Church Uses Extra Tithe Money To Cancel $7.2 Million in Medical Debt for Over 6,000 Families
Debt is a real problem and many families suffer because of medical debt in particular.
With the high cost of healthcare and health insurance premiums along with plenty of unforeseen illnesses, it is no wonder many families are struggling to keep their heads above water.
But one church in Florida has put their best foot forward and followed the way of Galatians 6:2: “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”
Stetson Baptist Church, located in DeLand, had 53 weeks on the fiscal calendar for 2018-2019, giving the congregation an extra week of tithing to account for.
The additional Sunday made all the difference for the church, and they decided to use the extra week to lift some burdens in their community.
More than 6,500 burdens, to be specific.
Deciding that the June 30 collection would be used to raise money for charitable causes, they hoped to collect at least $48,000 — but that goal was more than tripled.
Senior Pastor Dan Glenn called it the “53rd Sunday” and announced to his congregation on July 7 exactly where those funds would go.
In a video posted to YouTube, Glenn shared that his church members — around 1,000 of them, according to The Christian Post — raised enough money to fund three foster homes for a year as well as pay off over $7.2 million of medical debt for families and individuals in local counties.
The foster homes will be funded via donations to Florida Baptist Children’s Homes. As far as the medical debt goes, the money was given to RIP Medical Debt, an organization that works to “abolish” medical debt for those in dire need.
“In Jesus’ ministry on Earth, that’s what He did. He helps people,” Glenn shared with The Christian Post. “And so for us to be the hands and feet of Jesus means that we’ve got to use the resources that God has given to us, both individually and corporately, to make a practical difference in people’s lives.
“I think it’s a responsibility that we have to show people in a practical way that God loves them.”
“This was something that really struck a chord with our church. Medical debt is something that I think everyone can get behind,” Glenn said.
“But our church is unique in that we have an undercurrent in our church of fostering and adoption, both from the perspective of families that have fostered kids and adopted children,” he went on, “but also through adults who were foster children or adoptees.”
Liftable, a section of The Western Journal, has reached out to Stetson Baptist Church for comment but has not yet received a response. We will update this article if and when we do.
Are you involved in a local church that reaches out to the community? May God bless this church for richly blessing so many people in some truly impactful ways.
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