For the last three months, Pastor Joel Southerland of Peavine Baptist Church has been asking for members to give toward a secret “Christmas Project.” He reveled the surprise during a Christmas Eve service. The pastor explained why this is such an impactful gift. Southerland said that Medical debt is the No. 1 cause of consumer bankruptcy in the United States. It gets on your credit report. It can stop you from getting a house loan [or] car loan, sometimes a job. Twenty-six percent of Americans deal with the crippling effects of medical debt.”
Unpaid medical debt can be purchased from hospitals for pennies on the dollar. Most often it is purchased by collections agencies, but charities can also bid. Peavine partnered with Undue Medical Debt, to make it possible for the erasure of such debt. This charity claims to have erased nearly $15 billion in medical debt since its inception. Members of the Church contributed $24,879.65, which settled $5.7 million in medical debt for 4,280 people in the surrounding area.
Southerland, who has served as a pastor for eight years, explained the special relationship he has with his congregation. “The church trusts us enough to do this because we do it regularly,” he said. During the Christmas season, the Church raised $80,000 for several causes. No part of the church’s annual budget goes to these gifts and it is a separate expense.
“Six years ago, we did 12 Days of Christmas, which came about after we polled people on what types of Christmas projects they would like for us to do,” Southerland reporters. “We took the top 12. That introduced us to the partnership with foster care as well as the opportunity to gift a car to a local schoolteacher who was young and early in her career.”
The people who had their medical debt forgiven received a card from Undue Medical Debt explaining the amount had been paid off by Peavine. These cards featured a link to a video where Southerland outlined why the church did it. The video also featured a presentation of the Gospel and how Jesus paid everyone’s sin debt. One couple had a $15,000 debt wiped out by Peavine.
Southerland explained that “They were working multiple jobs just trying to keep the debt paid.” He explained how “We’ve continued to hear those stories from the community and in posts on Facebook. I have an interview today with a Chattanooga news station that found someone that had their debt paid off.” The pastor has stated that there is a compelling reason for this charity.
“This project isn’t just about numbers. It’s about people – families who can now breathe a little easier and focus on their health and well-being instead of medical bills,” said the Executive Pastor Daniel Currie of Peavine. “We’re grateful to be part of a church that believes in serving others in such a tangible, life-changing way.” The church has decided to keep working with this charity.
“Our goal was to embody the spirit of Christmas by giving hope to those who need it most,” Southerland added. “This project was a chance for our church family to be the hands and feet of Jesus, and I am so proud of how our congregation responded with love and generosity,” Southerland said encouraging his flock. The church has collected money for several other worthy causes as well.