HISTORY OF MERCY DRIVE MINISTRIES

Mercy Drive Ministries, Inc.(MDM) was formed to serve as the community outreach arm of Heart of Mercy Community Church, serving the Mercy Drive Community of Orlando, Florida. In as much as worship and Christian discipleship constitute the purpose of the church, Christian community development in encompasses the vision and mission of MDM. As a 501(C) 3 non-profit corporation, MDM will address the educational, economic, emotional, and physical needs of our neighbors. Our mission is to offer tangible solutions to the issues that plague a neighborhood in serious and moral economical decline.

MDM purpose stems from two areas of immediate concern along the Mercy Drive corridor: educational achievement and economic development. Only 28 percent of our community has earned a high school diploma or GED and less than 8 percent have attained further education as the market place continues to shift to a global economy, and as technology advances at warp speed, three-quarters of our community population will be left behind, unable to rise above poverty and oppression. As a Christian community development corporation, MDM will address the needs of our community in a holistic manner.

With an average household income of $21, 818.00, there is little hope of achieving the American dream of home ownership. The focus is more concentrated on simply survival. More than 60 percent of the housing units along Mercy Drive are renter-occupied. Educational and employment opportunities open doors to home ownership, resulting in personal and community pride. Children can also grow up in a more stable environment, enabling their learning patterns to flourish.

The founders of MDM are fully aware that the envisioned changes take a lifetime to accomplish and that they are ultimately rooted in the heart that is transformed. A mission of this magnitude is sure to be wrought with struggles against the status-quo and close paradigmatic thinking of a community imprisoned by oppression. Our team is dedicated to the journey toward fulfilling this vision.

Heart of Mercy Community Church has been anchored in the Mercy Drive community for more than 20 years, and the time has come to enlarge its borders. Heart of Mercy Community Church and Mercy Drive Ministries, Inc. will work in concert to provide a link between various community outreach venues and spiritual formation in order to facilitate deeply rooted, Christ-centered values. We are firmly committed to the belief that Jesus Christ not only offers salvation for spiritual condition, but also gives hope for our day-to-day situation. Our responsibility is to provide holistic ministry that addresses the needs of our residents who daily live in bondage to the vicious cycle of hopelessness and despair.