The Time is Now

Every year, a group called CCDA holds a conference where hundreds of groups similar to Mercy Street gather in one city to learn from and be encouraged by each other. The National Student
Leadership Intensive is a conference within the conference, created specifically for student leaders. This year, the conference was held in Memphis, Tennessee, and a group of ten Mercy Street students had the opportunity to attend.

The students who attended are part of the Leadership Institute, meaning they are active participants in Street Teams at Mercy Street and also completed the summer internship program. In order to earn a spot on this trip, these students were required to read a book called Kairo Returns and pass a test about it. The book describes the journey of an “urban pilgrim” named Kairo who after being transformed by the Gospel, returns to his own community ready to work for its transformation.

Our students identified with Kairo, and went to the conference excited to learn about community development and leadership. They attended workshops and classes on topics ranging from immigration to education to leadership. They explored a new city and went on a civil rights tour in Memphis. They got to know students from around the country with different backgrounds.

After her time at CCDA, one student said “I have learned a lot these past three days in Memphis. It’s now time for us youth to make changes in our community.” We at Mercy Street believe deeply in these emerging leaders and are thrilled to watch God move them toward servant leadership in West Dallas. Isaiah 61 paints a beautiful picture of a restored community, and we pray it will be fulfilled through these students: “…In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the Lord has planted for his own glory. They will rebuild the ancient ruins, repairing cities destroyed long ago. They will revive them, though they have been deserted for many generations.” We are glad to have these students back in West Dallas and are celebrating all that was gained from another year at CCDA!

Charge!

At the end of every staff meeting Annie Roberson (we call her Ms. Annie) sends us out with a rousing, “Shalom!” The send-off until only recently was, “Charge!” Regardless of the word, the message was the same. God has called us to a mission in West Dallas to make His peace and presence known, so let’s get out there and get busy.

It was that kind of spirit Ms. Annie brought to work with her every day. It is that spirit that will be dearly missed as Ms. Annie is retiring at the end of December.

Ms. Annie has been with Mercy Street from Day 1. Actually she has been with Mercy Street before day one. We decided to start a mentoring program at George Washington Carver elementary and we needed a strong, faithful woman of God to help interact with the parents of the children, if we were going to be successful. Bill Farrell said he knew the perfect person from his Sunday School class at PCPC. He talked to her about joining the team. She said, “yes.” Bill and I said, “Oh no.” Not because she was not the right person, but because we did not have an organization to join or any money to pay her. (That lead to a basic philosophy at Mercy Street—a principal of action—if we feel like God is calling us to do something then let’s trust Him and start doing that thing and we will figure it out as we go.) Twelve years later, we can say God was faithful to provide for Ms. Annie and the ministry of Mercy Street (sometimes through Bill Farrell twisting a few arms).

What I have learned over the years is that of course Ms. Annie said yes that day. She always says yes to opportunities to advance the gospel. She loves Jesus and wants to see other people know him and love him too.

For those who know Ms. Annie know that she has committed unbelievable amounts of scripture to memory. She is a walking, talking Bible. One of her favorite chapters to recite is Proverbs 31. It says:

She is clothed with strength and dignity;
    she can laugh at the days to come.
²⁶ She speaks with wisdom,
    and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
²⁷ She watches over the affairs of her household
    and does not eat the bread of idleness.
²⁸ Her children arise and call her blessed;

It is an apt description of Ms. Annie. She is indeed a virtuous woman whose wisdom and strength have been an indispensable blessing to Mercy Street. I can honestly say that without Ms. Annie, Mercy Street never gets off the ground.

Thankfully, Ms. Annie will still live in the neighborhood and will continue to love on and minister to the women in West Dallas. The only difference will be she won’t have to go to staff meetings on Monday.

Ms. Annie, I will miss you. I respect you greatly. To you I say, “Charge!”

Sincerely,

Trey Hill

Faith Works

James 2:14-18

Faith.  Works. 

That’s the story behind the Kershaw’s Challenge Baseball Field Groundbreaking on Wednesday, October 21^st.  Because of the extraordinary generosity of Ellen and Clayton Kershaw and their foundation, Kershaw’s Challenge, we were able to break ground on what will be a state of the art baseball field in West Dallas.  This is just one part of the whole.

It’s been 6 years since we completed what we affectionately call, “The Big Field”.  “The Big Field” was Phase 1 in our Field of Dreams Capital Campaign.  Phase 2 is now underway with plans to build 2 baseball fields and a tee ball field.  Alongside of The Kershaw’s are many generous donors whose faith…works. 

