Mercy & Justice In Action: A Practical Workshop
The recent Mercy & Justice workshop was a great success, with many people taking up the opportunity to connect with ministries that are serving refugees and the homeless, writes Margo Leach, ADM Director of Mercy & Justice Ministries.
Margo Leach, Director of Mercy & Justice Ministries at ADM (left) and Helen Kim, Executive Director of Hope For Sydney.
ADM was delighted to co-host, with Hope For Sydney, a Mercy & Justice in Action workshop at the ADM offices on 18 May. The workshop sought to connect lay Christian volunteers with tangible service opportunities in Christian organisations and ministries that serve refugees and the homeless.
The 60 people attending were challenged by speaker Dr Karin Sowada, who explored the biblical foundations for Christian involvement in acts of mercy and justice. Karin also shared her own experience of God leading her to serve in many ways, but particularly through her voluntary service with Australian Racing Christian Chaplaincy.
A highlight of the evening was an interactive Q&A session with two ministry panels – one on refugee ministry and the other on homelessness. Representatives of ministries already serving in these sectors were interviewed by Helen Kim, Executive Director of Hope For Sydney, and Margo Leach, ADM’s Director of Mercy & Justice Ministries. They shared some of the joys and challenges of establishing and growing their ministries, and responded to an interesting range of questions from the floor. Participants on the refugee panel were drawn from churches that recently received grants from ADM under the Anglican Agencies Syrian Iraqi Refugee Response. These grants are enabling churches to serve a diverse range of Syrian, Iraqi and other refugees arriving in the greater Sydney area.
Workshop participants were invited to connect with the 13 ministries that were represented at the ministry expo. Ministries serving refugees and the homeless showcased their work, answered questions, and provided connection points for interested workshop participants to explore further options for service.
This was the first Mercy & Justice workshop of its kind hosted at ADM. It was inspiring to hear how a diverse range of Christian ministries are seeking to holistically meet the needs of refugees and the homeless, and in so doing, extend God’s grace and mercy to them. It was a great privilege to connect with mercy ministries new to ADM, to meet with likeminded Christian volunteers who are seeking to serve God with their time and talents, and to provide ADM’s ‘garden in the city’ as a place to facilitate connections that will enable people to flourish – both those in need, and Christians seeking to serve them.
We are excited to release information about ADM’s core strategy for our growing Mercy & Justice Ministries. Click here for more information, and make sure you sign up to receive updates about our Mercy & Justice Ministries.