Oceans of Mercy Receives Top Honor at 2009 annual Servant Christian Community Foundation Awards

Nov. 19, 2009 - PRLog -- The SCCF Passion Awards “Thurman Mitchell Servant Leadership Celebration” took place at the Overland Park Convention Center on November 9th, 2009.  Over 1000 people packed the convention center to attend the banquet and awards ceremony.

The event is named after famed Kansas City KCTV-5 Sports Reporter Thurman Mitchell who left his high profile position in 1998 to become a full-time pastor.  Thurman was involved in the Victory Temple Christian Center, the Kansas City Alliance of Urban Ministries and was also founder of Urban Youth Leadership, an urban youth training organization.

After reviewing over 220 proposals submitted for consideration the SCCF independent grant committee narrowed the field to 43 ministries for personal visits.  From these 43 SCCF identified 23 as Passion Awards recipients.  These were divided into three tiers with eight ministries being considered for the top tier award of $25,000.  

In a departure from previous years the two finalists for the top award, Hope Faith Ministries and Oceans of Mercy were both awarded $25,000.  This is the second year in a row that Oceans of Mercy made it to the finals and the first time it has been given the top award.

“Wow, God has wrapped us in His arms and given us a huge hug through the Servant Christian Community Foundation Passion Award.  We feel loved, appreciated, and supported,” said Schaun Colin, founder of Oceans of Mercy.

Oceans of Mercy’s goal is to “Provide Hope, Life, and Love to the orphans and vulnerable children of South Africa who are affected by HIV/AIDS.” Oceans mandate is from James 1:27, “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”

These goals are accomplished through a three step process of feeding children through neighborhood soup kitchens, reaching out to the children’s medical and educational needs via child sponsorship programs and introducing them to orphan care centers which do the sun-up to sun-down work of an orphanage while keeping the children in their communities, connected to their remaining family members.  Through this three step approach, Oceans of Mercy programs are feeding and caring for over 1200 orphans each day.

Other programs include Choose Life, Lubabalo Care community care givers, and Mercy Alliance a partnership of churches and organizations dedicated to building and identifying strong Christian African leaders for the future.  Oceans of Mercy supports approximately 125 orphans at two orphanages in South Africa, Jehovah Jireh and Coega Door of Hope.  

Through the generosity of the SCCF Oceans of Mercy will be able too continue building on established programs and add staff to its growing efforts in the impoverished Transkei region of South Africa.  

Since 2000 SCCF has provided expert council for individuals and organizations interested in donating to Christian based organizations.

To learn more about Oceans of Mercy, visit their website at www.oceansofmercy.com.

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Oceans of Mercy is addressing the needs of HIV/AIDs affected orphans and vulnerable children of South Africa through a variety of projects including feeding 1100 children a day at local soup clubs, supporting two orphanages and community care programs.