant Life Church, visit www.alm.org.uk.

Mercy Ministries Graduate Tara Knott Featured on Better Nashville

Tara Knott seemed like any ordinary teenager, but after her grandfather past away, she began restricting food and developed an eating disorder. After many failed attempts to find help at treatment centers, Tara applied to Mercy Ministries, a Christ-centered residential program. During her time at Mercy, Tara began looking at herself in a different light. She now knows she is loved and beautiful, inside and out, and is pursuing a degree at Belmont University.
SOURCE: Channel 4 News, Nashville (www.wsmv.com/video/23105265/index.html) * This video is used with permission from Channel 4 News

Singer Dorothy Savage shares with the residents of Mercy Ministries Nashville, TN

Singer, Dorothy Savage visited the Nashville Mercy Ministries home today in order to share several songs from her recently released album, “Glorious Mess.” Dorothy also used this opportunity to share how she overcame a scarred childhood of deprivation and insecurity through her close friendship with Jesus. Having struggled with Bulimia as a result of her deep emotional scars, Dorothy gives God the credit for her transformed life and celebrates her calling in ministry. To learn more about Dorothy Savage, visit her website at www.dorothysavage.com. Purchase her debut album online at http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/glorious-mess/id350190432

Merry Mercy Christmas Highlights

The Merry Mercy Christmas benefit was amazing! We were blessed with performances by Tommy Sims, Tammy Trent and Jars of Clay. Graduates also shared their awesome testimonies of how God was able to totally transform their lives.

Gospel Singer, Terry Warren, Visits Mercy Ministries

Residents enjoyed their special worship time led by country and gospel singer, Terry Warren, who not only performs inspirational vocals, but also shares a down-to-earth message of hope and healing. Terry is always excited and honored to use his talent and his ministry to bless Mercy's residents. Terry shared his testimony of how God has been working through him to overcome negative thinking and is blessing his desire to share Christ through his music. The girls especially loved his song “Just a Prayer Away” that spoke of how during our darkest valleys in life we should call upon God for strength.

To learn more about Terry Warren visit http://www.myspace.com/terrywarrencom.