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.

GOSPEL FRAMEWORK
As God’s inspired Word, the Bible 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.

Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God,
who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, who keeps faith forever;
who executes justice for the oppressed, who gives food to the hungry.

The Lord sets the prisoners free; the Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous.
The Lord watches over the sojourners; he upholds the widow and the fatherless,
but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.

Psalm 146:5-9

In Psalm 146, and throughout Scripture, we see God’s care for his people on the margins of society – the oppressed, the hungry, the prisoners, the blind, the sojourners, the widows, and the fatherless. While neglected and cast aside by society, God affirms their dignity and value by attending to their needs. This is a picture of our own condition: we are blind, slaves to our sinful nature, alienated from God, without help or hope, and spiritually dead apart from God’s gracious intervention in Christ (John 9; Rom 5:6-11, 6:15-23; Eph. 2:1-12). God’s caring heart is meant to be the example we follow, as we “go and do likewise” for others in their physical and spiritual needs (Luke 10:25-37).

It is this love and grace bestowed on us in Christ that animates our service toward others through our Mercy Ministries. These ministries serve those on the margins of our city, seeking to declare and demonstrate this good news. We do this through various partnerships, events, and Mercy Focus Areas – which provide a multitude of opportunities to do good to our neighbors in need. Read more below about our current focus areas and upcoming events to find out how you can join us in serving this season.

REFUGEES
Through our partnership with World Relief of Western Washington, we’re hoping to launch a “Good Neighbor Team” to care for a newly arriving family in the new year. Join us for an info session on Sunday, November 24 at 9am to learn more! Register here.

BLOOD DONATION DRIVE
We’re hosting our next blood donation drive with Bloodworks Northwest on Wednesday, December 4, between 9am-3pm. Blood donations are a simple, safe, and life-saving way to tangibly bless our neighbors. Donations are used for treating patients with trauma, cancer, or other serious conditions. Sign up to donate here.

HOMELESSNESS
As a church downtown with many homeless neighbors, we’ve partnered with Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission to address the great need in our city. It can be overwhelming at times to know how we can help, so we’re hosting UGM for a training on engaging homelessness on Sunday, December 8, at 12p following the gathering (lunch will be provided). Register here.

FAMILY ADVOCACY MINISTRY
We’ve combined our Life and Foster Care and Adoption focus areas into one Family Advocacy Ministry. We are working with youth in foster care this season by helping with the Washington State Department of Children, Youth and Families’ (DCYF) Christmas gift giveaway. We’ll be sorting gifts on Saturday afternoon, December 14. Register here.

STAY CONNECTED
These events are just a snapshot of the ways in which we serve throughout the year. You can learn more through our Mercy Ministries webpage, and consider joining our ongoing focus area groups in Church Center to hear more regular updates, events, and opportunities to serve:

• Mercy Focus: Family Advocacy
• Mercy Focus: Homelessness
• Mercy Focus: Refugees

For the Kingdom,
Pastor Justin

Mercy Ministries, Mercy Update, Serve the City | by Pastor Justin Keogh

DCC,

We serve our city, because we have been served beyond measure by Christ (Matt. 20:25-28). We are not saved by our works, we are saved by faith (Rom. 3:21-4:8), but saving faith is one that works from the grace we've received (Jas. 2:14-26)!

Last month, we completed our first of three Serve the City events this summer. A huge THANK YOU to everyone who came out! We had 85 participants at Myrtle Edwards for a wonderful early summer day with sunshine, and lots of great work accomplished. See below for some of our favorite snapshots from the day!

Part 2: Mariners' Day of Service on Friday, 6/23

Our second event this summer is in partnership with the Seattle Mariners and will take place next Friday, June 23rd, from 9 am – 12 pm. DCC will be leading the efforts focused on Pioneer Square by picking up trash, painting out graffiti, and landscaping projects. Like our prior event, this will be a great opportunity to get outside, make a positive impact on our city, and serve alongside our neighbors.

While the Mariners team will be traveling, some familiar faces from the franchise as well as many local business owners and city representatives are going to be joining us for the event too. We'll have projects for all ages—so bring the family, coworkers, and neighbors!

Friday?? Yes, Friday.

