Iasis at a Glance
Veronica Arnold
Mercy Ministry
Our vision is:
God’s hand of love extended…
To a hurting world
The Mercy Ministry provides emergency assistance in the form of groceries and finances to those in need in our community, whether or not they attend Iasis.
How do we meet needs?
Why do we need a Mercy Ministry?
God has a lot to say in His Word about taking care of the poor. This is a huge part of who the church is, and if we fail to carry out this assignment, the world sees a distorted view of God.
Those of us who have good jobs, comfortable homes, plenty to eat, and dependable cars often have no idea of the terrible struggle many people experience to just survive. The welfare system certainly helps, but people often fall between the cracks. In addition, the welfare system sometimes keeps people trapped in the “taking” mode. They need hope that only God can give, and help as they struggle.
A Story to Ponder
One of our clients was not eligible for Medicaid or Social Security because she was younger than 55, had no small children at home, and was not sufficiently disabled—and yet she suffered from several medical problems that kept her from working, and for which she struggled to buy the cheapest prescriptions her doctor could find for her. For eight years she had lived with family members, with not even a room of her own, having no regular income, and yet somehow holding onto her faith. We were able to pray with her for healing, help her buy her latest necessary medicines, and provide gas cards for when she borrows a car to finally move into her own apartment. We will follow up by befriending her and encouraging her in her walk with the Lord. (Story used by permission.)
So What?
This woman is gaining a whole new view of God as One who loves her in practical ways—a God who sees her needs and is at work on her behalf. She is discovering that she can trust God, and in the bargain she is learning to be knit together with the Body of Christ. This result is truly the aim of every Christian ministry.
Who can be involved and how?
In practical terms, the Mercy Ministry provides groceries for anyone in need in the community once every three months. We are now listed on 211, United Way’s volunteer network, and our activity has increased from 2-3 families a month to 15-20. Our Food Bank grocery shoppers are now filling up their cars once a week at the Food Bank to keep the Pantry stocked. We need at least $200 a month to buy these groceries.
Consider: $50 buys 300 pounds of food, including meat, at the Food Bank, and this amount of food serves 10 families. This is money well spent.
What Can I Do to Help?
- In addition to Food Bank food, we accept donations of nonperishable and frozen food from the congregation.
- We also accept donations of coats and blankets, which we will then distribute to our clients.
- We are serving Food Pantry clients on Wednesday and Sunday evenings by appointment, and we are in need of team members to help with these appointments. Please contact Iasis Christ Fellowship at 970-416-9392 and request Catherine Mack to volunteer for this position.
- Monetary donations are gratefully accepted for either the Food Pantry or the financial request side of our ministry. The second part of our ministry is considering requests for financial assistance from anyone in the community once a year. After the first request, clients are required to fulfill volunteer work at their choice of organizations in return for their assistance. Obviously, we need money to finance these requests.
In addition, help with any or all of the following programs will be gratefully accepted:
- Holy Week lunches that are served to those who attend our noon prayer services during that week
- Christmas outreach program in cooperation with Timberline Church’s Adopt-A-Family program
- provision of meals for people who need them temporarily
Where and when do the meetings/activities of our ministry take place?
- Our Mercy Ministry team meets once a month in the Food Pantry to consider action items such as fundraisers, retreats, and the other programs listed above
- Shoppers replenish the Food Pantry with groceries from the Food Bank as needed
- Interviews for financial assistance requests are generally held as needed on Sunday mornings after first service
- Food Pantry hours are Wednesday and Sunday evenings