Author Topic: Mercy ministries (Read 3770 times)

Oz girl · « **on:** November 06, 2006, 08:31:17 PM »

http://www.mercyministries.org/home.html

Does anyone know anything about these people? Have they had media attention? They have just set up over here. They are run by evangelicals. Attendance is voluntary and aimed at young adults here but this seems to the the first place of its kind to deal with such a variety of issues under one roof.
Is this a genuine treatment centre of some kind or a behavioural mod place?

Anonymous · « **Reply #1 on:** November 06, 2006, 08:56:34 PM »

Something's seriously wrong. Can't put my finger on it, quite, but something's wrong with this place.

psy · « **Reply #2 on:** November 06, 2006, 09:26:47 PM »

Well thier a residential program but they are also non-profit and off their services free of charge. Hopefully this means they aren't money grubbing thugs.

The overall impression i get is that this is one of those few examples of actually devout Christians who just want to help people. The people in most RTS places just pretend to be religious/christian to allay the fears of parents.

These people seem to be sincere. I would assume most graduates end up being members of the God-squad when they come out; however take a look at this from their FAQ:

Quote

Mercy Ministries in an independent organization that is not affiliated with any single church, organization or denomination.

(although they do claim to be christian)

That being said, this concerns me (again from the faq):

Quote

Residents work through a counseling process which includes topics such as forgiveness, resolving past hurts, family issues and thought patterns (ungodly and Godly beliefs).

Hmm. I don't feel comfortable with people labeling thoughts as godly/ungodly, however this is not uncommon with the god-squad. I think organized religion is for idiots personally but people are free to be idiots if they want. This place seems to be completely voluntary and does not accept court-ordered people.

What remains to be seen (and you might want to ask them this) is whether or not they let people leave with their money and posessions. Where I went this was not the case (and you would be on the streets, with no money, no identification, no clothes, and no posessions, in a really high crime area).

Quote

# Can girls take a leave of absence to see family/friends? Approximately every 4 to 6 weeks weekend passes are allowed. During this time, you can see approved family and friends.
# What is the policy on mail? Mail can be sent and received every day.
# What is the policy on phone calls? Phone calls can be made and received on the weekends.

This concerns me a bit as well. If they only have phone calls on weekends it means they don't have regular access to phones. I also am concerned with them "approving" family members, however the "approval" may only refer to friends, which i could understand if the person has drug issues.

If you really want to know you could apply for an application (30+ pages).

Overall, however, this place seems to be like a place where christians go when they go "away from god" and want to get back in his graces. I doubt they are really targeting non-christians with their "ministry".

Oz girl · « **Reply #3 on:** November 06, 2006, 09:37:06 PM »

The faq section is the same word for word on the Australian site. Given that it is the girl herself who fills out the forms, I dont think the fact that they are so overly christian is really a problem because it seems that the girls volunteer to go there so hardly go in blind. Their attitude to the young women also seems genuinely loving as opposed to all the programmes which seem pretty hostile to the kids they are supposed to serve.
What I wondered about was being able to see only approved friends, as that is not consistent with other similar programmes here. I was also curious about weekend passes as it does not mention whther everyone gets the exeat wekend or if it has to be earned. Hence wondering if anyone had direct experiences with these people.

psy · « **Reply #4 on:** November 06, 2006, 09:56:05 PM »

Quote from: ""Oz girl""

The faq section is the same word for word on the Australian site. Given that it is the girl herself who fills out the forms, I dont think the fact that they are so overly christian is really a problem because it seems that the girls volunteer to go there so hardly go in blind. Their attitude to the young women also seems genuinely loving as opposed to all the programmes which seem pretty hostile to the kids they are supposed to serve.

Exactly. I don't see "tough love" mentioned on their site. Most places like this just "pray" your problems away with surprisingly good results (eg. Cenacolo communes). A cynical person such as myself would just say that they substitute drug addiction for god addiction (one opiate for another), but that is their right to do so. This is not to say one has to be a god-addict to worship god, just that there are some people who turn it into a day-job to avoid the problems in their lives. Overall, however, thse people are happy and can leave if they want to so i don't see a real issue.

Regarding the friends issue, yes i do think it is restrictive, however at least they let the people see their friends. In my case they told my i could write my girlfriend (or call her) any time i wanted. They didn't. She was heartbroken and though I had forgotten about her. They never even let me write to her and tell her i was not going to be able to write.

I could understand them saying no if some smack-addicts wanted to visit. If the people in program want to see their friends bad enough they can leave (although they do mention signing a 6 month commitment(not sure if legally binding) on the site you mentioned).

Quote

What I wondered about was being able to see only approved friends, as that is not consistent with other similar programmes here. I was also curious about weekend passes as it does not mention whther everyone gets the exeat wekend or if it has to be earned. Hence wondering if anyone had direct experiences with these people.

One last thing. Claims on a website are often very different than reality. If you fit the age range (or look it) you might be able to infiltrate the place and find out for yourself what the place is like. Don't worry, if they lock you in the cellar we'll "Rambo the fucking door down" and break you out.

