MERCYhouse is an Alternative to Religion-Lite

By Izzy Lyman
February 6, 2003

AMHERST—It¹s 11:00 on a cold Sunday morning and about 130 people < the majority of them students from Amherst, Smith and Mount Holyoke colleges, as well as UMass - are settling into Stirn Auditorium at Amherst College.

The students have come to pray, sing, and be taught from the book of Isaiah. They have come to worship God at MERCYhouse.

MERCYhouse is an atypical church. Robert Krumrey, the pastor, never wears a suit, and no one addresses him as 'Reverend.' The church advertises its presence on Pioneer Valley Transit Authority buses. And, on occasion, it causes controversy. Religion-lite, however, it is not.

"Waiting is not part of our culture. There are fast cars, fast food, fast banking, and fast Internet access," begins Krumrey's sermon. "This is in contrast to God's way. Often times He invites us to wait." Krumrey encourages the youthful congregation to hunger, wait and long for God's best.

Krumrey, 33, is a graduate of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Ft. Worth, Texas. He and Melanie, his wife, along with Joe and Wendi Greene of New Salem, founded the church in 1999. Prior to living in Massachusetts, Robert served as a college minister in Stillwater, Oklahoma (home of Oklahoma State University) and as a youth pastor in Austin, Texas. During his time in the Southwest, Robert began to have a vision to plant a church in a locale where the phrase "Bible-believing Christian" was a pejorative.

"Since 1993, I dreamed of starting a church from the ground up, but never knew how or if it would ever happen. An organization called the Baptist Convention of New England had a dream of starting a church in Amherst that would connect with college students and other young adults. We found out and jumped at the opportunity to be here," explains Krumrey.

Amherst's reputation as a haven for American-style socialists and hard-drinking students didn't deter the Krumreys from moving to New England with their young children. The challenges of living in the liberal five-college area didn¹t discourage Lois Grandmaison or Austin Evans, either.

Students gather for Sunday worship.

Both hail from Texas and were invited by the Krumreys to serve in the MERCYhouse ministry. Evans is also on the frontlines in another venue - He teaches math at Amherst Regional High School.

"As a public school teacher, I am under constant pressure to instruct my students without sharing the most important thing in the world - faith in Christ," says Evans. But he remains optimistic that by "loving people," a committed Christian can make a positive difference in Amherst's very politically-correct elementary, secondary, and tertiary schools.

Lois Grandmaison, who leads the church's women's ministry, agrees that the town's year-round residents, unlike the college students, aren¹t receptive toward spiritual issues.

"Amherst, as a town, seems more closed to the Christian faith. Outlets of purpose and meaning seem to come from personal achievement. But the student population seems open to Christianity or just some kind of faith. College is such a time of discovering and figuring out life personally," says Grandmaison.

Lois Grandmaison, who leads the women's ministry, is shown here during Sunday.

If You Don't Build It, They Will Come

When quizzed, students list the contemporary music, the lack of tradition, the emphasis on relationships and Krumrey's cutting-edge preaching as the reasons why they spend their Sunday mornings going to church.

Cindy Pollsen, a UMass student, is a part of MERCYhouse¹s worship team. "I fell in love with the music. It stirred me. Everyone singing with such passion. It really felt like people were connecting with God" she says. "Robert is great; he's so down-to-earth."

Josh Skiles, who goes to Amherst College and attends a weekday Bible study group, explains, "I think the fact that MERCYhouse doesn't have a building to call its own eliminates the stifling atmosphere present in many churches today. It's fresh, friendly and has a commitment to the truth, not just tradition."

The students also enjoy participating in the community service projects that are a staple of MERCYhouse's outreach endeavors. They have volunteered at the Food Bank Farm in Hadley and the Taste of Amherst, raked leaves for senior citizens and even acted as designated van drivers for inebriated students on Halloween night.

As Wang Lee, a UMass student from Seoul, Korea, puts it, "The motto of the church is 'loving God, loving people,' and the purpose of the Halloween rides was to keep people who were not supposed to be driving, off the road. This is a very practical aspect of what MERCYhouse is about."

The Krumreys' cozy house acts as a one-stop hospitality center for those who desire counseling, food or prayer. Their home, in fact, was the setting where, a few days after September 11, 2001, Robert invited a roomful of students to attend Jessica Sachs' memorial service. Sachs, 22, was a passenger on board the American Airlines Flight 11 that crashed into one of the World Trade Center towers.

She was also a graduate of UMass/Amherst and worked as an accountant in Boston. She had attended MERCYhouse during her undergraduate days. In lieu of flowers, Jessica's family requested that donations be sent to the church. "Her relationship with Christ was central to her life," explained Melanie Krumrey to the local press.

A few months after the tragedy of 9-11, the Krumreys and MERCYhouse found themselves back in the media spotlight.

Robert Krumrey, pastor of MERCYhouse.

Saul Gladstone, a member of the Critical Issues Committee at the Jewish Community of Amherst, complained to the Jones Library's trustees about the church's (which was meeting for Sunday morning services at the Amherst public library) use of the large meeting room. According to the Daily Hampshire Gazette, Gladstone said, "They (MERCYhouse) are an evangelical Christian church. Their intent is to proselytize, and that's not desirable to encourage. By allowing them to meet here, you encourage that."

Krumrey didn't attack his critic. He merely noted that the efforts to 'proselytize' in Amherst had indeed been effective. "The library is big enough for this semester, but next fall we need a bigger space, because we continue to grow," he told the Gazette. Subsequent commentaries appeared in the newspaper, which supported the church's right to meet at the Jones Library. Gladstone backed down from his complaint.

Conversely, Robert Krumrey remains passionate about his vision. "My hope and prayer is that the doors of MERCYhouse would be wide open. Not that we would compromise truth for the sake of inclusion, but that our church would be a safe place for people to consider the claims and promises of Jesus," says Krumrey.