Be an Agent of God’s Mercy

1. Look around you and pray that God would use you to help meet the needs of this broken world in the lives of the people God has placed you amongst.
2. If you become aware of a need around you, try to help meet that need with the resources that God has provided you.
3. If the need exceeds your resources, try to recruit resources from those available around where God has placed you.
4. If the need exceeds the resources around you, then communicate the need to the Deacon over Mercy Ministry to enlist Shannon Forest’s Mercy Ministry team to come along side you in meeting the need.

In Need of God’s Mercy?

1. If you find yourself in a position of need, try to enlist council from the resources around you to find a way to meet the need yourself (including requesting help from your biological family in many cases, as applicable, in accordance with I Timothy 5:4-8).
2. If the need exceeds your resources and the resources around you, then communicate the need to the Deacon over Mercy Ministry to enlist Shannon Forest’s Mercy Ministry team to come along side you in meeting the need.

Biblical Basis for Mercy Ministry

1. God is merciful and the church is the Body of Christ.  [ref Ephesians 2:4 and I Corinthians 12:12-20]
2. It’s God’s will for us to show people mercy and bear each others burdens. [ref Luke 10:30-37, Matthew 5:7, Matthew 25:35-40, and Galatians 6:1-2]
3. God has given us the resources necessary to do His will.  [ref Exodus 36:1-4 and Ephesians 2:10]
4. The Diaconate is charged with the duty of organizing the resources of the church body to meet physical needs. [ref Acts 6:2-3]
5. God provides abundance to some and allows others to be in need. Living out God’s mercy through the distribution of resources to those in need is evidence of the gospel to a fallen world. [ref John 17:20-21]

Join the Mercy Ministry Team

• Financial: Designate offerings to the Deacon’s Fund.
• Service: Communicate your ability / desire to serve by completing a “Mercy Ministry Service Offering” checklist and submit to the Deacon over Mercy Ministry directly OR drop in the offering plate.

Deacon’s Fund:

The Deacon's Fund is a account at Shannon Forest independent from the church budget and administered by our Deacons to help meet identified outstanding physical needs, primarily those in our church body, but also those outside our church body that are brought before the Deacons by people within Shannon Forest.

Once presented with needs, the Deacons consider the needs on a case-by-case basis with the goal of helping people / families overcome their current financial obstacles (typically brought on by circumstances outside their control) and become self-sufficient long term, which usually involves a great deal of counsel, encouragement, and accountability.

If you would like to contribute to the Deacon's Fund, please do so by designating your contribution on your offering envelope and submit in the offering plate during the offertory collection.