Aicube.com recently interviewed Nancy Alcorn of Mercy Ministries.  Nancy Alcorn founded Mercy Ministries in 1983.  Today, serving as Founder and President of Mercy Ministries, Nancy Alcorn has witnessed the organization grow beyond her wildest imagination and dreams.  Aicube.com spoke with Nancy Alcorn about the history and growth of Mercy Ministries.

Aicube.com: Welcome to our readership Nancy Alcorn.  We know you are very busy, so we appreciate your time.

Nancy Alcorn: I am thankful for your time and the time of your readers.

Aicube.com: Tell our readers, Nancy Alcorn, how did Mercy Ministries come about?

Nancy Alcorn: I spent several years, when I was younger, working for the Tennessee Department of Corrections.  I wanted to impact the lives of young women.  Yet what I witnessed was many young women falling through the cracks.  I would see female juvenile delinquents go through our programs only to become incarcerated adult offenders.

Aicube.com: And through that experience Mercy Ministries was birthed?

Nancy Alcorn: Yes.  Little did I know that God was showing me one major thing was missing when it came to impacting the lives of women:  Him!

Aicube.com: So secular counseling wasn’t working?

Nancy Alcorn: It’s not that counseling wasn’t working.  It was that the secular programs were missing the life change component of Jesus Christ.  He alone holds the power to radically and permanently change the lives and paths of people.

Aicube.com: And you know that personally.

Nancy Alcorn: I do.  He dramatically changed my path.  In my youth, I never imagined stepping out on faith, with nothing, and launching what would become Mercy Ministries International.

Aicube.com: Nancy Alcorn, you mentioned the word International.

Nancy Alcorn: Yes.

Aicube.com: Let’s talk about the role of Nancy Alcorn in the amazing growth, now international, of Mercy Ministries.

Nancy Alcorn: My role has been to do my best to listen to God’s leading and vision for Mercy Ministries.  The rest, the growth, the life change in women’s lives has been totally God.  My role today is serving as Founder and President of Mercy Ministries.

Aicube.com: Yet under the leadership of Nancy Alcorn, Mercy Ministries has experienced phenomenal growth in just under 30 years.

Nancy Alcorn: But this has never been about Nancy Alcorn.  I have worked to follow God closely, allowing His power and dream for Mercy Ministries to take hold.

Aicube.com: And Mercy Ministries has seen dynamic growth, let’s talk about that.

Nancy Alcorn: The growth is simply a testimony to the power of Christ in the lives of girls, including this Tennessee girl.  We opened our first West Coast home for women in October of 2009.  In addition, Mercy Ministries has residential homes in Louisiana, Tennessee and Missouri.  We are now working at an international level as well with global affiliates.

Aicube.com: We read somewhere that Nancy Alcorn and Mercy Ministries had worked with over 2000 women.

Nancy Alcorn: Actually the number is over 3000 women.

Aicube.com: And out of a recent survey, a large percentage responded that Nancy Alcorn and Mercy Ministries had changed their lives.

Nancy Alcorn: 93% said that the Mercy Ministries six-month residential program had indeed transformed their lives.  Even more so, had restored their hope.  Praise God.

Aicube.com: Nancy Alcorn, thank you for the update.  What exciting news about growth and life change.  I know our readers join Nancy Alcorn and Mercy Ministries in prayer and support as they continue to bring life change and light into the lives of young women.

Nancy Alcorn: Thank you.

Nancy Alcorn began her career working with female juvenile delinquents in the Tennessee Department of Corrections.  Nancy Alcorn is now the Founder and President of Mercy Ministries.  Mercy Ministries utilizes nutritionists, licensed Christian counselors and a biblically-based curriculum with the emphasis that true freedom from addition and life-controlling issues is possible.  All of this is free of charge for the women.  Nancy Alcorn is the author of several books and a sought after convention and conference speaker.

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About Nancy Alcorn

During her five years working for the state of Tennessee, at a correctional facility for juvenile delinquent girls, Nancy Alcorn developed a passion to impact the lives of hurting young women.  Time and time again, Nancy Alcorn watched as the young women she worked with at the juvenile facility passed the age of eighteen and ended up in the women’s prison system because they never got the real help they needed.

During the next three years, as Nancy Alcorn investigated child abuse cases for the state of Tennessee, she saw firsthand why so many of these young women were angry and hurting.  Working with juvenile delinquent girls and investigating alleged cases of child abuse gave Nancy Alcorn the opportunity to interact directly with secular rehabilitation programs and the girls impacted by those programs. It was during this time that Nancy Alcorn realized that these programs were not producing permanent results that exemplified changed lives.

Following her tenure with the state, Nancy Alcorn accepted an appointment as Director of Women for the Nashville Teen Challenge.  Through all of these experiences, Nancy Alcorn began to realize that true transformation would never come as the result of any government system.  Nancy Alcorn understood that only Jesus could bring restoration into the lives of girls who were desperately hurting and searching for something to fill the void they felt in their hearts.

Nancy Alcorn began to sense that God was unfolding a plan prompting her to step out in faith.  God called Nancy Alcorn to help hurting young women find freedom and have their lives transformed.  With her experience to assist her and God to guide her, Nancy Alcorn would prayerfully make a giant step of faith to help hurting young women.

In January of 1983, Nancy Alcorn relocated to Monroe, Louisiana and established Mercy Ministries of America.  Nancy Alcorn was determined that the Mercy Ministries program would bring about true-life change in the lives of young women.  With that in mind, Nancy Alcorn knew there were three guiding principles to which she must always remain faithful.  First, Nancy Alcorn committed that Mercy Ministries would accept girls free of charge.  Second, Nancy Alcorn committed that Mercy Ministries would donate ten percent of all donations to other organizations and ministries.  Third, Nancy Alcorn made the decision that Mercy Ministries would never accept any state or federal funding.  In no way did Nancy Alcorn want any money that might interfere with the freedom to share Christ.

Since 1983, Mercy Ministries, under the leadership of Nancy Alcorn, has seen exponential growth and impact.  Establishing locations in Louisiana, Tennessee, Missouri and California, Nancy Alcorn has seen her God-sized dream impact numerous women ages 13 to 28.  Nancy Alcorn has seen Mercy Ministries grow beyond the borders of the United States with home in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, and Canada.

Nancy Alcorn and Mercy Ministries help young women seeking freedom from physical and sexual abuse (including sex trafficking), eating disorders, self-harm, drug and alcohol addiction, depression and unplanned pregnancy.  Mercy Ministries, with Nancy Alcorn serving as Founder and President, assists young women through a non-conventional approach to healing that allows them to stop and break destructive cycles of behavior.  Nancy Alcorn continues her commitment to helping young women recognize their self-worth and reach their full potential.

For more information about the services offered by Nancy Alcorn and Mercy Ministries, visit the Mercy website online at http://www.mercyministries.com.