We talk often about our Mercy Network, but have you ever wondered how this branch of our ministry began? The work our pastors do in their communities is a major extension of the heart of Connect 2 in Haiti—from distributing food to offering spiritual help, these men consistently and wholeheartedly invest in the people around them. And we invest in them because of it.

The Mercy Network got its start when we began our partnership with Children’s Hunger Fund. CHF’s model is church-centric, so when they give food or supplies, they don’t simply give to an organization and trust they’ll do things the right way. They give resources to churches, allowing those churches to hand out food and create relationships with people through the distributions. This ministry approach resembles what we have tried to do at C2M: to support and strengthen local churches while fostering Christ-centered relationships.

After the 2010 earthquake, we quickly built connections with churches in Haiti (read more here). These relationships developed out of necessity, but many of them have grown into more lasting avenues for ministry. We work with nearly fifty churches, but there are twelve we work with more closely, providing them food from CHF in addition to accountability and mentoring—that’s our Mercy Network.

It has been a big encouragement to hear our pastors’ stories from these distributions. The goal is that these resources would be a tool for evangelism, not just a humanitarian effort, and every time we see pictures and hear testimonies from these interactions, we know we are witnessing ministry in action. As a result of these outreach opportunities, our churches have built strong reputations in their communities and have even seen many individuals come to faith in Christ.

The Lord does the work, and we are thankful for the way He uses His church to glorify Himself and advance the gospel.