Meet the Mercy Team
Chad Hyatt
Chad is the pastor and founder of Mercy. Originally from North Carolina, in the fall of 1986, he made the move to Atlanta to attend Emory University. Following graduation, Chad enrolled in Candler School of Theology, graduating with a Masters of Divinity in 1993. That same year, Chad was ordained and began to serve as an associate pastor at the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit in Atlanta.
Chad and his wife Camille began Mercy Community Church in August, 2005. A small circle of friends gathered for simple worship, sensing a call to begin an intentional community in a congregational form with an unmistakable preferential option for the poor at the heart of its worship and life. Today Mercy makes it home on the campus of Druid Hills Presbyterian Church, serving meals, sharing clothes, talking about the Bible, welcoming strangers, and trying to build a diverse and faithful community with over a hundred people a day, five days a week.
Chad is an Associate of the Missionaries of the Poor, a Catholic religious order that embodies a daily commitment to the spirituality of Matthew 25. He and Camille and their two sons, Matthew and Levi, live in Scottdale, Georgia
Contact: chad@mercyatl.org
Jeremy Demarest
Children and Youth Coordinator
After college, Jeremy became a Young Adult Volunteer (YAV) through the PC(USA) and worked right here at Mercy Community Church as a pastoral intern. His year here was a big discernment year in his lifes journey. While here his understanding of his faith and how we are called to be in this world grew and shifted. One of his favorite things about being on staff was the times in which he got to just “hang out” with folks and get to build relationships with our community.
His time here lead him to become the Director of Children, Youth and Family Ministries at Round Rock Presbyterian Church in Texas. He took much of what he learned at Mercy into this role. Jeremy’s focus and underlying mission of his youth programs was to build community rooted in compassion, and to remind young people that they are loved just as they are.
After his time in Round Rock, Jeremy moved to Memphis TN and was the Director of Children’s Ministry, and then Director of Youth Ministry. He jokes that he has 49% passion in Children’s Ministry and 51% in Youth Ministry, and thats why he switched over.
At Calvary, Jeremy planned a mission trip to Mercy with both his youth groups from Calvary and RRPC to come visit Mercy. This was a full circle ministry moment for him, and felt like coming home. One of his favorite quotes from this trip was from a former student of his and it was “Mercy has brought flowers to my life.”
While in Memphis, Jeremy got his Masters in Youth Ministry from Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary. Yay! Upon graduating, he made his way back to us here at Mercy, and is now our Children and Youth Coordinator. He is involved with the regular day to day here at Mercy, but is also working on integrating young people closer into the fold of what we do here at Mercy every day.
Jeremy’s greatest desire for all people is for them to know that they are loved, by God, and by this beloved community, just the way they are.
Contact jeremy@mercyatl.org
Sarah Barrán-Morrell
Media and Financial Campaign Coordinator
Sarah served as a Young Adult Volunteer (YAV) with the PC(USA) and served as a pastoral intern at Mercy Church from 2016 to 2017. She fell in love with the vibrant community, encountering Jesus in the faces of friends who gathered at Mercy. Some of her favorite moments included drums during worship, community-led preaching, and making soup together. Her YAV year was formative, guiding her to seminary where she graduated from Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, GA, in May 2021 with her Master of Divinity.
After seminary, Sarah connected to Round Rock Presbyterian Church, primarily serving as the Director of Children, Youth, and Family Ministries. She also took on office administration tasks and served as the acting head of staff for a year when the church was without a head pastor. Highlights of her time at Round Rock included many rounds of sardines with the youth, dancing with the children in the aisles during worship, and crafting a “prayer space” in the sanctuary for young children to engage creatively during service. A significant moment was the joint mission trip with Jeremy’s youth back to Mercy, where she joyfully witnessed the young people she had grown close to encountering Jesus so visibly in the Mercy community. Her ministry came full circle when she was ordained at Mercy Community Church in May 2024.
Now living in Houston, Texas, Sarah works as the Children’s Director at Mercy Street, a church community that “creates a safe harbor of hope and transformation, so all may experience the radical grace of God.” Although she no longer lives in Atlanta, Sarah contributes behind the scenes by managing social media, fundraising, and financial organization for Mercy. She enjoys spending time with her husband, Andrés, and their pets, Frida the chihuahua and Viggo the cat.
Contact sarah@mercyatl.org
Our Pastoral Partners
Brittany Fiscus-van Rossum
Pastor Brittany has been worshipping and working alongside the Mercy community since she made it her church home in 2015 while attending Columbia Theological Seminary. After receiving her MDiv in 2017, Brittany joined the pastoral team to joyfully live out her calling to ministry, and was jointly ordained by the Mercy community and the PC(USA).
Brittany is now pursuing her PhD at Emory University, studying Christian ethics. Brittany remains a collaborator and pastoral presence in our community, where she continues to find life and joy asking hard questions and learning amongst her Mercy community—some of the greatest theologians she knows.
Contact brittany@mercyatl.org
Tracey Lynn
Pastor Tracey is a graduate of Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia, and was ordained by Mercy in July, 2022, after interning with the community through the highs and lows of the pandemic. Tracey is a gifted listener and counselor, always finding compassionate ways to be present in the community. She preaches the gospel through her artistry, constantly beautifying our worship through the changes of the liturgical seasons. Art, however, is not just a faithful personal expression for her, it is an opportunity to empower others to explore their own creativity and expression. Mercy is a community that celebrates art, believing that human beings are called not just to survive but to thrive.
Tracey lives in Decatur and is the proud mother of two inspiring daughters, Riley and Shayla. She currently works at City Schools of Decatur in Special Education.
Contact tracey@merctyatl.org
Our Board of Directors
Lisa Dickman Jackson
Lisa Dickman Jackson is a member at St. John's Lutheran Church and long-time supporter of the Mercy Church community. Lisa works in the School of Public Health at Georgia State University as Operations Manager for SafeCare, an evidence-based parent program that seeks to reduce child maltreatment.
Stephen Debaun
Stephen De Baun is a retired attorney whose practice included litigation, elder law and corporate matters, with extensive experience in non-profits, particularly those involved in social justice issues and the poor. Executive director with Missionaries of the Poor. Affiliated with Mercy Community Church from the beginning. Married 42 years to Nancy, three adult children and three grandchildren and counting. Member of Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church.
Sherri Bozardt
Sherri Bozardt is an active member and elder of Northminster Presbyterian Church in Roswell. Her heart for missions was captured by the ministry of Mercy several years ago. She is thrilled to be a part of such an active and vibrant ministry that reaches so many people living on the fringes in the Atlanta area.