Terrie Harwood, director of Merea Ministry, has been named the recipient of The Grace Place Grace Champion Award.

The award recognizes Harwood for her work supporting Batesville and Panola County by partnering with The Grace Place.

Harwood has led Merea Ministry, a local organization aimed at helping women in need, for five years, providing support through services that empower women to rebuild their lives, gain skills and confidence to move forward.

Harwood began partnering with The Grace Place in 2020, a partnership that has grown over time. She leads Bible studies for adults to share the Gospel and disciple those seeking greater understanding of the Bible. 

She also teaches cooking classes to children in fourth through sixth grade at The Grace Place’s after-school program, where children come for tutoring and receive much more, like mentoring, Bible classes and sign language. 

“I teach them how to read a recipe, how to make basic dishes that they could do on their own at home or for their families,” she said.

Harwood said she was honored to be chosen. “We are ministry partners, and our goal is to make sure that we’re not recreating the wheel,” Harwood said. “The Grace Place does a great service for our community in providing food, clothing, counseling, addiction recovery groups, and referrals to needed community agencies and ministries such as Merea Ministry to our lower-income families who need the help to stretch their food dollars and needed resources.”

Chris Pope, executive director of The Grace Place, commended Harwood’s dedication. 

“She brings a lot of experience to The Grace Place, and that makes her even better and more effective at what she does,” Pope said.