2019
Mercy Ministry Update | May
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, as well as provide a listing of upcoming events, 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.
“For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who is not partial and takes no bribe. He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing. Love the sojourner, therefore, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt.” Deuteronomy 10:17-19
In Deuteronomy 10, God tells Israel about his great love and awesome glory. But he does more than simply tell them; in his wisdom, God reveals his love for them and his power over all things by weaving into Israel’s story a sojourn in and rescue out of Egypt. Israel’s time in Egypt, and their redemption by God out of Pharoah’s hand, serve as undeniable, historical declarations of God’s love and might. These attributes are rooted in his character, and he weaves them into Israel’s story, and then he calls them to love the sojourners in their midst. The same is true for us as it was for Israel. God’s love for us and power for us are just as profound, bringing life to dead sinners, bringing those who were far off into unity with God in Christ (Ephesians 2). Like Israel, we were sojourners, apart from God. Like Israel, we have been given God’s love and grace in Christ. And like Israel, God calls us to live a life that is transformed by his love, a life that glorifies God in the way we love others.
Mercy Focus Highlight: Refugees
As a church we support and partner with several mercy ministries and want to share and highlight their on-going work.
Over 30,000 refugees live in Washington, making Washington one of the top 10 refugee-receiving states (representing 0.4% of WA population). Refugees arriving to the US often come with nothing but the clothes on their backs, often fleeing persecution and face political, cultural, and linguistic barriers as they seek a safe refuge and better life. For those that are provided entry into the US, restarting can be a very lonely and challenging experience. Organizations like World Relief Seattle aim to meet those refugees who’ve become our neighbors through practical material assistance, legal and economic programs, and meaningful relationships. Through partnerships with local churches, World Relief Seattle connects Christians to these arriving refugees in various ways, enabling the love of God to be tangibly expressed and received.
Join us this Sunday, 5/5, at 1pm, to learn more about what makes someone a Refugee, how they come to our neighbors in Seattle, and how we can serve them alongside organizations like World Relief. You can also join our Mercy Focus: Refugee group in Planning Center.
Upcoming Events
Not all events are sponsored or hosted by DCC, but serve those in our focus areas. See linked details for each.
- Thursday 5/2 | Night of Prayer – We will be setting aside some time this evening to pray for REST’s ministry and for those who are being exploited in the sex trade. If you are interested in joining to pray, please email Micah at for details.
- Friday 5/3 | All Our Friends Fest – REST is hosting an upcoming art show and auction featuring many local artists. All proceeds will go to benefiting REST and the clients they serve.
- Sunday 5/5 | DCC Info Session – Refugees – We will be hosting an info session this Sunday after the 11 AM gathering to grow in our biblical understanding of God’s love for the refugee and how that impacts us today.
- Saturday 5/18 | A Night with NuHope – REST is partnering with NuHope for a fundraising event which will serve REST’s ministry and provide a fun opportunity for support!
- Saturday 7/13 | Serve the City – Mark your calendars! This year’s Serve the City is scheduled for July 13th! We’ll have the gift of joyfully serving together at Gatewood Elementary in West Seattle!
Partner Prayer Requests
Please join us in praying for the people impacted and involved in each of these focus areas.
Homelessness and UGM
- Pray for our city leadership, to be able to make wise and helpful legislation that ultimately serves those experiencing homelessness in Seattle.
- Pray for those going through the UGM programs, to find healing and recovery through faith in Jesus. Pray that we would be a welcoming people to those who are struggling and homeless.
Foster Care & Adoption
- Pray for more foster and adoptive families willing and equipped to take children with special needs, especially high medical needs. Pray for the families already taking medically fragile children that they would have a support community and receive rest.
- Pray for the children to not be defined by their diagnosis but as a child of God.
Refugees
- Pray for mutual love and edification between U.S.-born and immigrant sisters and brothers in the American church.
- Pray that the church in America will be unified in loving and caring for immigrants so that together, we can testify to God’s love for all of us through his son, Jesus Christ.
Sex Trafficking and REST
- Pray for the growth of REST’s recently established Integrated Health Clinic, which provides medical, mental health, and chemical dependency care to those in need. Pray for the clients that will be helped and cared for through the IHC.
- Pray that God’s truth and love would be made known on every street in our city, and that he will bring freedom and peace to those who are being exploited.
Juvenile Detention
- Pray for the youth currently in detention, that they would hear of God’s love through Christian mentors serving them.
- Pray for the families of youth, to be safe and stable, so that youth leaving detention can return to healthy environments.
Life Project
- Pray for their abortion-minded clients; that they ultimately chose life for their child — pray for positive influence from family and their community that will support them and encourage them to continue in their pregnancy, and support them when children are born.
- Praise that CareNet has been able to find a new facility, and pray for the plans to offer extended hours in Seattle through this location and the mobile unit!
Stay Connected
Join the focus area city groups in order to hear more regular updates, events, and opportunities to serve.