Mercy Ministries

Featured Ministry

Mercy Triumphs over Judgment

Nancy Alcorn spent five years as the athletic director at a Tennessee correctional facility for juvenile delinquent girls. Then she spent the next three years of her life as a supervisor for foster care in Nashville, TN. While working at these government run facilities, Nancy realized the girls that were involved in drug use, prostitution, abuse and crime would return to their destructive lifestyles as soon as they were released from custody. Time and time again, she saw the same girls coming back to the correctional facilities with the same charges they had previously faced.

During this period of her life, Nancy realized that the government programs were inadequate and did not offer real transformation in the lives of hurting young women. Nancy explained, “I began to see a pattern. You know, girls would be there, and we were told because of separation of church and state that we couldn’t share our faith and Christian beliefs and we were not allowed to speak to them about the forgiveness of God and new beginnings. The kids would go back home to the same environment and a lot of the girls that were locked up there had been involved in gangs; and some had been involved with drug dealers. Some had even been involved in prostitution and their pimps were waiting on them. So these women were getting locked up for a year at a time and we would try to change them from the outside and change their behavior but it never seemed to transform their lives.” Nancy knew that only Jesus could bring restoration into the lives of these girls who were so desperately hurting.

Nancy knew God was calling her to step out and do something to help these women in need. In 1983, a friend convinced her to come to Louisiana. Struck by the number of kids in need and the lack of resources to help them, Alcorn bought a small home and began what she hoped would be an alternative to secular treatment. Her goal was simple: to help young women in trouble gain control over their lives using Christian-based counseling. And she'd do it without charging a dime or taking donations with strings attached. Nancy looked to the Bible for guidance and came across James 2:13 which says, "For judgment will be merciless to one who shows no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment." From this verse she came up with the program's name and Mercy Ministries was born.

As a Christian organization, Mercy Ministries is focused first and foremost on helping the young women in its care find healing and wholeness. Young women come to Mercy Ministries by choice, and no young woman is ever held against her will. Moreover, Mercy Ministries does not charge any young women for its services including total care during their residential stay at one of the Mercy Ministries’ homes or counseling information and materials provided. The funding for Mercy Ministries is from gifts and contributions. These largely come from individuals, businesses, churches, and ministries. In order to be sure Mercy Ministries is free to share a personnel relationship with Christ and to teach Christian principles; Mercy Ministries does not take government funding or insurance payments.

For over 25 years, Mercy Ministries of America has provided hope and healing to generations of young women who are seeking freedom from life-controlling issues. It serves a diverse population of young women from various socio-economic backgrounds, aged 13-28. Many of the girls, who come to Mercy for help, are facing a combination of debilitating circumstances and have been in various treatment facilities with unsuccessful long-term results. Nancy explains, “We see ourselves as a place where women from all different backgrounds can come and come together from all different churches and actually end up getting to know one another. In a neutral Christian place like ours, they actually become friends and find ways they can work together, beyond Mercy, even, in their own community – which is really cool.”

There is a Mercy Ministries home in Nashville, Monroe and St. Louis. Another home in Lincoln, CA will open at the beginning of next year. Over the past three years, Mercy Ministries has experienced a tremendous increase in the global interest and demand for its services. It is sad that so many young women are in desperate need of help. But the good news is there is hope for these young women. In order to respond to the increase in demand, at the end of 2007, Mercy Ministries formed a new 501 (c) (3) entity, Mercy Ministries International (MMI). MMI has overall responsibility for the direction and quality assurance for Mercy Ministry programs on a global basis. Prior to the establishment of MMI in 2007, the Mercy programs around the world had a common genesis and shared vision but the relationship among the affiliates was an informal confederation of organizations.
During the first four months of 2008, each Mercy Ministries Affiliate around the world agreed that MMI will be responsible for maintaining the overall vision and direction of Mercy Ministries and for ensuring quality and compliance with the Mercy Ministries Programs. Now all of the Mercy Ministries programs world-wide are centered on the unconditional love of Christ and the transformative powers which flow from acceptance of Christ in a broken world.