This event is happening on a Friday, which might be a challenge for folks working a Monday to Friday 9-to-5 schedule, so not everyone will be able to make it. But, did you know that many companies are offering volunteer days/credits for events just like this one? Ask your HR to see if you've got a volunteer option for the morning. Many of those in our church body work on other shifts, or have flexibility on Fridays, so we're still hoping for a fun turnout from DCC as we partner with many others from around the city next Friday, rain or shine! Register today:

Register

Stay Connected

Our Serve the City events are just one part of how we care for our city. You can learn more about our Mercy Ministries HERE, and also join our ongoing focus area groups to hear more regular updates, events, and opportunities to serve:

• DCC Blood Drive with Bloodworks NW on 7/27
• Mercy Focus: Homelessness
• Mercy Focus: Life Project
• Mercy Focus: Refugees

For the Kingdom,
Pastor Justin

One Seattle Day of Service, May 20th, 2023

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.

For more regular updates in each focus area, please request to join our Mercy Focus groups in Church Center (linked below) and join us in our upcoming service events (details below).

Gospel Framework

As God's inspired word, the Bible 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 seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare."
– Jeremiah 29:7

While Israel was in exile in Babylon (as a consequence of their failure to follow the Lord, no less!), God spoke through the prophet Jeremiah to call them to be a faithful presence while they waited for God to bring about their return to Israel. For Israel in exile in Babylon, this was a call to trust God to fulfill his promises and seek the welfare of their city. For us now as Christians in Seattle 2023, this is a call to seek the welfare of our city, knowing that we are 'living as exiles' in the world, looking to the future return of Christ to complete the good work he started in us and the world.

We have already tasted the goodness of our King and begun to experience the new realities of his Kingdom, yet we still await the final fulfillment of all things! So, while we wait, the church is called to act as salt (a preserving force) and light (a guiding force) to our city. In short, we're called to be a faithful presence.

Serve The City

This summer, instead of a single Serve the City event, we're partnering with three different organizations over the next three months to give us various ways to serve alongside our neighbors for the good of our city. These partner events are a great way for us to serve others, and to build relationships with our neighbors as we serve! Our hope in creating multiple smaller events is that everyone can participate in some way over the summer, increasing our impact and building on our previous service events. Save the dates for our upcoming events:

• One Seattle Day of Service – Saturday, May 20th, 9 am to 12 pm | Myrtle Edwards Park
• Together WA Day of Service – Saturday, June 24th, 9 am to 12 pm | Downtown
• Bloodworks NW Drive – Thursday, July 27th, 9 am to 3 pm (30-min slots) | DCC Building

One Seattle Day of Service

The first of these events is only three weeks away, on Saturday, May 20th, from 9 am to 12 pm, at Myrtle Edwards Park. We're partnering with the Mayor's Office and the Seattle Parks Department to lead an effort to beautify the park through trash pickup and landscaping.

We'll have cleaning and landscaping projects around the park with options for all ages, so this is a great chance for families, friends, and communities to serve together. DCC will lead about eight teams working on various projects, so the registration form asks if you'd be willing to be a team lead, which involves coming an hour early. We'll have the projects mapped out and provide all the tools for the work, so you can show up the day ready to serve. Rain or shine, this will be a great day of working together in our neighborhood! Please register today:

Register Here

Stay Connected

Our Serve the City events are just one part of how we care for our city. You can learn more about our Mercy Ministries HERE, and also join our ongoing focus area groups to hear more regular updates, events, and opportunities to serve:

• Mercy Focus: Homelessness
• Mercy Focus: Life Project
• Mercy Focus: Refugees

For the Kingdom,
Pastor Justin

Mercy Ministries, Serve the City | by Pastor Justin Keogh

Downtown Cornerstone,

This Saturday, from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm, we've got the opportunity to partner with our neighbors around Seattle in Together Washington's Day of Service. This Day of Service is a great chance to meet others while we bless our city through tangible projects of cleaning, graffiti removal, and light landscaping. Read more and register HERE.

Living As Faithful Exiles

During Israel's exile in Babylon, the prophet Jeremiah wrote to the exiles reminding them of God's sovereign purposes in their exile and his faithfulness to all of his promises. Jeremiah called Israel to do good while they wait for the Lord's redemption:

“Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare."
– Jeremiah 29:4-7

Jesus and the apostles apply this theme of exile to Christians in the world. Jesus says "I chose you out of this world" and prayed that we would remain faithful in the world, but not be of the world (John 15:19; 17:15-16). That is, because of God's grace to us in Christ, our earthly lives are not our ultimate end—when God adopts us, we become heirs to an eternal kingdom—and our hope is set fully on our eternal dwelling with God in heaven.

Yet this does not cause us to withdraw from the world but rather motivates us to love and serve others freely, knowing God has purposes for our faithful living as exiles. The Apostle Peter writes:

"Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evil doers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation…For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God."
– 1 Peter 2:11-12,15-16

So as exiles in this world, we are to do good and seek the welfare of our city, declaring and demonstrating the love of God, found preeminently in the person and work of Jesus as our Savior.

