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Medical Debt Payoff 2020

Medical Debt Payoff 2020
Because of the ongoing generosity of the people of Christian Assembly Church, we are excited to announce that we have partnered with 11 churches and one university to pay off $23.7 million in unpaid medical debt for the poor in various parts of the U.S. This was made possible by working with a not-for-profit organization called RIP Medical Debt, which buys debt in bundled portfolios and allows organizations to pay off the debt for about 1 penny per dollar of debt.

How did this idea come about?
In December 2019, we were able to cancel $5.3 million in unpaid medical debt owed by 5,555 poor households in the Los Angeles area (click here for more info). When we announced this gift at our weekend services, the congregation applauded and cheered. Not only that, they gave like never before. Their even greater generosity left the elders of the church with this question: What is God asking us to do with this outpouring of generosity?

Hebrews 10:25 says, “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works…” After prayerful consideration, the leadership team believed the Lord wanted us to allocate the funds to seek to stir up other churches in the U.S. to cancel unpaid medical debt for the poor in their area. We partnered with 11 churches and one university by matching their contributions dollar-for-dollar to help the poor in their own cities and states.

The 15,468 impacted households have started receiving letters letting them know that their unpaid medical debt has been paid – no strings attached. This is an act of biblical love and compassion done for the poor in Jesus’ name.

To our Christian Assembly Church family – thank you for your ongoing generosity that makes this incredible gift possible!

To our partner churches and university – thank you for your generosity in your own neighborhoods.

To all those impacted across the U.S. – this is a gift to you with no strings attached. Jesus loves you. And so do we.

Here’s what some of our partners are saying:

“This year specifically we felt God commissioning us, and sending us, to reach our world in new, tangible ways as a demonstration of God’s grace and generosity. We have a sharpened focus on this missional facet of our purpose and calling as a church family in 2020.  As we announced the details of this initiative, our church was flooded with excitement and gratitude that God would provide us this opportunity to care for our community and help people experience the deep love of Jesus.” 
–Keith Jenkins, Lead Pastor at East Hill Church, Gresham, Oregon

“We wanted to do something practical for those who are struggling to facilitate the idea that ultimately our eternal debt is paid.  We identified Easter as an opportunity to present the parallel of our eternal debt paid by Jesus Christ and the no-strings-attached medical debt forgiveness.”
–Ryan Coffey, Lead Pastor at Lifehouse Church, San Antonio, Texas

“It’s always intrigued me, the way Jesus would often meet the physical needs of someone even before he met their spiritual needs–feeding the hungry or healing the sick, afflicted and marginalized. The heart of Mission Church is to live and love like Jesus, doing all that we can to meet the physical and spiritual needs of our city. When the opportunity came up to partner with Christian Assembly and RIP Medical Debt to meet the financial needs of so many, we knew instantly this was in line with what we value most! We are so grateful for an opportunity to link arms with this church and this city to help relieve almost $2,000,000 in debt across our county.”
–Ezra Stanton, Lead Pastor at Mission Church, Austin, Texas

Why cancel unpaid medical debt?

  • Medical debt has destroyed the financial stability of large segments of America’s most vulnerable people: the sick, the elderly, the poor, and veterans.
  • 60% of personal bankruptcies are due to medical bills, making it one of the leading causes of homelessness in the USA. 75% of all individuals in medical bankruptcy had health insurance coverage.
  • When a person cannot pay their medical bills, it results in damage to their credit score. That then makes it harder to get an apartment, harder to get a job, and harder to get a loan; plus, interest rates and fees on loans are much higher due to the credit damage.
  • Cancelling unpaid medical debt via RIP Medical Debt allows RIP to work with the credit unions to repair the credit damage from the medical debt thereby lifting the credit score of each person. As they recover from their illness, the improved score will make it easier for them to get a job, get an apartment, help them get back on their feet, and avoid homelessness.

How can I get info about helping pay off medical debt or getting my own debt paid off?
Christian Assembly only pays off medical debts in our partnership with RIP Medical Debt. If you would like more information about this organization, please go to www.RIPmedicaldebt.org for details and how it all works.