The program uses a biblically based counseling model. It is called, “Choices that Bring Change.” Nancy explained the model and said, “It relies, first of all, on choice - you may be a victim but you don’t have to stay a victim. So many times people talk about things that get passed down from generation to generation, that become the bad things. But it’s also possible for someone who’s got a tough background to begin a generation of blessing. We try to empower the girls to understand that you do have a choice. In order to really share a biblically based counseling model, everything starts out of that personal relationship with Christ and where your heart is. So the girls who come to us know we’re Christian based. Another choice that we focus on is choosing to forgive the people who have hurt you - helping people understand what biblical forgiveness really means. Another part of our counseling model, we deal with renewing the mind. For example, a girl who has been a prostitute –she would believe about herself based on her experiences, “I’m dirty, I’m shameful,” “no godly man would ever want me because of my past,” – what we help that girl do is renew her mind to what God’s word says, so that she can begin to see herself the way God sees her. So we focus on what we call “replacing lies with the truth.” Another area is healing life hurts. Anyone that’s got life-controlling issues, particularly young girls who have been sexually abused or raped, there are usually lots of emotional wounds. We believe that Jesus came to heal the brokenhearted. It was never God’s will for them to be abused. ‘Cause a lot of girls think that “this happened to me, so it must’ve been what God wanted for my life,” but of course that’s not the truth.

And then the next thing we deal with is what we call “principles for lifelong success.” It’s designed to get girls ready to go back into society and live their lives. But what we do is encourage the girls, regardless of what background you’re from, that wherever you’re going back to you need to get involved in a local church family. We teach them about committing to live a life of integrity and obedience according to God’s word, in all different practical areas. We don’t assume these girls know anything. We teach them about balancing checkbooks, budgeting, and finance, about a lot of different things that have to do with practical aspects of everyday life.”

Mercy Ministries program continues to have amazing results. When girls apply to the program they go through a very careful intake process. Parents can not send their daughters to Mercy, the girls have to have the desire to come and seek help. They receive a list of house rules and are told they have to work hard on their issues. The girls don’t have to be Christian to get admitted, but they are told upfront that it is a faith-based ministry. They are asked directly if they are willing to make the commitment. While the girls are in the program they attend church twice a week and receive daily biblical counseling. The girls typically stay for about six months. Their time at Mercy will depend on the individual girl and how difficult her problem is and how quickly she is able to heal.

Mercy Ministries has been helping young women for 25 years and is still going strong. Thousands of girl’s lives have been saved through the ministry. Mercy graduate, Monica explained, “Mercy Ministries provided me with a safe place to experience God’s healing completely free of charge. The unconditional love of the staff and constant affirmation of self-worth and value based on God’s word is the reason why this program works. My life would be completely lost if not for time I spent at Mercy.” There are currently several hundred girls on the waiting list. To learn more about Mercy Ministries visit www.mercyministries.org.

Monica’s Story

My parents were both hurting people and faced many struggles throughout their lives. My mother is Korean and she was abandoned by her family when she was 5 years old. She grew up in an abusive environment and by the time she was fifteen, she was left to live on her own. My father was the oldest of four and his mother was regularly institutionalized for anxiety. He was passed from relative to relative and at one point, his uncle tried to take his life. He survived the abuse, but at a very young age, my father turned to drugs and alcohol to try to medicate his pain. My parents met in Korea while my father was serving in the American Air Force.

My parents eventually married and then moved back to America. Several years later they gave birth to me and my sister. They were absent throughout most of my childhood. I had a hard time developing any sort of relationship with my mother because I never really desired her presence in my life. I usually preferred her not to be around because she was angry and took her bitterness out on me. My father was not aggressive or enraged, he was just emotionally checked out. He struggled with opiate based drugs - anything that would bring him down and numb him to his feelings. Alcohol and heroine were his vices. He was so good at hiding his addictions that he was able to keep his $700 per day heroine dependence a secret. Overall, I grew up in a very unstable environment.

When I was ten years old my family moved to Polynesia. We lived in the islands for almost four years. I actually enjoyed the atmosphere because the culture was primitive, and I developed a laissez-fair attitude. In 1994, my father’s work contract ended we moved back to the United States. When we moved back to the States, I had an extremely difficult time adapting to my new environment. I experienced a complete culture shock and I had no idea how to act or what was socially acceptable. My parents did not help me through this tough transition and I looked to the ways of the world to define me. This period of time was at the height of the ‘grunge’ music scene. I saw drug use glamorized and in an effort to fit in and become popular, I decided to start experimenting with drugs and smoking pot.
When I was seventeen, my father committed suicide after years of struggling with his addictions. After his death, I rapidly headed down a path of destruction. My family life spun out of control and I struggled with drug-use, post traumatic stress, and my faith. I never doubted that God was real, but I felt insignificant to Him.

