House of Mercy Moves Fundraiser to Graham

The House of Mercy [HOME] will hold its 6th Annual Gala at the Graham Arena on Sept. 16 in a bid to inform a wider audience of wouldbe donors and supporters about the Bible-based Christian human development program in Olney, HOME director Preston Crow said.

“The purpose of the Gala is for us to do a presentation to people so they know what we’re doing so if they can support us in any way they’ll know where their money is going,” Mr. Crow said. “There are people over there [in Graham] who support us who say, ‘Why can’t you guys come over here so we can get other people to support you? It’s hard to get them to come to Olney.”

HOME received significant donations two years in a row from the Oak Street Baptist Church in Graham after the assistant pastor heard Mr. Crow’s presentation and saw the results of the one-year program, he said.

Graham residents “may have heard of the House of Mercy, and if we get close to their homes and they don’t mind coming to hear our presentation and getting fed, then God can work on them,” he said.

As in past years, HOME invites “everybody and anybody” to the event at 120 Barclay Blvd. in Graham for brisket with all the fixings from 6-9 p.m., he said.

In addition to a meal prepared and served by HOME residents and staff, the Gala will feature a silent auction and the raffle of a .30-30 Henry Golden Boy rifle.

“We are going to have a lot of good testimony about how God has changed people’s lives and they have the ability to live under the safety and comfort of the House of Mercy,” Mr. Crow said. HOME currently serves about two dozen residents who come from “all over Texas,” Mr. Crow said.

The treatment program receives referrals from regional inpatient treatment centers, as well as the Texas parole system, he said. Several residents will graduate this summer from the program, which follows “God’s rules” to effect transformation in people’s lives, he said.

HOME residents assist in the community with tasks ranging from mowing city-owned vacant lots and caring for Main Street rosebushes in the City of Olney to maintenance jobs for local residents.

The House of Mercy served more than 100 people recovering from addiction in 2022, including 10 graduates of the program who spoke about their experiences to local churches, he said. The program’s counseling approach hews closely to biblical truths, Mr. Crow said.

“There is a book that tells people how they should act and it’s called the Bible,” Mr. Crow said.

“If you believe a lie your thoughts are incorrect, your emotions are darkened and your behavior will be displeasing. If you believe the truth, your thoughts will be correct, your emotions will be balanced and then your behavior will be pleasing to the Lord and those that are around you.”