Go Green!!!

Reflections on MercyWalk NOC's 2 Year Anniversary

Go green!

Walking into the Ministry Center that night, two things immediately came to mind: celebration and a touch of green--actually make that, CELEBRATION with a WHOLE LOT of GREEN!!! In fact the room was so completely decorated from top to bottom in MercyWalk’s trademark color, that you simply could not escape it. Green, green, green…

The night started off with a delicious dinner fellowship and then transitioned into the Large Group Time where attendees were invited on life journeys with key members of the community. True stories of God’s transforming power were shared on a backdrop of prayer and worship songs. Sex/porn addiction to purity. Pride to humility. Codependency to identity. Divorce to redemption. Drugs to sobriety. Self-centeredness to God-centeredness. IMPERFECTION to imperfection. Quietness filled the room after hearing story after story of brutal honesty. Many were touched by the stories of changed lives, but even more were encouraged that even after experiencing such freedom from past hurts and addictions, these broken Christ-followers were still admitting that they needed God and still committed to the journey to wholeness.

Next up, the Open Share Time consisted of attendees breaking out into single-gender small groups for authentic confession and deep sharing. As it says in James 5:16, “Therefore, confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.” This is where that particular verse comes alive and the healing work of God truly starts. It is in the safe and confidential refuge of the open share group, where even as leaders, we are continually challenged to remove the masks and admit daily that we cannot control our lives. We are reminded to receive mercy, extend mercy, and to continually walk in mercy.

The night concluded with a dessert fellowship time where the valued service of several members was recognized and the faithfulness of God celebrated, all over a delicious plate of cake and ice cream. Yum!

WE MADE IT! Two years later, through changes and challenges, God has shown that He is still about the business of healing and that MercyWalk’s purpose in that plan is to be a safe place of support, fellowship, prayer and resources; an open door platform to confess your junk, past and present, in hopes to heal through processing thoughts and feelings honestly in community, and utilizing the biblically-based 12 Steps of recovery. Why green you ask? Well, in nature the color green is synonymous with new life and growth. MercyWalk is green because we too have been called to be synonymous with those very things, new life and growth. We have been called to be a forward ministry, not one that only lives in and dwells on past wounds, scars, and mistakes, but one that helps people deal and truly heal from their past in order to grow into healthy Christ-followers. Recovery is a lifelong journey of growth and we invite you to celebrate this journey with us and face it together one day at a time.