Emmanuel’s Mercy Team is a group of church leaders who attend to practical needs within the Emmanuel family and mobilize the congregation to address broader issues in our surrounding neighborhoods. While we try our best to meet immediate needs (relief), we also hope to help to address deeper issues alleviating problems in the longer term (reform), ultimately achieving a lasting change in concerns of justice (renewal) . Our specific areas of concern for 2009-2010 are education, homelessness and children.

Our vision: To see Emmanuel be a church where the gospel flourishes and people are cared for and to see Morningside Heights be a neighborhood where the gospel flourishes and people are cared for.

Every member ministry: Every believer is called in some way to be an agent of shalom. The Mercy Team aims to foster a culture of mercy in our church, by encouraging and providing opportunities for people to serve in a range of different ways.

Two funds fulfill the mission of the Mercy Team: The Mercy Fund is dedicated to the relief of and assistance to members of EPC. The Benevolence Fund is used for relief and renewal efforts outside of EPC.

Current outreach opportunities:

• Roots in the Heights - a youth mentoring ministry run jointly by Emmanuel and Uptown Community Church, providing mentoring for children between 8-16
  Contact Wendy Ager or rootsintheheights@gmail.com
• All Angels Church – serving meals each month, supporting homelessness initiatives (http://allangelschurch.wordpress.com/)
• Columbia Community Outreach Day – serving the neighborhood with the university in March each year (http://www.columbia.edu/cu/outreach/)
• World Vision – assembling AIDS caregiver kits, assembling backpacks for children (http://www.worldvision.org)
• Grant-in Aid for teachers – providing annual grants for educational resources and building relationships with local schools (contact Mercy Team for details)
• Angel Tree – a Christmas event for families affected by incarceration (http://www.angeltree.org)

Hope for New York works with churches to provide volunteer and financial support to organizations that serve the poor and marginalized. It organizes volunteer opportunities across the city ( http://hfny.org/volunteer/).

For members of Emmanuel and regular attenders: The Mercy Team may be able to offer financial assistance in periods of hardship. In the past, for example, we have paid for rent, moving expenses, and counseling expenses. When you contact us, we will arrange a meeting with two members of the team. We will ask about your personal history, financial resources and other relevant information. This information is kept confidential. We cannot guarantee financial support in response to every request. Please contact us by email, phone or in person.

For people who are not members of Emmanuel: Our church is not equipped to respond to requests for aid from individuals outside of our church family. We would encourage those with needs to contact someone within your own faith community, or seek help from one of the following organizations:

• Homelessness:

The Bowery Mission 212-674-3456, 1-800-BOWERY-1 http://www.bowery.org

New York City Rescue Mission 212-226-6214 http://www.nycrescue.org

New York City Relief (Relief Bus) 800-736-2773 http://www.nycr.org

• Meals and food pantry:

The Food Bank's Food Program Locator
http://www.foodbanknyc.org/go/our-programs/our-food-program-network/food-program-locator

The Food Bank's Community Kitchen 212-566-7855 http://www.nycr.org

Citymeals-on-Wheels 212-687-1234 http://www.citymeals.org

NYC Hunger Hotline - 1-866-888-8777

• Social Work:

New York City Department of Social Services 877-472-8411 http://www.nyc.gov/html/hra/html/home/home.shtml

NYC Administration for Children's Services 212-341-0900 http://www.nyc.gov/acs

ACCESS NYC - Free service that identifies and screens for over 30 City, State, and Federal human service benefit program https://a858-ihss.nyc.gov/ihss1/en_US/IHSS_homePage.do

• Counseling:

Redeemer Counseling Center 212-370-0475 x1365, or x131 for emergencies http://redeemer.com/care/counseling

LifeNet 1-800-LIFENET (24-hour crisis hotline) http://www.mhaofnyc.org/lifenet.html

• Pregnancy-related concerns:

Midtown Pregnancy Support Center 212-689-1705 http://www.mpsc.org

Option Line 800-395-HELP (24-hour hotline) http://www.pregnancycenters.org

• Addiction/Recovery:

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) 212-647-1680, 914-949-1200 http://www.nyintergroup.org

Al-Anon 212-941-0094 (for the relatives and friends of alcoholics) http://www.nycalanon.org

Narcotics Anonymous 212-929-NANA http://www.newyorkna.org/

Substance Abuse Treatment Facility Locator http://dasis3.samhsa.gov