Love Your Neighbor. Help Transform Your City.
The good news of Jesus is meant to be both proclaimed and demonstrated. Across Greater Baltimore, BALM encourages disciples, churches, and community leaders to build relationships, respond to real needs, and pursue mercy and justice together.
MERCY, JUSTICE, & COMMUNITY
Why Mercy & Justice Matter
The Gospel in Word and Deed
Following Jesus means loving God and loving our neighbors. We believe disciple-making involves more than sharing what we believe—it means demonstrating the compassion, justice, and generosity of Jesus in the places where we live.
Mercy and justice aren't separate from BALM's vision for a disciple-making movement. They're essential to it.
Rather than creating programs disconnected from local communities, we seek to listen, build relationships, and respond to opportunities that emerge through churches, leaders, and neighbors throughout our network.
Stories of Mercy & Justice
Salaam Center Renovation — Highlandtown
Making Room for Welcome
In April 2023, more than two dozen volunteers helped renovate the Salaam Center's second floor and courtyard. BALM brought together supporters from numerous churches and helped raise funds toward the $100,000 renovation project, supporting a center serving refugees and immigrants.
New Song Community Church — Sandtown
Beauty Out of Brokenness
In 2019, BALM helped bring together 70 volunteers to transform a vacant lot near New Song Community Church into a welcoming green space. The project created a place for children to play, neighbors to gather, and relationships to grow.
Abbott Memorial — Highlandtown
A Church Reconnecting With Its Neighborhood
In 2022, BALM partnered with college students from UMD and UMBC for a spring-break service project at Abbott Memorial Presbyterian Church. Students helped with church cleanup and hosted a neighborhood celebration. The broader renewal effort included community meals, outreach gatherings, and relationships with immigrant neighbors.
Baltimore Youth Academy
Investing in Young People. Strengthening Communities.
BALM helped launch Baltimore Sports Academy (now Baltimore Youth Academy) to create opportunities for young people to grow through sports, mentorship, and educational programs. What began as an effort to connect faith with practical community engagement has grown into an organization investing in the lives of Baltimore-area youth. Its work reflects BALM's vision of equipping people to serve their neighbors and bring lasting transformation to their communities.
How Projects Take Shape
Local Relationships. Shared Action. Lasting Hope.
Listen
Discover needs through relationships with neighbors.
Connect
Bring together churches, leaders, and local partners.
Respond
Explore practical ways to serve together.
Let's Explore What's Possible
BALM believes that disciple-making and loving our neighbors go hand in hand. While our current capacity for new mercy and justice initiatives is limited, we welcome conversations with churches, ministry leaders, and community partners seeking to serve Baltimore. We'd love to hear what God is stirring in your neighborhood and explore opportunities to connect and collaborate.