Church Erases Medical Debt for 500 Families

A Nebraska church has helped raise over $500,000 to pay off the medical bills of local residents, with the proceeds going to help around 500 households in the surrounding community.

First-Plymouth Congregational Church of Lincoln raised the total by Easter Sunday, receiving donations from around 10,000 people, many of whom did not belong to the congregation.

The total was raised throughout the 14-month campaign, with church leadership initially thinking that their efforts would only bring in around $8,000.

“Sometimes love has to be expressed in actions. We have had an initiative all year that is just love on the move,” Senior Pastor Rev. Jim Keck said in his Easter sermon on Sunday. “The church decided that there were too many homes right in our neighborhood that were saddled with medical debt. … The church decided that every dime that went into the collection plate … would go to forgive the medical debt of homes right here in central Lincoln.” (Excerpt from The Christian Post.)