Canceling Debts for Lent
Thanks to Paul Castelli for sharing this Great Idea in Building Faith.
While the article is a bit patriarchal/patronizing, the idea is beautiful.
The post begins with the background story of a former congregation’s Lenten Fundraiser Grounded in Jubilee and includes two invoices: from RIP Medical Debt – now known as Undue Medical Debt.
Mr. Castelli then asks, ‘You may be wondering: Why Lent? Why make a connection with the traditional Lenten disciplines – debt abatement?’
He answers those questions with:
- ‘Doing Lent’ Together as a Community of Faith
- Reuniting Prayer, Fasting, and Almsgiving
He proceeds to ‘Tying It All Together’, writing, ‘We made a commitment as a parish to ‘do Lent more communally to free our neighbors from medical debt. The connection between the Lenten practices finally clicked with may people for the first time because they were able to directly experience sacrifice and generosity… By the end of each campaign, thousands of unknown neighbors were set free from a tremendous financial burden… It was an incarnation experience of the gospel…’
Read the full article here.
Congregations can find other opportunities to engage in community Healthcare in our lib guide.
