The 2012 Mercy Ministries Conference, March 15-17 at Chattanooga’s New City Fellowship, will motivate and equip PCA members who want to take mercy ministry to the next level. The event is co-sponsored by the PCA’s Mission to North America (MNA) and Christian Education and Publications (CEP).

MNA and CEP first teamed up for the Mercy Conference 10 years ago. Leaders of both organizations felt their goals lined up nicely. “Our call is to provide resources,” said MNA Associate Coordinator Fred Marsh, part of the conference planning team. “Both MNA and CEP have the common interest of mercy ministry, both within the congregation and to reach outside of our churches to spread the Gospel as we serve.”

This year’s conference will feature several pre-conference tracks on subjects such as English as a Second Language, Disaster Response Training, and Special Needs Ministry.  Featured speakers for the main sessions will include Dr. Diane Langberg, a psychologist, author, and faculty member at Westminster Theological Seminary, and Thurman Williams, pastor of New Song Community Church (PCA) in Baltimore, Md.

Williams looks forward to sharing his enthusiasm for mercy and justice with attendees. “In both my messages,” says Williams, “I will be trying to call us to think and act on a deeper level in mercy ministry. I will draw from our personal experiences over the last 25 years in the Sandtown community in inner city Baltimore.”

While the Conference speaks predominantly to mercy ministry at an entry level, Williams sees benefits for a wide-ranging audience. “[The Conference] is informative and instructive for those whose churches are at the beginning stages of mercy ministry; it’s challenging and affirming to those who’ve been at mercy ministry for a little while but are looking to go and grow deeper; and it’s re-energizing and renewing for folks who’ve been at mercy ministry for a while and may be feeling burned out or apathetic.”

For more information on the Mercy Ministries Conference, visit http://mercy.pcacep.org.