Collective Churchâs recent relocation wonât only land the groupâs leaders and supporters in new digs, but itâs also helping a nonprofit wipe out medical debt for Marylanders to the tune of $4 million.
Collective Church will be moving into its permanent location in the Westview Business Park in January. When fundraising for the project, they put 10 percent of funds aside for charity work. Now, some of that money has found a home at RIP Medical Debt, a nonprofit organization that helps eliminate medical debt in America.
âWe want to make a big impact, and this seems for us like a perfect opportunity to do something beyond what we ever imagined weâd be able to do as a church,â said Michael Bartlett, lead pastor at Collective Church.
For months now, Nick Brown at the Religious Coalition for Emergency Human Needs has been preparing for the âwhat ifsâ that naturally arise when running shelter programs during a global pandemic.Â
Normally, as cold weather approaches each year, shelters such as the one run by the Religious Coalition aim to provide a warm, safe place for those in Frederick County that have nowhere else to go.
But this is far from a normal year. Brown knew there would be a number of possible scenarios, but one that they prepared for and hoped would never come was put into action earlier this week when someone at the shelter tested positive for COVID-19.