They don’t work to be saved; they work because they are saved. 

Mercy Street is the humble recipient of partners in the Gospel that love Jesus with a fierce love and out of the overflow of that fierce love, come beautiful works.

Last week, Jerry Wagner, Pastor of Mercy Street Church, spoke at our Annual Fundraiser Luncheon about Mercy Street’s heart for the child in the uniform, not the win.  Sports are yet another avenue where we can place a mentor in the life of a child and…let’s all remember our own childhoods…there’s no better place to hone your Godly character than engaging in a little competition while learning to be a team player.

It’s our earnest prayer and desire that these fields will be so much more than pretty dirt.  But rather, a place where Christian leaders are cultivated and where students are gaining a vision for giving back to their communities and schools to lead to Gospel transformation.  You know – faith – working itself out!

For the full Dallas Morning News article on the Kershaw Groundbreaking, click the link. http://www.dallasnews.com/sports/columnists/kevin-sherrington/20151023-sherrington-pitching-in-...-helping-is-never-out-of-season-for-dallas-kershaws.ece

Unexpected Joy

MERCY STREET INTERN SARAH STEINMANN GOT MORE THAN SHE BARGAINED FOR THIS SUMMER.

Last Christmas break, I sat across from a trusted friend and confessed my concerns — and dreams — for the upcoming summer. How could God use me, just as I am? Where could I best invest my time with the gifts I’ve been given? She bravely looked me in the eyes and declared, “Sarah, I don’t know God’s plan for you, but if you take a step by faith and it’s not the right one, he’ll close that door. Trust him, and walk forward.”

A few days later, I applied for Mercy Street’s summer internship program. If there’s one lesson I’ve learned in college, it’s that oftentimes you have to take the first step and walk bravely (or not-so-bravely) down the path ahead. This summer, my path took me to the streets of West Dallas — specifically, to Mercy Street, a non-profit affiliated with IBC that “hopes to be used by God to spark Christ-honoring community restoration by engaging in mutually-transforming relationships with the future leaders of West Dallas.”

That’s a mouthful, for sure. To understand how I connected with that mission, let’s backtrack a little: I’ve attended IBC for the last nine years, since I was in fifth grade, and have been hugely impacted by its incredible teaching and leadership. A die hard Aggie, I’m now in my second year as a management major in the business school, and I’ve also been captivated by the great Good News of the Gospel.

This past summer, I joined Mercy Street’s internship program from June 2-August 10 as a college intern, which simply means I was one of seven life coaches for the 30 high school students from West Dallas whom Mercy Street mentors as part of its high school internship program. These students are intentionally discipled to grow in Christ while being taught valuable business skills. It was with these students that I walked, hiked, stumbled, and ran. And Mercy Street does just that: it walks with people. With Mercy Street’s internship program, all college interns live with Mercy Street’s staff, and all staff members live in West Dallas (or close by). Mercy Street’s staff gets down in the nitty gritty of life in West Dallas; they get personal, welcome people into their homes, and tenaciously walk hand-in-hand — not ahead — of the people they love. And let me tell you: the people they love are absolutely incredible workmanships of God. I saw that clearly, not only in West Dallas, but with the whole crew of Mercy Street high school and college interns as we embarked on our “bonding trip” through the mountains of Colorado for a week of backpacking in July. 

For a city girl, Colorado was one of those experiences I was “glad I had, but never want to have again.” Living in the woods for seven days, sharing one roll of toilet paper with everyone, and waking up to a frozen white world every morning was hard, but good. Through the trip, and the hours of hiking, I gained a key insight: it’s in the walking, trodding, suffering, and laughing with people that we can plant the roots of deep relationship sand make life-transforming connections that can’t be generated any other way.

First, I was taken aback by the real, inner beauty of my students, people like Marqreshea, a freshman high school student who loves her family deeply and serves with the best heart I’ve known. And there were others, like Shena, a rockstar basketball player who is driven, whose work ethic amazes me, who carries herself with a quiet confidence I want to emulate. Then there’s Destiny, a friend full of joy who inspires others, as well as Rodayisha, Kalia, Kasie, Demondre, Tyrin, John, Donavan — the list goes on for thirty students.

