Imagine my surprise when, listening to a voicemail message in my office, I learned that Family of God Community Church was being given a house!  The message went something like this:

“Hi Pastor.  I have been walking past Anchor Home . . . (the house located at    101 Quarterline that our church was busy renovating to be used for transitional housing for homeless in our community) and we are so impressed with how great that house is going to look and with the blessing it is going to be to our community.  Well, my brothers and I have just inherited our parents’ home—it is located a few blocks from your church—and we decided we would like to give you that house!”

Well, needless to say, that was a message I had to play more than once to actually believe what I was hearing!  Family of God Community Church was going to be given a house!  I truly wondered to whom I could or should tell this incredible news.  And, I couldn’t help but be concerned that the guys from FOGCC that were volunteering a great deal of time and energy to renovate 101 Quarterline would welcome the thought of having another project as soon as they finished with the current one! But, how do you say “NO” to God … and what God wants to do in our community?

This voicemail was followed up with many conversations with one of the Mercer’s sons.  We continued to hear how the sons of Harold and Donna Mercer were all in agreement that they wanted to give this house to the Transitional Housing Ministry of FOGCC—knowing that it would be a wonderful way to honor their parents.  It would be a very tangible way to “pay it forward” as these four sons cherished the love and support that their parents had given to them.

The final arrangements, details and plans took some time—but in June of 2017, FOGCC welcomed the four sons of Harold and Donna Mercer to morning  worship where we thanked the Mercer family and also heard from one of the sons how he had, for a long time, had the hope and desire to someday provide a home for a family in need.

Family of God Community Church is very grateful to the Mercer family and to God for the ways that He calls us to love and serve our community.  This home, which will always be called Mercer Home, can easily house a family that is in need of a safe place to live—along with the love, support and care of mentors, prayer partners and a program that hopes to help them achieve financial and emotional stability.  Take a look at the renovation photos below and the photos of the completed transformation of the home.

Perhaps, you would commit to helping maintain our homes to provide families with a safe place to live.  If so, please contact us.  Together we know that God’s will can and will be done “on earth as well as it is in heaven”!

Pastor Barb Boss (Retired pastor of Family Of God Community Church)