Welcome Home, CM!

April 3.

That’s when we hit the ground running toward this wide open room with a single mission: relocate the entire CM office in less than a month. Of course “we” is defined by our two staff superstars, Danielle and D’ann, as well as an assortment of other volunteers that formed the greatest motley crew of movers, designers, builders, and emotional supporters in Metro Atlanta.

Our subconscious philosophy seems to be “I bet my neighbors know how to do that” – which brings us to a hero of our story. Donnie Jones and his wife Jean have lived next to Danielle for six years, and by chance, Donnie is a brilliant custom home builder. There is nothing the man can’t do. So with the designs in hand, a little grit, and a lot of bravado, Mr. Donnie flipped the entire room into a strategic, astounding office space that represents our mission perfectly.

Our “Make it Matter” Room is the perfect conference space for meeting, vision casting, creative brainstorming, and if we are being honest, just standing. It’s beautiful, it’s inspiring, and it's Bebas Neu font. This is what dreams are made of.

Our "rope walls" separate the office spaces in a cost efficient manner and simultaneously salute India’s local economy. West Bengal is the world’s largest producer of jute, which comprises this material. Every work day is laced with the reminder that a difference is being made, lives are being changed, and India is finding revitalization on both spiritual and practical levels.

The hanging bookshelves came from some of our favorite minds at Veasey Creations, who designed the pieces for an event years ago. Why buy a new bookshelf when you can hang what you have midair? We agree, and with a touch of succulent, we’ve put local creatives to use in their gifts to contribute to our space.

The list could go on, but here comes our favorite part: several of the functional pieces are either recycled rejects from the old office or stunning details created from ordinary, inexpensive supplies. Our kitchen area prides things like plain jane scrap wood, revamped to aesthetically hold something as simple as a microwave. Our pipe work is painted PVC in lieu of far more expensive steel option. Donnie can make a unique coffee bar out of a worn down Ikea bookshelf and with a little TLC, a few pieces of plywood look like Lebanese oak. Everywhere you look, simple things are made extraordinary, working together to host world-changing work reaching from Griffin to India.

That's what master builders do.

They take pieces of little to no value and, with a little time and intentional restructuring, give them an astounding role in the room. Of course, the whole space is not contingent upon any single piece, as the room reflects the one who laid out the original design, but everything is better because of each individual and unique element that has been in the hands of the builder.

You are a piece of us here at Calcutta Mercy, just as unique and important as every element you will find in this office. You are a piece of the Kingdom of God. Each of you chose to undergo and endure a process that requires you to respond to the tug of our Designer, our Builder, and our holy Craftsman. He takes your heart and speaks to it. He touches your soul and you respond. For many of you, this comes with sacrifice of time, finances, energy, and prayer. Others have given their lives and plans to join the Calcutta Mercy team and staff. Whatever your context, know that as we settle into the new office, we are thinking of you.

We are thinking of your process: where does He have you right now?
We are thinking of your future: what does He want to do with your life?
We are thinking of your past: what is he trying to revitalize for your good and His glory?

He takes what we consider hopeless and breathes purpose into it.
He takes what we wish we could throw away and redeems it.
He takes our wide open, bare spaces within and makes them strategic spaces for His work.

We trust and believe that as you have made a difference for us, He is making a difference in you.