Serving The City

We have often served in tangible ways around our city, and we have an opportunity to do so again this Saturday by participating in Together Washington's Day of Service. Like many of our Serve the City events, this will be a family-friendly time to come together and bless our city. But in addition to this, we will be serving alongside our neighbors outside of DCC, which we pray will create opportunities to declare the good news of Jesus as our motivation for loving the city as we do.

No specific skills or training are required; simply register, bring friends and family, and show up to help on the 21st!
Register Here

For the glory of our King and the good of many,
Pastor Justin

Mercy Ministries, Mercy Update | by Pastor Justin Keogh

DCC is partnering with Bloodworks Northwest for a blood donation drive on Wednesday, December 7th. Read more below and sign up to donate HERE.

THE HEART

As God’s people, we are loved and saved by Jesus and called to be a new redeemed people who love God with our whole being and love our neighbors as ourselves (1 Peter 2:9-10; Matthew 22:34-40). Scripture is full of encouragements and exhortations for God’s people to act in order to meet the spiritual and physical needs of our neighbors (Leviticus 19:18; Isaiah 58:6-8; Luke 10:25-37; Galatians 6:10; Titus 3:14; James 1:26-27; 1 John 3:16-18). As such, we talk about being a declaring and demonstrating community: declaring the good news of the gospel to meet people’s greatest need to be reconciled with God, and demonstrating the love of God in tangible acts of mercy to meet the physical needs of our neighbors.

The ways in which we serve are shaped by the stewardship of everything that God has graciously entrusted to us as stewards, the particular passions he’s cultivated by his Spirit in our hearts, and the unique needs of those he’s sovereignly placed around us. And it is through these things that we’ve come to partnering with Bloodworks Northwest to host a blood donation drive next week. Led by members of DCC, this drive is an opportunity for us to both hospitably welcome our neighbors, as well as tangibly care for their needs.

THE NEED

Donating blood is a simple, tangible, and life-saving way to bless our neighbors. Blood donations are used to help folks in emergency situations, those undergoing various cancer treatments, and those under chronic conditions.

While there is a perpetual need to maintain a critical supply of blood for emergencies, there are points of greater need when either the demand increases, or the supply decreases. And just this week, in light of the winter weather, a significant number of donations were cancelled or rescheduled—meaning our donations next week are especially important.

THE OPPORTUNITY

As a way of making blood donations as convenient as possible, Bloodworks Northwest hosts pop-up donations around the city, in order to get closer to where people live and work.

Next Wednesday, December 7th, we will be serving as a host and providing blood donors, while Bloodworks brings in the medical equipment and staffing to collect enough blood to serve over 100 people.

Each donor gives about a pint of blood which our bodies naturally replace over the coming days and weeks. The whole process takes less than an hour, with the actual donation taking about 10 minutes. There is a simple health check prior to donation to ensure that a donation will not be detrimental to the donor or the potential recipient.

Click Here To Sign Up

If you are unable to donate on Wednesday at DCC, you can also sign up to donate at another time and location here. Every donation counts!

Let’s pray that we fill every available spot to donate (and then some!), that our space would be full of Christ-exalting conversations while we donate, and that we’d be a tangible blessing to our neighbors through this donation drive.

LEARN MORE

• To learn more about donating blood, check out Bloodworks NW’s Need to Know page or watch this short video (1 min).
• To learn more about other opportunities to serve our neighbors, visit DCC's Mercy Ministries webpage, or join one of the Mercy Ministry Groups on Church Center.

For the Kingdom,
Pastor Justin

Mercy Ministries, Photos, Serve the City | by Pastor Justin Keogh

On Saturday, July 9th, over 100 folks from DCC and our Belltown neighborhood came together at Myrtle Edwards Park for our 8th annual Serve the City event. It was a great day serving together as we enjoyed the beauty of God’s creation and built new relationships with friends and neighbors.

Over the day, ten teams worked to remove graffiti, pick up trash, and do significant landscaping along the well-loved paths in the park. Thank you to everyone who made the day a great success!

We serve in events like this as a small way of being salt (a preserving agent), light (a guiding tool), and a faithful presence as part of our witness to Christ in Seattle (Matt. 5:13-16; Dan. 6:3,22).

Learn more about our efforts to serve our city through our Mercy Ministries website, and be on the lookout for upcoming opportunities to serve the city with us! And come gather with us at the same Myrtle Edwards Park on Saturday, August 27th, for our annual Picnic at the Park!

