Helping people has always been Jerry McCarthy’s passion. After working with adults struggling with drug addiction in Minnesota for 13 years, God called Jerry back to his home country of Ghana, where his family moved in 2013.

Throughout the crowded streets of Accra, the McCarthy’s and their volunteer teams reach out to bring love and hope to people in need. They visit neglected elderly women who live in isolation, bringing them food, medical and hygiene supplies and the love of Jesus. For most, visits from Bridge of Blessing are the only social activity that they experience from week to week. There are no government programs in Ghana to support these women.

They financially assist dropout students in re-enrolling in school, and operate an after-school tutoring program for 35-40 children from their neighborhood. Volunteer teachers conduct two-hour classes, five days a week, for students of all ages, providing books and other school supplies, as well as Bible teaching and prayer.

Every week, Jerry and his brother Leslie share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with hundreds of junior high students in local public schools, bringing encouragement, Bibles, music and prayer. This weekly ministry has expanded to include three trade schools plus a local soccer academy, where up to 30 young men study and reside. Jerry also provides one-on-one counseling to the most troubled youth. 

Bridge of Blessing volunteers reach out to honor and serve those who are most vulnerable, offering love, dignity and relationships. In recent years, several boys have been welcomed into the McCarthy’s home, now living there full-time as extended family members. This has greatly changed the trajectory of each of their lives, bringing them the stability of a loving, Christian family.

Jerry is the Lead Pastor of the Bethel Family Worship Center Church, started in their home in early 2018. Now located in an adjacent structure, it serves dozens of neighborhood families, offering the Gospel message through Sunday services, mid-week Bible studies and outreach to the surrounding community.