A church Des Moines has given the people of Iowa the Christmas gift of a lifetime after paying off $5 million-worth of medical debt for residents of the state.

Reverend Minna Bothwell of Capitol Hill Lutheran Church explained to the Des Moines Register that the idea came about when she was speaking to her congregation about ways that they can give back to their community. After tossing some ideas around, members of the church suggested looking into a non-profit group called RIP Medical Debt, which abolishes large amounts of medical debt after purchasing it at a discount from collection agencies.

“We asked them how much money it would take to forgive all the medical debt in Polk County,” Bothwell recalled. “They responded, ‘With what you have, you could forgive debt in all of Iowa.'”

When a person is unable to pay their hospital bill, their money goes to a debt collector. Once the debt has been purchased from the hospital, it can be sold to other agencies that go about getting the debtor to repay what they owe, with some organizations even charging interred. That’s where RIP Medical Debt steps in, purchasing large amounts of debt in the hopes of wiping it out.

This was a cause that was close to the hearts of many in the congregation.

“We have many people in our church who have borne the burden of debt when coming to the United States,” Bothwell explained. “We’ve seen firsthand what debt has done to families, and how hard it can be.”

The pastor added that for about $8,000, the church was able to buy $5 million worth of medical debt in Iowa.

“We really do believe in spreading the good news of Jesus Christ for all people, and that means making the good news tangible and attainable for all people,” she said. “We believe Jesus calls us to make the good news visible by helping people in our community live more fully. One way we can do that is removing debt from their lives.”

The pastor later posted a video to Facebook saying that her church had “purchased all of Iowa’s medical debt that RIP had access to, a total of $5 million. And we are going to forgive every cent of it.”

Now that the Capitol Hill Lutheran Church has wiped out medical debt in Iowa, it is moving it’s campaign to Missouri. In the next three to four months, the church is hoping to raise $15,000 to do the same thing in that state!

“Because of COVID, everything’s online for us,” Bothwell said. “Through members of our congregation, our campaign spread through their families, friends, workplaces — We’ve had people who have given who I’ve never even met, who live out of state, everywhere.”

The church has already raised $12,900, and the pastor is hopeful they can hit their $15,000 goal by the new year.

“2020 has been a rough year for everyone,” Bothwell said. “Our goal as a congregation is to give people a good start on 2021. Hopefully, when people receive this news, they start the year off better with a significant weight off their shoulders.”