Memphis pastor Steve Gaines and his wife Donna said in a social media post-Thursday that his cancer has spread to his lungs as they requested prayer and revealed that he is receiving a new “regiment of three medications” that has shown promise against his form of cancer.
Gaines, the pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis, Tenn., and the president of the Southern Baptist Convention from 2016 to 2018, previously told members in a November church service that he had been diagnosed with kidney cancer.
“After they discovered the cancer in my kidney,” he said in a Wednesday Facebook post, “they spent the last two weeks running additional tests, and during those tests, they discovered the cancer had also spread to my lungs.
“I have a great team of doctors who are working hard to come up with the best treatment plan possible,” the Memphis pastor added. “And more than anything, we continue to trust in the Lord Jesus Christ for complete healing.”
Gaines will be receiving a port this week, Donna said, “that will allow him to begin chemotherapy as soon as possible.”
“His doctors are encouraged due to a recent release of a very effective new regiment of three medications that have been very effective against his type of cancer,” she added. “Please continue to pray as we seek the Lord that we might be able to glorify Him in this journey.”
Meanwhile, in January, the couple will travel to M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston to consult with doctors, they said.
“Donna and I have been overwhelmed by your love, your prayers, and your words of encouragement,” he said. “Thank you so much, all of you who have prayed, and many of you have fasted for us. Words are inadequate to express our love and our gratitude.”
Photo Courtesy: Bellevue Baptist. Used with permission.
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