I started using cocaine when I was 18 yeas old. A friend gave it to me, and I remember feeling like I was on top of the world. By the time I was 24, I was a full blown addict and alcoholic. Cocaine took over my life, my emotions, everything. I lived to get high, and I needed it to survive. If I could not get my next fix, I would freak out and break down, and I would search for drugs at all hours of the day. I lived in a state of paranoia and I remember continuously crying and feeling deserted. Even in a crowd full of people, I was alone.

My drug addiction completely owned me. I rarely worked and couldn’t keep my word for anything. I always had good intentions but the drugs just overpowered my ability to operate in a healthy and reliable manner. I lost friends, jobs, and pretty much anything of any value in my life.

I finally hit rock bottom after about seven years of hard-core drug use. At this point in my life, death from my addiction seemed like a welcomed escape. I was emotionally and physically unstable and sleep deprivation caused me to become paranoid. I remember lying on the floor in a state of panic because I had been up for days, and I realized I could not continue to live my life like this. I prayed for death, and I welcomed it. But in that moment I cried out to God for help, “God if you’re real, if you care, you have to do this for me, because I just can’t” and He answered.

A family friend told me about Mercy Ministries. I applied to the program because I knew it was my only chance for freedom and life. It was a faint glimmer of hope in the darkness I called my existence. During the Mercy application process, I learned that I was pregnant. Initially I was shocked, but I do believe my pregnancy was a huge part of what saved me. In the past, I had chosen abortion twice, and this time I knew keeping the baby was the right choice for me.
Three months after I applied to the program, I was a resident of Mercy Ministries in the Nashville home. The Nashville home was awesome. It was the first time I felt like I had a regular family. It was challenging at times living with so many girls, but the benefit far outweighed any complaint. Amongst our structured routine, we had plenty of time for regular activities. It was very comfortable and peaceful, and I felt safe and for the first time in my life. A resident of Mercy Ministries is truly a blessed individual. Mercy girls are surrounded by excellence; a great staff, beautiful facility, and a loving environment which allows them to gain self-worth and confidence.

My time at Mercy was definitely a time of healing and restoration. When I first arrived at the home, I was angry and broken, but I was soon provided with the tools to have a seamless transition from fury to peace. Facing my past and dealing with my issues was a tough feat, but God was gentle with me throughout this process. I don’t think I’ve ever been more at peace with myself than when I lived in that home with forty other girls (imagine that!). While I was at Mercy, my favorite part of the day was Bible study. There is something to be said about 40 spiritually hungry and hurting women studying the Bible together. I believe there was constantly grace and supernatural revelation in the Mercy home. I was illuminated by God’s word everyday and I started to build a personal relationship with Him.

Mercy Ministries was a huge blessing throughout my pregnancy. The members of the Mercy Ministries’ staff took me to doctor appointments, provided me with nutritious meals, helped me set-up a healthy diet, and allowed me to take some basic parenting classes. Most importantly, they helped me to see my value in Christ. This alone is the one thing that will completely transform someone and will positively affect every aspect of their life. With their help and guidance I had a smooth and comfortable pregnancy. I gave birth to a beautiful baby boy, Samuel.

After I graduated from the program, I was blessed with an easy transition and I went to live with my mother and attend school part-time. I was able to devote all of my time to my son, and the temptation to fall back into my addictions was gone- I truly was a changed person!

Today I am running the race, waiting to see what the Lord has in store for me. Samuel and I live in Nashville, TN. I have a passion for the emergent Christian church and believe that we are called to live as Jesus did, literally. In the coming year, I hope to alter my lifestyle dramatically in order to live more for others. Since I graduated from Mercy, my life has been forever changed, because I cannot deny the power of God. I enjoy being a mother and my son is doing great. He’s a lot of fun and has a big strong personality. God will use him, this I am certain of.