Celebrating Success of Mercy Campaign

The end of July marked the completion of our church-wide Mercy projects where nearly 7,000 members registered to serve through acts of compassion. Over the past three months, our tangible expressions of God’s love not only reached out to communities, but also advanced our efforts toward the Daring Faith goal of assisting 250,000 people in need.

In celebration of these accomplishments, our Local PEACE team hosted a Mercy Project Appreciation Luncheon on June 23, to honor key leaders who helped facilitate the successful campaign. Among those recognized were Jonathan Pease who oversaw design, Kyle Cleveland liaison to international campuses, Matt Lacoff who handled editing, Betty Hopkins who collected photographs, and Nebai Cherrick who coordinated marketing efforts. From the 301 Ministry Team, Tori Hall, Julie Sathoff, and Julie Alexandrovich, were credited for their work in screening projects, communicating with campuses, and hosting the Lake Forest Mercy Fair where 600 people discovered ways to serve.

A special thanks went out to the web team including Ryan Carson, Gregory Ortega, and Cris Francisco who artfully constructed the Mercy Project website. As the vehicle for serving opportunities, the website was a huge undertaking, especially since this was the first time Saddleback had launched a 16-campus serving initiative.

Extreme gratitude went to the Local PEACE team, including Michelle Thune, Ryan Hacker, Steve Bresler, and Dee Dee Lowe, who spearheaded the entire Mercy Project initiative. 

According to Matt Bruce, Pastor of Local PEACE, those working behind the scenes united for the sole purpose of seeing God glorified. Among them were leaders and volunteers from six different ministries: The PEACE Center, Local PEACE, Global PEACE, HIV/AIDS, Orphan Care, and the Assisted Living Ministry.

 “The six teams came together to form one unified team,” says Matt. “They gathered over 300 distinct projects from 16 campuses and did an incredible job helping with communication. People were connected to serving opportunities, which was the heartbeat of the Mercy campaign. That’s something that will live on, far beyond the end of July.”

Some major achievements were the mobilization of small groups, and the new Mentoring Program at Santa Ana High School that was originated as one of Saddleback’s Mercy Projects. In addition, hundreds of people were reached through assisted living projects and had an opportunity to see God’s love in action. Every project, big or small, demonstrated Christ’s love and mercy.

As Saddleback Member Sharon Perry explained, “The Mercy Project made us aware of the need to help others as Jesus did. It was a wonderful compliment to the Miracle of Mercy study, and the project was a great way for our small group to mobilize and get to know each other better.”

To continue our efforts in demonstrating mercy, Saddleback’s Spiritual Maturity Team will be hosting Mercy Retreats on September 10, October 8, and November 12. Held in the Hacienda Room of our Rancho Capistrano campus, the Saturday events take place from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM and include study materials, snacks, and lunch ($35).

Each Mercy Retreat is designed to help people in their personal journeys toward receiving God’s mercy and pursuing lives of offering mercy. Through pastor-led teaching , prayer, and personal reflection, the retreat will be a time to deepen relationships with the Lord and with others.

According to Spiritual Maturity Pastor Jason Wieland, “During these retreats, we dive deeper into what it means to receive God’s mercy. We study the Parable of the Lost Son, and how we are called to live mercifully, looking at the story of the Good Samaritan. These retreats give people the opportunity to learn more about the topic of mercy, spend quiet time in prayer, and examine biblical passages with guided prompts and group discussion.” 

For more information, visit saddleback.com/retreats or email Maturity@saddleback.com.