Mercy Ministry Update | March 2025

Mercy Ministries, Mercy Update | by Pastor Justin Keogh

March 28, 2025

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.

For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Galatians 5:13-14

In Galatians, the Apostle Paul writes adamantly to articulate salvation by faith alone, and not by works. But what is the believers’ response to God’s free grace? It is a life of loving devotion to God and service to others (aka “good works”), or as he puts it here in chapter 5, “serving one another through love.” The order is essential so that we don’t miss the free grace of God as our center and source of life, but the connection is also essential as the response to God’s grace as demonstrated in our lives is the evidence that our faith is genuine (cf. James 2:14-17, 1 John 3:14). And who are we to serve in love? Those in our spiritual family (the “one another”) and those in need around us (the “neighbor”), each as we have opportunity (Gal 6:9-10).

Our Mercy Ministries help us put this call to love our neighbor as ourselves into action, through tangible acts of service where we can both declare the good news and demonstrate the impact of that good news to the most vulnerable image-bearers in our city. Learn more about our current Mercy Ministry efforts below, and join us in loving service to others in one of our upcoming events.

NEW! BELLTOWN NEIGHBORHOOD GROUP

As a church, we’ve long served our city in tangible ways through cleaning and beautification projects, often joining with our neighbors for the good of our city. As we continue to settle into our new permanent home on 1st & Broad, we’re launching a new Mercy Focus Group to help us stay informed of the needs and opportunities to serve locally (join here). Our next event will be serving alongside Together Washington and the Seattle Chamber of Commerce for a clean-up in Denny Park on Saturday, April 26 (register here).

HOMELESSNESS

We continue to serve in various ways through our partnership with Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission. DCC has begun to serve a meal monthly – on the 4th Saturday of the month – at Hope Place, UGM’s women’s shelter in Rainier Valley. Register here to join for the Saturday, April 26 meal (or a future meal).

REFUGEES

We partner with World Relief Western Washington to serve refugees and asylees here in the greater Seattle area. Though the recent administration changes have drastically impacted the resettlement of new refugees, there is still much that can be done for those already here as sojourners and neighbors. We’re hoping to get DCC players (or even a full team!) to join the “World Relief Cup,” a fundraising soccer tournament on Saturday, June 28. Learn more and sign up here.

FAMILY ADVOCACY MINISTRY

Our FAM focus area partners with CareNet of Puget Sound (pro-life medical services), OliveCrest (Christian adoption & foster care), and the Foster Support Faith Alliance (network of local churches serving foster youth + families). This year, we’ve been working to build wrap-around “care communities” for foster families, and we’re prayerfully considering restarting a Foster Support Group (something we did pre-COVID). Learn more in our FAM Group.

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:

For the Kingdom,
Pastor Justin

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