For the King and His Kingdom,
Pastor Justin

Event, Mercy Ministries, Serve the City, Service | by Pastor Justin Keogh

Downtown Cornerstone,

In just over two weeks, on Saturday, July 9th, from 9 am – 1 pm, we'll gather at Myrtle Edwards Park as a body to serve and bless our neighbors through our 8th annual Serve the City event!

Being a Faithful Presence

As we've been studying Daniel, one of the themes that have stood out to me is being a faithful presence. Daniel remained faithful to God and served where he was—even serving the King of Babylon, who took him and his people into exile. Daniel didn't withdraw in light of the exile or the promise of future return. Instead, he stewarded his time and energies for the good of those around him while trusting in God's work above and through it (Dan. 1:17-21; 6:3; 6:22; 8:27).

We see this same theme throughout the Bible. Abraham, and later Israel, is meant to be a blessing to the nations (Gen. 12:3). Israel, while in exile, was instructed to seek their city's welfare (Jer. 29:7). And we see Jesus himself embody and fulfill this purpose of doing good to those around him through his life, miracles, and ultimately, his death and resurrection—securing forgiveness and salvation for his people (2 Cor. 2:20-22)!

Being Salt & Light

In Matthew 5:13-16, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus instructs his disciples (and thereby, us, his church) to be salt (a preserving force) and light (a guiding force) to those around them. How are we do to this? He says: Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Of course, we understand that these good works come from hearts that have been transformed by the grace of God (Titus 2:11-14), in accordance with God's commandments to know and love him and love our neighbor (Matt. 22:34-39; John 6:28-29), and to give glory to God, and not to ourselves (Matt. 6:1-4).

Serving the City

One of the many ways our DCC family has sought to be salt & light is through our annual Serve the City event. We look forward to serving our city in this way each summer as we work together to make an impact in a short time while making meaningful connections with others. It's a time of joyful labor and fellowship as we live out our calling to be a faithful presence in the city God has placed us. And this year, we're able to resume our large-scale service while partnering with our neighbors in Belltown to serve in our backyard at Myrtle Edwards Park.

Whether you've been at all seven prior Serve the City events or have not yet had the chance to serve with us in these ways, July 9th is a great time to jump in. Our Serve the City event is a simple, tangible, fun, family-friendly way to serve—and it never disappoints! No specific skills or training are required; simply register, bring friends and family, and show up to help on the 9th.

Register Today!

So we can plan accordingly, please register to let us know you're coming. Please indicate any interest in being a team leader when you register. Bring your communities and friends!

Register

For the glory of our King and the good of many,
Pastor Justin

P. S. For a little taste of Serve the City, check out this video from prior years.

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.

For more regular updates in each focus area, please request to join our Mercy Focus groups in Church Center (linked below) and join us at this Sunday's Mercy Meetup (details below).

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.

"And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith."
– Galatians 6:9-10

It's 2022! If we're honest, as the Covid-19 pandemic approaches the two-year mark, many of us may be weary—generally, and also in our service to others. Even while the Galatians faced many challenges—false teachers, ethnic conflict, internal strife, battles with sin—Paul calls them to persist in doing good to everyone as they had opportunity. 

It's helpful to recognize that while the particulars of our situation may be different than the churches in Galatia, many of the patterns are the same. Every season will have many and varying challenges that threaten to keep us from right living before God and right living with others. Our call as Christians, who have received the grace of God by faith in Christ and who have the Spirit of God at work in us, is to not grow weary of doing good.

How are we to persevere in doing good? We do so, not in our strength, but by abiding in Christ and drawing our daily power from him. He has loved and cared for us in the most significant ways by dying in our place to secure our forgiveness and restoration with God. And he continues to love and care for us in the details of our lives by being present with us, interceding for us, and working all things to our ultimate good. So we can look to Christ and be strengthened by his Spirit to live as he did—in radical service to others, by being present with them, interceding for them, and caring for their material and spiritual needs.

Mercy Ministry Meetup: This Sunday, January 23rd

Join us this Sunday, after each gathering, downstairs in the MPR, for our next Mercy Meetup. In this meetup, there will be a brief update from me and our current Mercy Ministries, including more information about how to serve in this season. While many of the ways we have traditionally served have changed in light of Covid-19, there are still opportunities to help now, both individually and with others.

This is an excellent place for those looking to get started, ask questions, meet others, and take the next step in serving with our Mercy Ministries. Registration is not required—just plan to join us this Sunday after either gathering downstairs in the MPR.

Stay Connected

Learn more about our Mercy Ministries HERE. Join the focus area Church Center groups in order to hear more regular updates, events, and opportunities to serve:

• Mercy Focus: Homelessness
• Mercy Focus: Life Project
• Mercy Focus: Refugees

For the Kingdom,

Pastor Justin

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.