I had expected to be confronted this summer with the brokenness of inner city life that can run rampant and create undeniable hurt in concentrated areas. And yes, I witnessed that pain-filled reality. But what I didn’t expect to see so clearly was my own sin and my new appreciation for God’s mercy. (Yes, the name Mercy Street was for me, too!) Certainly, I met kids with quick-firing, disrespectful tongues, but I was also broken in seeing how quickly my own identity can rely on the fickle opinions of others and how swiftly frustration can rise in my heart. I didn’t plan on rediscovering my own need for redemption and that glorious, beautiful “knowing” that I am redeemed through Christ. I didn’t plan on seeing shalom, peace, grace everywhere. I didn’t expect to laugh so hard, to witness first-hand the pictures of renewal — snapshots of how God is working, moving, breathing, restoring. 

If I were sitting across from a trusted friend right now, I would encourage her to take that first step in being a Mercy Street mentor. “Sure, it will take bravery and tenacity,” I would say. “But if you take that step of faith and walk forward, God will go with you. Who knows? He can use you to rebuild hope, to paint a more-hopeful future for a West Dallas boy or girl. And in the process, you can rediscover the joy of your own salvation.” Of that unexpected joy, I’m walking proof.

This story is featured in this months issue of Chatter published by Irving Bible Church.

Ongoing Service Project for 2015-2016 School Year

We would so, so SO LOVE for a group to help own the Thomas A Edison Eagle Incentive store!  This year things are changing for the better with an (almost) entirely new staff and the school being under the ACE (accelerated campus excellence) program but they still lack many, many resources to really reward students.  The staff is really encouraging students to do the right thing and they have seen incentives really push students towards making better choices.  They really want to create a new culture where the good can be celebrated and seen rather than fighting, poor grades, etc.

Each student is given "eagle bucks" when they do something to be awarded and once a month or so they open up their 'Eagle Store" and allow students to purchase incentives.

The store is full currently with school supplies and has a couple of big ticket items in it since all the more sought after awards are gone.  

We would love for the store to be replenished and are seeking the following items:

Hot cheetos

Takis

Gift certificates to Taco Bell, McDonalds ( in the $5-$10 increments)

Electronics (iPod, iPad, etc) (this would be worth MANY Eagle bucks!)

Movie vouchers to a theatre close to 75212

Bath and Body works lotion, body spray

Shoes (KD's brand, Converse, Jordan or Nike...)

Purses or gift certificates to Wal-mart where students could purchase these.

CANDY, any sorts of CANDY

Lip gloss

Head phones 

sketch pads/art supplies/cool pencils/colored sharpies

This service project is availabl to groups looking to serve now and ANYtime in the future? It will likely be a consistent request and we would LOVE to encourage students to do well in school as that can change SOOO much for a student (and for our entire community in West Dallas!)

Please contact Joy Amos at joy@mercystreetdallas.org for questions or to sign up!

Emerging Leaders

What a sweet summer we had at Mercy Street! We are so thankful for the way Jesus moved in the hearts of the junior interns, senior interns, and Mercy Street staff alike. You can read a bit more about what the summer looked like here:

http://mercystreetdallas.blogspot.com/2015/05/2015-summer-interns.html

Here are a few things we are celebrating from the summer…

• 

  Each micro-businesses was profitable. Street Signs, Mercy Street Cafe, Shiver Shaved Ice and Spiffy T's all had a successful summer. Junior interns learned about entrepreneurship, budgeting, bookkeeping, advertising, and customer service. They got to put these skills into action each day in their marketplace teams and then see the fruit in a bonus paycheck at the end of the summer!

• Six fantastic speakers joined us throughout the summer to teach about different marketplace and life skills. Topics included advertising and smart consumerism, personal finance and budgeting, how to avoid credit slavery, college readiness, and conflict resolution. We are blessed by the willingness of so many people to share their knowledge and resources with us.

• COLORADO! Our week long backpacking trip on the Ute Trail in CO is always a highlight of the summer. We were reminded again this year of our thankfulness for the Sky Ranch Wilderness Program, and the way their staff loves us well.

• Junior and senior interns read a book together called Kairo. It’s an urban retelling of Pilgrim's Progress and sparked lots of good conversation on what it means to follow God and let him take away our burdens. The author, Judah Ben, was able to join us for a book discussion one week!

• Jerry Wagner and Garrett Smith led students in a study of the Sermon on the Mount. We spent the summer discussing what a Christian Leader looks like and cares about based on the things Jesus taught his followers.

• Our six senior interns went above and beyond their job descriptions and formed really beautiful, mutually-transforming relationships with the junior interns. Almost every single junior intern said that the best part of the summer was getting to know the senior interns.

