Connecting Columbia Union Seventh-day Adventists

Free Health Clinic Brings Wellness, Spreads Hope in Baltimore

Story by V. Michelle Bernard 

More than 500 volunteers from across the Columbia Union Conference and beyond recently provided some 1,048 individual health services at a free three-day medical, vision and dental clinic at Allegheny East Conference’s (AEC) Miracle City church in Baltimore.   
 

Although the doors didn’t open until 8 a.m., attendees began lining up as early as 5:30 a.m. each morning.  There, they received dental cleanings, extractions and fillings; vision testing and free glasses; basic medical screenings; and mental health and lifestyle guidance and resources. The church even housed a small pharmacy to help fulfill prescriptions. Pastors and volunteers offered support and prayer throughout the event. 

 

“We’ve been planning this for two-and-a-half, nearly three years now. It’s so wonderful to see how the Lord has blessed,” says Jerry Lutz, Chesapeake Conference president. 

 

Facilitated by AMEN free clinics, this event was a collaborative effort between the Chesapeake and Allegheny East conferences, and was supported by the Columbia Union Conference, North American Division (NAD) and It is Written. It drew Seventh-day Adventist members, pastors, staff and student volunteers from around the Columbia Union and across the country.  

 

“Next to the Holy Spirit, people are the church’s greatest resource. When Chesapeake, Allegheny East, the NAD, Columbia Union and Adventist Healthcare work together as a team on a clinic, we demonstrate that we can ultimately accomplish more (synergy),” says Marcellus T. Robinson, Columbia Union president. “This is the way to introduce people to the love of God. 

 

Sarah Csuy, a member of Chesapeake Conference’s Triadelphia church in Clarksville, Md., and her daughter, Angela, were among the volunteers that served. Sarah says she thinks volunteering at the event provided valuable experience for children, helping others and sharing faith. “Even though [my daughter is] little, she can help others.”  

 

"This clinic was such a tremendous blessing as we were able to serve hundreds who were either uninsured or underinsured,” says Trevor Kinlock, AEC president.   

 

Deimy Salgado, a visitor from El Salvador, received a dental cleaning and two fillings at the clinic. “For someone that doesn't have insurance … or [for who] it's difficult for me to get insurance, it's actually really, really helpful to find, like, free services that can help, especially [for those in] the immigrant community,” she says. 

 

Nicole Braxton, AMEN clinic director, adds, “We're really grateful to directly meet the needs, not only physically, but mentally and spiritually. So, we're looking forward to the follow-up programs,” she says. “A lot of the patients actually commented how they were impressed that an actual church was not only open for service, but was breaking barriers to meet their needs, and they got to look at the church in a different perspective.” 

 

Kathy Coleman, a faith community nurse who led the organization of the event and a member of AEC’s Emmanuel-Brinklow church in Ashton, Md., notes that local organizations also pitched in to help make the event a success. 

 

Local non-Adventist affiliated groups, such as students from the Howard Community College in Columbia, Md., and Washington Adventist University in Takoma Park, Md., assisted in working on hundreds of clients in need of dental care. A local school bus, as well as a portable restroom company also provided discounted or free services. 

 

Anthony Medley, Health Ministries director for the AEC, notes, “Death and sickness is a part of living in this world. So, who helps to alleviate those issues? That's why God has called us, and that's why that is a singular focus. … So, if Jesus recognized that our restoration focuses on healing, then [He] calls us to do that.” 

 

Medley says that organizers hope this event will serve as a template for other churches to host similar events so they, too, can make a difference in their communities.  

 

Betsy Johnson, also a community faith nurse from the Emmanuel-Brinklow church  who served as a resource for the event, shares that an additional clinic hosted by four local churches will take place at Potomac Conference’s Takoma Academy in Takoma Park, Md., October 19. (More information will be posted at emmanuelbrinklow.org.) She urges individuals who are interested in hosting a similar clinic or donating diapers or personal care items to call (301) 672-92577 for more information. 

 

“The needs in our community are tremendous, not only in this community, but across the nation. There's so many people that don't have health care or [are] partially insured,” says Johnson. “There's a pandemic of people just losing their jobs, losing their coverage, and we want people to feel like we, as Seventh-day Adventists, care. We are here to help make a difference and to meet the needs in our respective communities.” 

 

Seeing that the event was held at a local church, those who received care will remember the church, says Rick Remmers, assistant to the president at the NAD. “Those people have not come here because they have identified a need for Jesus in their lives. … They're here because they have a tooth that needs help. Their child is sick and needs help. So, they've come for physical healing, but it opens the door. It creates relationships. It makes connections where they can become aware of their need for spiritual healing as well and connect with a group of people that know Jesus and can share Jesus with them.” 

 

The community was also invited to attend a Wellness Day on Sabbath at Miracle City Church, as well as a lecture series titled "Astonishing Discoveries and Prophecies in the Land of the Bible" at Goucher College in Towson, Md. These events, including the health clinic, were part of the lead-up to the Hope for Humanity evangelism series that began in Baltimore last week and will run through October. All of these activities were organized as part of the Reach Baltimore initiative, spearheaded by the AEC and Chesapeake conferences. 

 

Christelle Agboka, Ricardo Bacchus, Kelly Butler Coe, Melvin Donadelle, LaTasha Hewitt and Evan Knott contributed to the reporting of this article.  

 

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