Friday, October 31, 2008

Mercy in the Media and Video Blog

HOT OFF THE PRESS!! Mercy Ministries is featured in the Fall/Winter 2008 edition of VIE Magazine, a trendy secular publication based in Florida. Check out this article entitled "Beauty from Ashes" by clicking on the following link: www.viezine.com . The article is on pages 29-35 or you can simply click on the cover where it says "Giving". I encourage you to read this article as it reinforces what Mercy is all about.

Nancy was also recently interviewed and featured in a magazine called Equipped4Living, a publication based in the United Kingdom. This was just one more opportunity to spread the message of freedom and transformation all over the world. To read the full article, visit the the following link: www.equippedforliving.org/pdfs/magazine/Magazine%2007%20Spring%202008.pdf .

Also, Mercy Ministries has a great Video Blog highlighting special events and happenings at Mercy! The latest video is an amazing message Nancy Alcorn gave at the 2008 Glorious Women's Conference in Louisiana. Watch this truly inspiring message here: http://mercyministriesvlog.blogspot.com/.

Thanks for your interest and support of Mercy Ministries! Keep checking back for more updates.

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Mercy Ministries Golf Challenge Raises $47,000!

Here is the article Mercy Ministries posted about the Golf Tournament we had on Monday, Oct. 13th. 24 of our own CRPs participated! We definitely represented on the course! It was a blast.

The 2008 Mercy Ministries Nashville Golf Challenge was played under perfect conditions on Monday Oct. 13, at the Governor’s Club in Brentwood, TN. All of the sixteen teams started at noon and played 18 holes of golf. The teams purchased mulligan packages before the tournament and used them to help lower their scores. Each player was encouraged to get sponsorships for their round of golf and all of the money was donated to Mercy Ministries. The tournament raised $47,000. The top fundraisers were Matthew Rettick, Buster Wolfe Jr., Kevin Vozar, and Clay Eschrich. Prizes were awarded to the top fundraisers and the best scores.
There were 64 players in the tournament. Mercy Ministries had their own all female team. Mercy employee, Sarah Blair, participated in the tournament and said, “The Mercy golf tournament was a wonderful event to be a part of. The Governor’s Club was a great host, the weather was perfect and best of all, it was incredible to see all of the people who took a day to support the work of Mercy with their time and money.”
We would like to thank Tennessee Titan Kevin Mawae and his wife Tracy, Covenant Reliance Producers, HCA, Mercy Ministries’ volunteers, and Nelson Mazda for their help with this event! We would also like to thank the golf committee who helped organize the tournament. The members of the golf committee included Matthew Rettick, Kevin Vozar, Kelly Harris, David Houston, and Todd Sangster.
Special thanks to our corporate sponsors Allianz, Amalie Point Apartments, American Equity, American Pipe & Supply, American Traditions, Arbonne, Beyond Benefits, Big Events, Capitol Bolt & Screw, Colliers, Turner, Martin, Covenant Healthcare for Women, Covenant Reliance Producers, Dell, DSI, Eisys, Forklift Systems, Horne LLC CPA's, Kemp Dental, Kent Incentive Mktg. Group, Konica, Law office of G. Scott Fiddler, Midland National Life, M.J. Harris, ModerNash Furniture, Nashville Airsoft, Nashville Locksmith Service, Nashville Rubber & Gasket, National Office Machine, Old Mutual Financial Network, O’Neal Steel, Inc., Pacific Coast Properties, PACSHealth, PAETEC, Regions Bank, Reliance Standard Life, Senior Guardians, Sunbelt Rentals, TL Cumbee, Tom's Supply, Inc., True 32 Cabinetry, Tuscan Homes, Waller, Landsden & Dortch, Walnut Grove Press, and Wolfe Industrial.

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Meeting Nancy Alcorn

Meeting Nancy Alcorn

I want to share with you about the first time I met Nancy.

It began with an introduction about the ministry of Nancy Alcorn and Mercy Ministries through some good friends of Nancy’s, Armond and Bonnie Morales in the summer of 1991. Armond and Bonnie told us of the great work Nancy was doing in helping young women overcome deep seated struggles and problems that had a stronghold on their lives. Shortly after that discussion we met Nancy Alcorn in person and instantly saw the love and compassion that she had for these young women and her strong desire to fully restore these broken lives. In addition, both myself and my wife, Linda were very touched by the three pillars that Mercy Ministries was built around. 1) No young woman would ever be turned away for lack of money to pay, they all enter the program free of charge, 2) Tithe 10% of all donations received to other charitable organizations and, 3) never accept any money from any Federal or State agency. The reason being that Mercy would then be unable to freely talk about the Saving Grace and Restoration Power of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Linda and I have financially supported Mercy Ministries on a monthly basis since that time and strongly believe that Mercy Ministries is changing lives in a way no other state organization or institution can.

In closing I want to let you know that Mercy Ministries has started a new video blog with lots of great footage of Nancy travelling around the country, talking to graduates, and hearing from Mercy staff members. This last video blog posted has footage of the Barlow Girl, Million Voices tour that came to Oceanside, CA a couple of weeks ago. It’s so great to see the awesome impact Mercy Ministries is having all over America and with awesome supporters like Barlow Girl! Watch the video here: http://mercyministriesvlog.blogspot.com/


Matt and Linda

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Mercy Ministries and Nancy Alcorn

Mercy Ministries is a non-profit Christian organization that I personally support, and I just thought it was time I wrote a blog about the amazing things this ministry has done in saving the lives of hurting young women everywhere! I’ve been a proud supporter of Mercy Ministries for 18 years now and I have seen the changed lives first hand.
Nancy Alcorn is the president and founder of Mercy Ministries and I would like to share with you the amazing story of how she began this wonderful ministry. I know Nancy personally and I can say that she is truly a woman of faith, determination and character. Here is her story:
It was during and after college that Nancy Alcorn, a native Tennessean, spent eight years working for the state of Tennessee at a correctional facility for juvenile delinquent girls and investigating child abuse cases. Working for the state on a daily basis gave her direct encounters with the secular programs that were not producing permanent results that exemplified changed lives. Nancy saw many of the girls pass the age of eighteen and end up in the women's prison system because they never got the real help they needed. After working for the state and recognizing that true transformation would never come as the result of any government system, she was appointed Director of Women for Nashville Teen Challenge where she worked for two years. Through her experience, she began to realize that only Jesus could bring restoration into the lives of the girls who were desperately hurting and searching for something to fill the void they felt in their hearts. As her spirit was stirred and her passion ignited, Nancy knew that God was revealing a destiny that would result in her stepping out to help these hurting women.
In January 1983, determined to establish a program in which lives would truly be transformed, Nancy moved to Monroe, Louisiana to start Mercy Ministries of America. As she began to lay the groundwork for the establishment of the ministry, she knew that there were three principles to which she must always remain faithful: (1) do not take any state or federal funding that may limit the freedom to teach Christian principles, (2) accept girls free of charge, and (3) always give at least ten percent of all Mercy Ministries' donations to other organizations and ministries.
Several years and many changed lives later, Mercy Ministries has established locations in Monroe, Louisiana, Nashville, Tennessee, St. Louis, Missouri, and a home under construction in the Sacramento, California area. The organization has grown beyond the borders of the United States, including affiliates in Australia, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Canada, and Peru. In addition, plans are underway for more sites in America as well as internationally.
You can also read more about Mercy here: www.mercyministries.com and about Nancy Alcorn, the founder here: http://www.mercyministries.org/AboutUs/OurFounder/Default.aspx
Stay tuned for more wonderful stories about Mercy Ministries!