For more regular updates in each focus area, please request to join our Mercy Focus groups in Church Center (linked below) and join us at this Sunday's Mercy Meetup (details below).

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.

"Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross."
– Philippians 2:3-8

Philippians 2 is a beautiful reminder of Jesus' humble posture and loving pursuit of us (while we were dead in our sin, even!), which calls us to take a humble posture and make loving pursuit of those around us (who are far from us, even!). Because Christ had set aside his position and all that was rightfully his to be born as a baby, to grow and live as a man, and to die a criminal's death on our behalf, we can be forgiven and restored to God. And as we are forgiven and restored with God, we are also given a new relationship to others—we are called to be like Christ in his love and sacrificial service toward others. While Paul is writing to the church, calling them to love and serve one another, we know that our love and service will extend beyond the church to anyone who we find in need (Gal. 6:10).

Our city has no shortage of God's image bearers who are in vulnerable situations—youth experiencing foster care, women facing pregnancy crisis, refugees fleeing persecution, and many experiencing homelessness. We want to bring the good news of Jesus—in word, and in action—to those who society most readily ignores. God has given them dignity, value, and worth—and we want to consider them more significant than ourselves, by serving their practical needs and sharing the greatest news in the world.

Mercy Ministry Meetup: This Sunday, September 19th

Join us this Sunday, after each gathering, downstairs in the MPR, for our next Mercy Meetup. This brief, informal meetup will be a time to introduce yourself, meet our ministry leaders, learn more about the vision and mission of our Mercy Ministries, and get connected to ways to serve within our Mercy Ministries. Come for a few minutes to check in with one of our focus areas, or stay for the short duration and meet all four of our mercy partners.

This is an excellent place for those who are looking to get started, ask questions, meet others, and take the next step in serving with our Mercy Ministries. Registration is not required—just plan to join us this Sunday after worship.

Stay Connected

Learn more about our Mercy Ministries HERE. Join the focus area Church Center groups in order to hear more regular updates, events, and opportunities to serve:

• Mercy Focus: Foster Care & Adoption
• Mercy Focus: Homelessness
• Mercy Focus: Life Project
• Mercy Focus: Refugees

For the Kingdom,

Pastor Justin

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. For more regular updates in each focus area, please request to join our Mercy Focus groups in Church Center (linked below).

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.

¹ Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, ² to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people. ³ For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. ⁴ But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, ⁵ he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, ⁶ whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, ⁷ so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. ⁸ The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people…¹⁴ And let our people learn to devote themselves to good works, so as to help cases of urgent need, and not be unfruitful.
– Titus 3:1-8, 14

Titus chapter 3 gives us a beautiful summary of the gospel—our nature and need of salvation (v.3) and the gift of God's grace in Christ (vv.4-7)—and connects our salvation with our response of living a gracious life of service to others (v.1, v.8, v.14). We see in these few verses the precise relationship between grace and works: that "he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to His mercy" (v.5), which then leads us to be devoted to good works that are excellent and profitable for people (v.8) and in particular cases of urgent need (v.14).

The grace of God changes our hearts and enables us to love Him and others. Jesus summarized the whole law with these two dimensions: first, a whole-life devotion to God, and second, a love of others (Matt. 22:34-40). The apostles James and John reiterate the relationship between faith and works in their letters (as Paul does in his): that saving faith is faith in God's work for us that produces good works to others (James 2:14-26; 1 John 4:7-21). As we reflect and cherish God's grace and mercy to us when we were apart from him, it will motivate us to extend grace and mercy to others.

Mercy Ministry Training: This Sunday, May 2nd @ 1PM

Join us as we look at Scripture's call to serve those in need around us, introduce our current Mercy Ministries, discuss opportunities for us to serve, and pray together for our city. This training will focus on two related topics:

• Understanding more of the complexities of what leads people into vulnerable situations, as well as the complexities that it takes to get out of them.
• And related, how we as individuals and as a church then prioritize and steward our efforts as we serve.

This is an excellent place for those who are looking to get started, ask questions, meet others, and take the next step in serving with our Mercy Ministries. We’ll be hosting this as a hybrid training both in-person and online. Read more and register below.

Register

Stay Connected

Learn more about our Mercy Ministries HERE. Join the focus area city groups in order to hear more regular updates, events, and opportunities to serve:

• Mercy Focus: Covid Response
• Mercy Focus: Foster Care & Adoption
• Mercy Focus: Homelessness
• Mercy Focus: Life Project
• Mercy Focus: Refugees

For the Kingdom,

Pastor Justin