Voddie Baucham asks for prayers as he battles 'full-blown' heart failure
Christian author and preacher Voddie Baucham is soliciting prayers, sharing that his family is “walking through the darkest valley we have ever faced” as he battles a “full-blown heart failure.”
“Brethren, if you have ever considered supporting us in prayer, please do so now,” the U.S.-based preacher who is the dean of theology at African Christian University in Zambia, wrote in a post on Facebook Friday.
“We are walking through the darkest valley we have ever faced. Not only have we experienced a great deal of loss in recent weeks, but we are also facing a family health crisis.”
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Baucham, who serves as a board member of Founders Ministries and founding faculty member of the Institute of Public Theology, is on his way to the U.S. for tests and treatment.
The founder of Voddie Baucham Ministries said he felt unwell at the end of a preaching tour this winter in Zambia.
“I thought I had just worked too hard (17 preaching dates in 18 days, 7 sessions the last 3 days, etc.). However, as it turns out, I was experiencing heart failure!” he shared.
“I had first noticed the symptoms at the end of December when Bridget and I returned to Dallas to bury her mother. I experienced fatigue, and shortness of breath, among other things. However, I chalked it up to traveling with heavy bags and restrictive masks (not the trifecta of a hereditary heart defect, last February’s mysterious ‘pneumonia,’ and untreated sleep apnea).”
One day, Baucham said, he felt “what I could only describe as being waterboarded every two or three minutes.”
“The next morning I was at a medical center doing a series of labs and tests that revealed the worst,” he shared. “I was experiencing full-blown heart failure.”
Baucham shared seven points to pray for, one of which reads, in part: “Please pray for our children. They are terrified. May the Lord use this to teach them to trust in the Father who never gets weak or sick.”
Another point reads, “Please pray for our witness as we endure this trial.”
“We often think our faith shines brightest when we are on mountain tops when in fact, it is the dark valley that offers the sharpest relief and clearest contours,” Baucham explained.
Tom Ascol, the senior pastor of Grace Baptist Church in Cape Coral, Florida and the president of Founders Ministries, launched an online fundraiser for Baucham. Over $555,000 has been raised through the GoFundMe page to support the Baucham family in just over a day.
“Voddie Baucham is a faithful servant of Christ. He has been a dear friend for nearly twenty years … he is facing a serious medical trial,” Ascol stressed on the fundraising page.
“Christians around the world are praying for him and his family. Many would also like to help out financially, realizing that as he, Bridget, and their family walk this path, they will face significant expenses.”
Baucham responded to the fundraiser with gratitude.
“We have no idea how much all of this will cost and every bit helps,” he wrote on Facebook Saturday.
