An Atlanta church is celebrating the holiday season with generosity by eliminating an estimated $1.5 million in medical debt for more than 1,000 Atlanta residents. Pastor Mark Moore of Spirit and Truth Church said that “the timing couldn’t have been any better.”
Spirit and Truth Church is a multisite congregation with campuses in the Atlanta area and one campus in Detroit. The church’s vision is “helping people believe, making room for them to belong, and pushing them to become.”
According to its website, Spirit and Truth Church has endeavored to welcome 3,500 members in two years, feed 2,000 families weekly, offer $150,000 in rent assistance, and is debt free.
Moore indicated that those who received the medical debt relief were randomly selected. He said, “It’s easier to talk love, but it’s so much better to show love.”
Medical debt is one of the leading causes of financial stress in the United States. According to a 2022 report, roughly one in 10 Americans is in medical debt, and millions of Americans owe more than $10,000.
According to the National Institutes of Health, those most vulnerable to falling into significant medical debt are lower income individuals, who are more likely to be uninsured or under-insured and can face significant financial challenges following an unexpected illness or injury.
“This is about lifting a burden that no one should have to carry alone,” Moore told CBS Atlanta.
“Medical debt should never determine a family’s future or rob individuals of dignity and peace,” Moore said. “This Christmas, we chose to respond with faith in action.”
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Moore expressed that the medical debt relief initiative is a part of Spirit and Truth Church’s broader mission to be a “tangible” presence in the community.