I’ll leave you with a fun story. Toward the end of the summer, the manager of our local Chick-fil-a taught a marketplace skills class about customer service. One junior intern, Tyrin, was especially engaged and asked great questions throughout the session. By the end, the manager was so impressed with Tyrin that he offered him an interview for a job at Chick-fil-a! Tyrin is now employed there and getting to use his leadership skills on the job.

This is just a small glimpse into the summer internship. At the core of the Leadership Institute is a desire to see students marveling at Jesus, allowing Him to lead them to repentance, and ultimately resulting in lives ripe with Kingdom fruit. During the summer, we have front row seats to watch this happen … what a joy and privilege! We are so proud of these emerging leaders, and feel incredibly thankful to have spent the summer with them.

Pine Cove Stories

I overheard a sweet conversation taking place at my house the other day. One of the Mercy Street leadership guys, Terrell, was talking through a big decision facing him with another one of the young men, Bobo, who participated in the Summer internship. Terrell was deciding where he should go to school his senior year. He had gone to school outside the community last year, but he felt disconnected from Mercy Street and missed the spiritual encouragement. 

Bobo said, "Man, something sparked in me at Pine Cove this year about our responsibility as leaders in the community. I really want you to go to Pinkston so that we can make an impact in West Dallas together." 

They continued to talk about the pros and cons of each decision. Then I interjected. "Tell me more about this 'spark' you felt at camp to step up your leadership, Bobo."

Bobo said, "I'm not sure exactly what it was, but I realized that I had a voice and influence that I never really realized--despite the fact you guys would say it all the time. Part of it was seeing the influence the Pine Cove counselors had on us and part of it was the fact we were given a role to lead the younger kids at camp and they really responded to the things I said. It just seemed like God was using me." 

I said, "That's pretty cool Bobo. Maybe God really does have a big purpose for you in West Dallas." 

He said, "I think He has a big purpose for us. Terrell you need to stay in West Dallas and we are going to lead to some real change, showing these kids a different and better way."

That has been our prayer all along. 

Trey Hill
Executive Director, Mercy Street

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I came away from camp feeling so encouraged this year.  For years we have been working with our high school students to embrace the idea of taking ownership in their community by demonstrating leadership and pouring into the younger students.  This has been the intention behind bringing the high-schoolers to Pine Cove for years.  While camp has always been the highlight of their summer and they continue to ask me to play the songs they fell in love with there all year long, this year something different happened.  Those older students truly stepped up, with the encouragement of Pine Cove counselors and other staff, to teach and shepherd their younger comrades.  And because of this, they grew too.  Here are a couple Instagram posts I saw upon returning to civilization:

"I'm back from camp.  It's always life changing.  Being able to be a leader to kids that live a different life style than me but we can share one thing (living for the Lord).  Now that I'm back home the battle for Christ isn't over.  I'm wanting to live a life where everything I'm doing I'm glorifying God.  #forgiveness #love #giveithereson #pinecove"

"Getting to know Him better was the best experience ever take it from a older perspective"

P.S. Someone responded to one of the above posts looking for guidance and wanting to talk more.  The Kingdom is spreading :)

Rachel Kramer

Mentor Coordinator, Mercy Street

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"This was my first time at camp and I really enjoyed all the activities with my friends! I learned more about God and grew closer to him. The one thing that stood out was having my mentor Kate join me at camp for a few days! We were able to spend time together, participate in activities together, enjoy good meals 

together, and both were encouraged by the messages that we heard while at camp. I am so looking forward to going again next summer! I just want to say thank you to all the people that made it possible for me to experience this wonderful time at Pine Cove camp!"

Pricila Fuentes

Mentee, Middle School Student 

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We were blown away by Pine cove and wanted to share our highlights. One of the greatest things we witnessed was the young girl who told the group she accepted Christ at camp. Hearing her story of her coming from a bad place to a place of trusting Jesus will forever leave a lasting impression on us and our kids.  Another highlight was spending our mornings with each of the twins groups and the fellowship with them, the other kids, the counselors and our own kids. What a gift that was given to our kids to spend the week with other kids who may live in a different zip code, but the relationships are no different.  We saw God working all week in community and fellowship among them. Trusting each other, deepening their relationship with Christ and having SO MUCH FUN. 

The counselors were AMAZING!!! The way they loved us and our kids will be memories that will last a lifetime. 

Both Byron and Broderick's counselors told us that each of them have a gift and sharing the gospel with their friends. That's pretty awesome, too! 

Pine Cove and Mercy Street are both pretty amazing and we are honored to be able to share in expanding the Kingdom of God with both of you!!

Gratefully,

Jenny Griffin  (husband Reid mentors the twins Byron & Broderick)