mercy & hospitality
Mercy & Hospitality Staff ( 8 / 1 / 2016 ) Stacy Armbrester , Lee Content , Lou DeGraaf , Ardo Draper , Judie Fielstra , Nam Kim , Elaine Lohroff , Brenda Neher , Sheri Schmidt , Natalie Uecker
This past year has given our team ample opportunities to obey God and in turn watch him order our steps in faith . Mercy & Hospitality is an enormous area that includes many ministries . On Sunday mornings , we have our First Impressions Team that reaches out to first-time visitors and people who are looking to get connected into a Community Group or Adult Sunday Class . More than 75 have visited the Connection Point on Sunday morning , and over 50 have been part of Explore Calvary , a three-week class that helps people learn about Calvary ’ s beliefs and ministry areas .
Throughout Grace Beyond and the move to Calvin , we set our sights on God and by faith trusted that the Lord would provide all the volunteers we needed . We are so thankful that the Lord answered our prayers ! Exactly 1,000 people , from age 4 to 91 , have committed to serving at Calvin in a variety of capacities .
Along with the First Impressions Ministries , we have concentrated on four other areas of hospitality that reach out to the less fortunate . These ministries include our prison ministry , orphan ministry ( Forever Hope ), international ministries , and refugee ministry . Our goal in each of these areas is to show God ’ s love through generosity , kindness and acts of mercy .
Ardo Draper travels to prisons and spends time teaching and discipling men in the county jail . He visits three to five men in prison each week , offering the hope of Christ through the truth of Scripture . We also began a prayer ministry for women who are in the county jail .
Sheri Schmidt visited with 23 families as they pursued fostering or adoption . She was able to sit with them , offer prayer , resources and advice as they began an often long journey . Last January , she was able to bring 12 women to an adoptive mom retreat hosted by several West Michigan adoptive moms .
Nam Kim spends his weeks ministering to more than 30 Korean Pastors , most of whom are students at Calvin Seminary , and their families . He does this through once-a-month lunches for the pastors , and also lunches and small group gatherings for the families . He and his wife BoRam also lead Sister to Sister , a ministry that pairs Korean women with Calvary women for the sake of forming relationships and learning English through Bible study . All of this is done to help our Korean brothers and sisters feel at home at Calvary .
Another amazing area that the Lord keeps teaching us to trust Him and be obedient in is showing mercy and love to local refugee families . These families come to Grand Rapids from all over the world leaving behind war , famine , disease , and great personal loss . Since March , we have taken a family of seven from Sudan , a family of five from Syria , and most recently we have taken two more families from Syria under our wing . Our prayer , in not only this area of ministry , but all areas , is that Christ ’ s love shines through us in order that everyone we have the privilege to meet comes to know the saving power of Christ our Lord .
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