Oz girl · « **Reply #5 on:** November 07, 2006, 08:46:07 AM »

But are these guys well known in the US 3 springs?
What makes them different to any other religious welfare organisation here that I am aware of is that
A) they expect the girls to practice as opposed to just being the churches welfare arm
B) They do not just help 1 particular group in that they are not a DRUG REHAB or a homeless shelter or a "home for unwed mothers" or an eating diorder hospital but all four rolled into 1-Usually an organisation will set up varous different clinics etc and hire the correct trained people for the specific issue.
c) their clause about visits being allowed by "approved of friends" is most unusual in a centre which deals primarily in a centre for girls over 18.
Hence wanting to know what people know about them.

Anonymous · « **Reply #6 on:** November 07, 2006, 09:55:53 AM »

///c) their clause about visits being allowed by "approved of friends" is most unusual in a centre which deals primarily in a centre for girls over 18. ///

Maybe this is for the girls protection - somewhat like a battered womans shelter. You know - the girl must approve the friend, or the friend is not a "friend". I haven't looked at the site yet - but I am wondering Who picks the friends?

Anonymous · « **Reply #7 on:** November 07, 2006, 10:45:23 AM »

Ok, I'm not a fan of programs-SCL really managed to screw me up. However, I have started attending church (not a great christian-I still have an unforgiving nature towards both the program and my parents) but I am familiar with two of the links on their site. Specifically, the Girls of Grace group. Point of Grace is an all female christian singing group that runs some amazing ministries for young girls (my wife's sisters go to a lot of their conferences with their mom) and not just for 'troubled kids' either. Is it overtly Christian? Of course! Darlene Szcheck (sp) does some pretty good stuff with young women too. As does Susan Shellabarger of Brio magazine. IMHO, Mercy Ministries is in a whole separate class from WWASPS, Thayer or that sob down at Living Water. should they be carefully watched? Naturally. But don't assume that every treatment program is abusive. As far as approved friends-if my daughter were there, I wouldn't want someone's gang or crackhead boyfriend around, nor would I want her calling someone like that if it were her friend. There's a difference between isolation and protection/rules, especially if it's a place you signed into voluntarily and doesn't charge you a $4000 monthly fee as long as the money holds out. Again, just my opinion.

Survivor of SCL

Anonymous · « **Reply #8 on:** November 08, 2006, 07:16:00 AM »

Thanks for the info guest. As i said the attitude of the palce seems all positive and nobody would sign up not knowing it takes a christian approach. Do you know anything about the people they hire. Do they have proper doctors for the girls with eating disorders? or phychologist?
DO you know how the girls get counselling?

psy · « **Reply #9 on:** November 08, 2006, 07:39:03 AM »

Quote from: ""Guest""

Thanks for the info guest. As i said the attitude of the palce seems all positive and nobody would sign up not knowing it takes a christian approach. Do you know anything about the people they hire. Do they have proper doctors for the girls with eating disorders? or phychologist?
DO you know how the girls get counselling?

I'm guessing it's prayer based ministry. My mother, for instance, says that if i want to heal from my program experiences i should just go to this lady she knows who will pray over me and make it all go away. Even if it was that easy i would never surrender my mind. How different would that be than a Propheet, where they bring you down to your lowest so they can comfort you, building up an artificial attachment to some figure of choice. At least religion gives the power of the "comfort figure" to some "diety" rather than the councelor him/herself.

However, there is a difference here. The people who go into a program like this have already surrendered their minds and "souls" to "god" so it's not like it's going to do any harm. If you believe you are "healed", essentially, you are healed (to some extent at least). There's no question in my mind that these people feel better after prayer. It's the power of faith (ie. believing in something without reason). The effect lasts as long as people maintiain their faith. It creates a dependency yes, but at least the motive is altruistic. These people have faith and trust, and their councelors aren't going to abuse it like in my experiences. My mother used to run a prayer group for abused women in her home. I believe it helped a lot of people and i'm sure her participants would argue the same. The difference between this and a program is that it is voluntary, and you know what you are getting into.

Anonymous · « **Reply #10 on:** November 08, 2006, 09:19:42 AM »

Any program/ideology, counselor or program owner can be abusive. Religious program, secular program, wilderness program, they are all the same and have the same risks involved. Kepe your eye out for warning signs!!!!

MightyAardvark · « **Reply #11 on:** November 08, 2006, 10:22:15 AM »

Delete

Anonymous · « **Reply #12 on:** November 08, 2006, 11:25:27 AM »

That's a very naive statement.

Anonymous · « **Reply #13 on:** November 08, 2006, 03:37:57 PM »

MG - how can you say something is wrong while you admittedly know nothing about it???
TS - where did you get bullshit brainwashed that ardent belief in something and offering to share it is intrinsically evil?
other antis - what is so inherently awful with offering help, screening initial requests for same - from only those legally able to consent/agree -, and providing it to those participating voluntarily something bad? It sure doesn't seem that anybody is forced to apply or forced to stay - just that if accepted to their facility, you have to follow their rules to stay. Or is it that you think you have a right to another's help on your own terms?

Anonymous · « **Reply #14 on:** November 08, 2006, 08:05:18 PM »

Quote

MG - how can you say something is wrong while you admittedly know nothing about it???

You know that feeling you get when you meet a polite person who you somehow think might be a psycho? Or maybe you'd get it when you're entering a bad neighborhood, or listening to a used car salesman, or listening to certain politicians make statements. "Something's not quite right."

That's the vibe I get reading that site.

Also it's really easy to envision parents sending their daughters there and pressuring them to act like they need to go there, creating the illusion of consent. Normal thirteen year old girls often aren't able to resist that kind of thing.

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