Mercy Brunch Promotes Unity Across Diverse Communities

August 18, 2016

“The power and presence of God was so evident as Pastors Touré and Sarah spoke with such clarity and insight and wisdom into the tough situations we are facing in our world today,” said Nancy Alcorn, Mercy Multiplied Founder and President, reflecting on Mercy’s Unity Brunch held last Saturday, August 13th at Rocketown. Nearly 300 people from as far away as Delaware and Texas attended the event to promote mercy and unity across diverse communities in Nashville and throughout the nation.

“It was so exciting to see the Nashville community come together for our first-ever Unity Brunch. Our speakers and amazing entertainment made this event one to remember!” said Adrienne Lindsey, Mercy Community Relations Manager. “I am thrilled to continue the connection with all of our attendees as we grow together in unity.”

The brunch featured inspirational presentations by Alcorn and special guests Touré Roberts and Sarah Jakes-Roberts, Co-Pastors of One Church LA. DJ Promote provided a musical welcome and Lynn Morrow, member of Mercy Board of Directors, greeted guests. Throughout the program, Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter Erica Campbell roused the room with several of her soulful songs. To close the program, Pastor Dan Scott of Christ Church Nashville, sang a moving rendition of Walk With Me, Lord.

For over three decades, Mercy Multiplied, under Alcorn’s leadership, has provided thousands with the biblically based tools to live free, healthy, independent lives and as a result, has generated a transformative movement of hope and healing. The Unity Brunch showed that hope and provided a place to come together as the Body of Christ to address destructive issues. Hearing the powerful stories of two Mercy Multiplied graduates was a program highlight for those in attendance, a vast majority of whom were new to Mercy’s mission and work.

Guests heard how 2014 Mercy graduate Krystle was sex trafficked as a child and began to self-harm and developed an eating disorder to cope with her pain. After failed suicide attempts, Krystle sought help and found hope through Mercy Multiplied’s residential program. She has been serving at-risk and underprivileged kids at the Dream Center in St. Louis.

“I remember telling God I was never gonna live in a poor community in the ghetto, and I was never gonna be around drug addicts, and I was never gonna be around violence and guns ever again because that’s how I grew up,” said Krystle. “And now I’m right back in one of the poorest areas, around a lot of violence and gangs and drug use, but I’m in a completely different position, doing something completely different. And God’s using that part of my story to change other people’s stories.”

Amnoni, a 2009 Mercy graduate, shared how God completely transformed her life through Mercy’s program after aging out of a broken foster care system. With Mercy’s help, she not only overcame the effects of abuse in her life, but also has gone on to become a college graduate when she was told she would likely fall into the 95%-97% of foster youth who never graduate high school. She has also served as an intern in the White House, working to affect federal foster care reform, and is currently pursuing a Masters in Public Administration through the National Urban Fellow program.

“I’m so thankful for Mercy. They saw things in me that I couldn’t see in myself. Mercy truly prepared me…Mercy has given me the wings so that I could fly,” said Amnoni.

Mercy Multiplied would like to thank all of our Unity Brunch sponsors, including Gospel Music Association, Logicom, The Ramsey Family Foundation, Seeds of Greatness Bible Church, 760 AM The Gospel, and Zeitlin & Co. Realtors.

For more information about Mercy Multiplied’s program and resources, please click here.