Show Notes:

In this episode, Eddie and Chris are joined by Melissa Maher, Lead Pastor at Mercy Street in Houston, Texas. Mercy Street is a sister church to Chapelwood United Methodist Church in Houston and began out of a ministry of love. Mercy Street seeks to create a safe harbor of hope and transformation so all may experience the radical grace of God. Put more simply (and boldly at mercystreet.org): Hope. Everyone needs some.

The ministry of Mercy Street is to reach folks who are in recovery from almost anything in life--whether that’s an addiction, a bad marriage, financial difficulties, or wounds from a different religious setting. As Melissa says in the podcast, everyone is in recovery from something, and the doors of Mercy Street are wide.

Melissa’s journey into ministry began by way of a degree in finance from Louisiana Tech. She then went on to graduate from Asbury Theological Seminary with a Master of Divinity and has been the lead pastor at Mercy Street for seven years. Melissa has a lot to say about the work of recovery and how churches, church members, and pastors can come alongside those in that journey with humility and love, sharing in the grace of God that is extended to all.

Books:

Breathing Underwater by Father Richard Rohr

Addiction and Grace by Dr. Gerald May

Mercy Street:

Recovery | "Hope at Mercy Street" with Melissa Maher