Crossroads Church in Cincinnati, Ohio, with the help of charity RIP Medical Debt, was able to pay off $46.5 million in medical debt.
The donation came off the heels of a sermon preached by senior pastor Brian Tome last November where the congregation was encouraged to give money to help American families in medical debt. In the last few minutes of the sermon, Pastor Tome had this to say, “I want to give us the opportunity to multiply our impact. Do you realize around Cincinnati there’s $65 million worth of medical debt that’s coming due?”
He further added that if those in debt were set free, they would receive a letter, for example, saying, “Congratulations, this debt has been paid because someone loves you and there is a God who has not forgotten about you.”
The sermon entitled, “The Marks of Multiplication” was streamed online, which caught the eye of additional donors from Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, and Tennessee.
Crossroads was able to raise $465,000 in donations. The church then partnered with RIP Medical Debt, which multiplies donations and gives them back to the communities per zip code. According to the RIP Medical Debt website, every dollar donated counts as $100 of medical debt paid off by RIP Medical Debt. As such, Crossroads Church helped eliminate $46.5 million in debt.
The Cincinnati Enquirer reports that $42.8 million was paid for 41,233 Ohio households, spanning 103 zip codes. For 2,974 Kentucky households, $1.9 million were paid off; for 503 Tennessee households, $1.5 million were paid; and for 136 Indiana households, $200,000 was paid back.
The Cincinnati Enquirer also noted that church officials kept the campaign off social media. Crossroads director of marketing Brennan Hill told the outlet, “We kept it off social media. We really want it to be about people in our community, like I said, who are currently giving.”
According to RIP Medical Debt, Crossroads Church was able to help eliminate the largest amount of medical debt in the organization’s history.
Related:
Maryland Church Paid Nearly $2 Million in Medical Debt for over 900 Families
Kansas Church Pays Off $2.2 Million in Medical Debt for Families in Need
Churches across the U.S. Pay Off Millions of Dollars in Medical Debt
Florida Church Pays Off $1.62 Million in Outstanding Medical Debt
Christian TV Network Pays Off $2.5 Million in Medical Debt for 2,500 Families
Photo courtesy: ©Getty Images/Zero Creatives
Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for CrosswalkHeadlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.
