Loosing the Bonds of Injustice
“Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?”
Inspired by other United Church of Christ (UCC) congregations in Chicago and around the nation, we are a group of 31 UCC churches in the San Francisco East Bay working together to erase the medical debts of our neighbors in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties.
Medical debt destroys the financial stability of large segments of America’s most vulnerable communities: the sick, the elderly, the poor, and veterans. It also targets the middle class, driving many families who are barely getting along into poverty. By forgiving this debt we strive to give struggling individuals, and their families, a fresh start. Medical debt is a huge driver of the destabilizing forces that can lead individuals and families to become homeless, so relieving our neighbors of medical debt can actually help prevent homelessness in the future.
Our local campaign will be made possible by an extraordinary non-profit organization called RIP Medical Debt, founded in 2014 by two former debt collections executives, Craig Antico and Jerry Ashton. Over the course of decades in the debt-buying industry, Craig and Jerry met with thousands of Americans saddled with unpaid and un-payable medical debt and realized they were uniquely qualified to help these people in need. They used their expertise and compassion to create a process to forgive medical debt: they would use donations to buy large bundles of medical debt and then forgive that debt with no tax consequences to donors or recipients.The results have been spectacular— $1,020,232,792 billion in medical debts eradicated so far, providing financial relief for over 520,000 individuals and families.
RIP Medical Debt says that they can purchase the available debt for Alameda and Contra Costa county for just under $45,000. If we can raise that amount, we will be able to erase $2.6 million in debt in Contra Costa and $2.1 million in Alameda.
We have asked RIP Medical Debt to begin our campaign on Ash Wednesday, February 26th with the intention of raising $45,000 by Easter Sunday, April 12th, 2020.
Mira Vista’s Social Action Team has pledged $1,000 to this effort and we’ve identified another $500 we can use from the Deacon’s Fund. We also invite additional individual gifts, as you are led, throughout Lent. Just put “RIP Medical Debt” in the memo line and make the check out to Mira Vista Church. We can also accept your donation via square, if you prefer. Just let Pastor Melinda know you want to donate this way.
Our sibling congregations are also busy raising money for this project and we hope to complete the campaign by the time we gather for our 2nd Annual Good Friday service at First Church Berkeley on April 10, 2020 at 7p. Mark your calendars now and plan to attend.
