Mission of the Month - Heart of Mercy

December Mission of the Month

Written by Tristan Waechter

“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places,” (Eph. 6:12, ESV).

When you look through a human lens at war, we often see only what we want to see. We have empathy and compassion on some, while ignoring the pain and hurt of others. We sometimes pick and choose who we feel sorry for based on what our political views tell us, whether or not we have personal ties to a certain people group or area, or even what the church body as a whole tends to say about an issue.

But God, in His word, has revealed to us how we ought to approach these situations. We stand in solidarity with innocent people. We can look at war and know that in every conflict our enemy has an agenda. The devil loves bloodshed. He loves when we lack compassion and empathy.

Our mission committee held a special meeting recently, to address something that was burning on the hearts of the committee and our church leadership. In the “Holy Land” there is a major conflict going on. Thousands and thousands of people have lost their lives. Both Palestinians and Israelis are dying, grieving, hurting and in desperate need. Friends, we wish to respond to this. Not to pick sides, nor to start even more conflict or controversy here in the States, while our brothers and sisters in the Middle East lose their lives. The decision we reached, is to support the ministry of Samaritan’s Purse as they care for Israeli people affected by this conflict, as well as to support a ministry called Heart of Mercy International, as they care for Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank during this humanitarian crisis. God has instructed us in His Word to care for the oppressed, the downtrodden, the orphan, the widow, the poor, the hungry, the sick and the needy. Nothing matters more right now than that. We pray you’ll join us as we give throughout the month of December to the mission of caring for the innocent victims of this violent conflict.