2019
Mercy Ministry Update | November
Mercy Ministries, Mercy Update | by Pastor Justin Keogh
The Mercy Ministry Updates are a regular snapshot of our Mercy Ministries in DCC, where we are working to serve and uphold the value and dignity of God’s most vulnerable image-bearers in our city. Each update highlights one of our focus areas and current prayer requests across all of our focus areas.
Gospel Framework
The Bible, as God’s inspired word, displays God’s good design and our radical need for a savior, found only in Jesus, and calls us to live out our new identity in Christ as we engage the world around us.
“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be bless in his doing.” (James 1:22-25)
God’s Word instructs every aspect of our lives so that we may more fully glorify him and enjoy him forever. Here, in his letter to the early Christians, James is calling us beyond mental assent or cultural acceptance, inviting us to a life that displays the truths of God’s Word. He goes on to connect this with the call to “visit orphans and widows in their affliction and to keep oneself unstained from the world” (James 1:27b). Here, we see that the call to be doers of the Word envelopes our whole lives, both in our hearts and minds, and in how we love and serve others. We do not have to prove ourselves or earn our salvation through works because we have been made his children through Christ’s life, death, and resurrection. And because of Christ’s work on our behalf, we can live and serve others joyously and generously for their good and God’s glory.
Mercy Focus Highlight: Mercy Ministry Training
Scripture is full of imperatives for us to serve others – not to earn God’s love, but in response to God’s lavish and gracious love for us. But how exactly are we to go about serving those around us in our city?
This year we are hosting a Mercy Ministry Training on various topics every quarter. We had our first one last Sunday with a great turnout of folks who were eager to learn more about engaging with our city in terms of mercy. Please save the date for the next one–Sunday, February 9th at 11 am. More details will be posted on our Mercy Ministries website.
Partner Prayer Requests
Please join us in praying for the people impacted and involved in each of these focus areas.
Homelessness and UGM
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Pray for the homeless that they will be kept from physical and emotional harm and that they might find hope in Christ through UGM’s outreach and recovery programs.
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Pray for us to be welcoming and loving people to all of our neighbors as God’s image-bearers.
Foster Care & Adoption
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November is National Adoption Awareness Month. Pray that God would continue to draw families to foster care and adoption, that the church would live out God’s concern for vulnerable children.
- Pray for families to be equipped to care for the children they’ve adopted long term with all the various issues and trials that will come.
Refugees
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Pray that as the nations come to us, that we as the local church would make the most of every opportunity to make Jesus’s name known and great among them, so that they may be glad and rejoice in the good news of the Kingdom (Psalm 67:3-4).
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Pray for our brothers and sisters that are being persecuted around the world for their faith in Christ. Pray specifically for countries such as North Korea, Afghanistan, Somalia, Libya, and Pakistan.
Juvenile Detention
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Pray for the youth currently in detention, that they would not be defined by their incarceration status but find their identity as a child of God.
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Pray for godly volunteers willing to serve as mentors, pointing youth to Christ.
Life Project
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Pray for a full-time nurse for the CareNet mobile unit, so they can expand into downtown Seattle. Ultimately, Care Net is in need of more staff nurses, ministry wide.
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Pray for those who have chosen abortion(s) and are now understanding their ongoing trauma and feelings of shame. Pray specifically for those seeking care/recovery from Care Net and that the staff/volunteers can help these women process through their choice of abortion, hopefully leading them to Christ. Praise that some of these women seeking care are also now choosing life for their current pregnancies.
Stay Connected
Join the focus area city groups in order to hear more regular updates, events, and opportunities to serve.