Founder, Nancy Alcorn. Source: Mercy Ministries
Nancy Alcon, founder and president, began her ministry over 30 years ago in the U.S.
She spent the first eight years of her career working with juveniles, but saw inadequacies in programs that didn’t offer transformation or long-term solutions. After working for the state and believing that transformation would never come as the result of a government system, she left her job and was appointed Director of Women for the Nashville Teen Challenge program, where she worked for two more years. Through her experience, Alcorn believed that only religion could bring restoration into the lives of girls who were hurting and searching for something to fill the void they felt in their lives.
In 1983 Alcorn relocated to Monroe, Louisiana, and establishes MM where she was determined to bring change in the lives of the young women. Alcorn developed three guiding principles: MM would accept the girls free of charge, not profiting from their pain; MM would donate 10 per cent of all funding to other causes building other not-for-profits; and to not accept any government funding. As MM is a Christian organization, Alcorn did not want government funding to influence the freedom to share Christ. Alcorn was originally laughed at when she began. Critics wondered how a program of this size could survive when the two main sources of income would be cut off and 10 per cent of the remaining funding would be given away.
Surrey B.C. Mercy Ministries classroom. Source: Mercy Ministries
No one is laughing now. Since 1983, multiple homes have opened, with the second in Nashville, the third in St. Louis and the fourth in California. MM has also grown outside of the US borders, into New Zealand, England and Canada. The Canadian home opened in 2010 and is located in Surrey.
The homes take in women aged 13 to 28 who deal with life controlling issues from eating disorders to sexual abuse (including sex trafficking) and self-harm. They receive free food and free counselling.
Surrey B.C Mercy Ministries sitting room. Source: Mercy Ministries
The Surrey location is on 4.3 acres of land, with 20 beds, acquired debt-free after seven years of fundraising. It was designed by Danica Goward. Nicola Bartelm, executive director, said, “Every detail – from the bedding to the classrooms to the counselling offices – has been seen as an opportunity to express worth and value, mercy and love to the precious young women that will make their home there.”
I chatted with Stacy Rodriguez, a former 2009 resident of the St. Louis home, about her experiences with the program.
Q. With the program being a six-month commitment, what was the hardest part?
A. Giving up control, not knowing what was going to happen there or after. Everything was unknown and out of my control. Also for some reason, I was really home sick and I never realized how different Vancouver culture is from St. Louis. At the time six months felt like an eternality.
Q. What was the program like?
A. At first I was extremely overwhelmed. All these new rules, 30 girls in one house, and people in charge of me, I thought I was going to die. As time went on, though, it got better, but facing the reasons for why I got there in the first place was extremely painful and shocking actually. Also, having to learn new ways of operating, at the time felt impossibly difficult. Equally shocking was the way I was treated. At Christmas I was brought to tears, they treated with extravagant kindness and grace.
Q. What made the biggest moment there?
A. I remember driving down the road on the way to the YMCA and all of a sudden I looked up realizing that the pain in my heart was gone. I had lived with the pain of depression in my heart as long as I could remember.
Q. What was a defining moment?
A. After I had been home around six months, I continued to struggle. I thought I needed to go back, but in that moment I had the most real conversation with myself. I knew they had nothing more to offer me. I needed to apply what I had been taught and to use the tools I learned. Really, the pain of staying the same was more painful than changing. In that moment everything changed.
