Church pays off nearly $8 million of community's medical debt: 'Hands, feet and wallet of Jesus'
A teenage boy known for attending church alone, without his parents, had an opportunity to share the Gospel with his father after the church partnered with a national program to pay off around $8 million of the community's medical debt.
The Altar Fellowship is a non-denominational church in Johnson City, Tennessee, led by Pastor Mattie Montgomery and his wife, Candice. Montgomery is an evangelist and the author of Scary God and Lovely Things in Ugly Places.
In an interview with The Christian Post, Montgomery said a friend of his called to share that he'd had a dream of one day paying off people's medical debts. The pastor described his friend as a businessman within the community who "loves the Lord," and came up with an idea to help people through an organization known as RIP Medical Debt.
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As Montgomery explained, the organization negotiates with collectors to buy the legal right or claim on a debt. According to the pastor, the combined medical debt within the six counties closest to the church was about $8 million, and the church was able to buy all of the debt for $50,000.
"And essentially, we became the collection agency for $8 million of medical debt," Montgomery told CP. "And then instead of pursuing it any further, we just sent a letter to everyone whose debt we had taken, and we just said, 'Hey, Jesus loves you, we love you. And it's our privilege to cancel this debt entirely.'"
One story of a family helped by the church that stood out to the pastor involved a teenage boy who was known for attending worship services without his parents because they're not Christians. The high schooler had been trying to share about the church and newfound faith with his parents.
"And then one day, his dad called him in and said, 'Hey, that church you go to is called The Altar, right?' And he said, 'Yeah?' And the dad said, 'Your church just paid off all my medical bills,'" Montgomery recounted. "And he was just really confounded by that. He thought, 'Why did they do this?' And his son got the opportunity to share the Gospel with his father because of the giving of the church."
The pastor said his church is located in a rural area where many residents live in poverty and struggle with addiction. While he's unsure if the church will do something like this again, he expressed that it's a "joy to give" and wished people didn't have to go into debt over medical expenses.
"We want extravagant generosity to be one of the things that the church is known for," Montgomery said. "And I don't just mean our church, The Altar Fellowship; I mean the Church nationally and internationally. I want people to know that, in a moment of crisis, the place they need to get to is to be with a group of people who follow Jesus. They need to get into a church."
"That's my hope: that the Church can be the hands, feet, and wallet of Jesus to the world around us," he added.
