About us
Read our story below, or go to Governance & Annual Reports.
A few years later in 2006, a small team that included Arianna Walker (our CEO) opened the UK Mercy Home to provide a residential Christian discipleship programme for young women with life-controlling issues, such as eating disorders, self-harm, anxiety and depression.
Since then, we have seen hundreds of women come through our doors to find restoration and transformation. When asked where they would be if it wasn’t for Mercy UK, 63% said they would probably not be alive today. We know our approach works and we know it saves lives.
But the Home was only for women, and only for those aged between 18-30, and we knew there were more people who needed help. So we didn’t stop there…
As Mercy UK’s reputation grew, churches began asking us for help, especially in the areas of mental health and pastoral training. So in 2008 we launched MPower training to equip churches in responding to mental health issues in their congregations and communities, and we started speaking a message of hope, healing and freedom to thousands of people at events and conferences across the UK and Europe.
But people need more than speeches, more than one-off training days, more than informative workshops. So we didn’t stop there…
In 2017 we launched a self-guided workbook called Keys to Freedom, facilitating people to go on an 8-week personal journey of deepening their relationships with God, self and others - learning to live free, and stay free. Currently, almost 30,000 copies have been sold in the UK, with hundreds of churches using the course as their main discipleship model. Keys to Freedom has been translated into five languages, with our Mercy Beyond Associates now operating in Denmark, Sweden, Germany, the Faroe Islands and the Isle of Man.
But we are facing a large-scale mental health crisis, and people need more than a self-guided workbook. So we didn’t stop there…
Everyone deserves to live in freedom, which is why we want to remove the obstacles and restrictions that stop people from accessing the support they need. In 2023 we launched the Freedom Journey: a 16-week, one-to-one, remote support service for men and women. Every week participants receive 10-hours of therapeutic engagement including one-to-one weekly sessions with an accredited counsellor. Not to mention access to fitness advice, nutritional information or occupational therapy and lifetime access to our dedicated aftercare team.
Find out more about the Freedom Course →
And so now we are turning up the volume! In 2024 we are setting out to help every Christian navigate the dynamics between faith and mental health. We are breaking the taboo, removing the stigma, and normalising Christ-centred mental health and wellbeing support.
