February 11, 2021

Lenten Medical Debt Challenge

Thank you for taking part in St. John’s Lenten Medical Debt Challenge, a parish-wide effort to raise $10,000 to purchase and forgive $1 million in medical debt for Florida families, all during the season of Lent! You can learn more about how this works below, and on RIP Medical Debt’s website, but we ask that you please make your donation through St. John’s. If you prefer to donate by check, please send it to the church office (Attn: Kate Kile) with “Lenten Medical Debt” in the memo line.

Our 2021 Lenten Challenge has ended.


Imagine a scenario where you need medical attention but must choose between going to the doctor or feeding your family. Or, imagine a situation in which a single trip to the emergency room ruined your credit rating and sent you into a debilitating debt from which you may never recover. As a parish, we can prevent such scenarios. During the season of Lent, St. John’s Episcopal Church is partnering with the non-profit organization RIP Medical Debt to buy the medical debt of residents of some of Florida’s most financially vulnerable communities.

This debt reduction will give struggling families a fresh start, allowing them to receive critical medical attention and support on their journey toward financial stability. In partnership with RIP Medical Debt, every dollar donated forgives approximately $100 of medical debt. Your gifts of any amount will help us to reach our goal of $10,000 to purchase and forgive $1 million of medical debt for Florida families.

No matter how hard some families work to break the cycle of generational poverty, crushing medical debt can be virtually impossible to overcome. Your support of this unique campaign will help us reach households to help break this debilitating cycle.

  • 43 million Americans now owe about $75 billion in past-due medical debt
  • More than 1 in 3 Americans struggle to afford the cost of their medical care
  • Medical debt contributes to more than 60 percent of all bankruptcies in the USA
  • 75 percent of all individuals in medical bankruptcy had health insurance coverage

Now, imagine a scenario when a Florida resident opens an envelope telling them that St. John’s Episcopal Church has paid for and erased their medical debt with no strings attached – they owe nothing and have no tax penalty! Families can pay mortgages, utility bills, put food on their tables, and, most importantly, remain in the neighborhood. Every gift will make a difference. Please join us in fellowship with our parish family and our neighbors to make a significant difference in our state.

Our 2021 Lenten Challenge has ended.

For more detail on our partnering organization, we invite you to visit RIP Medical Debt’s Florida webpage to watch a great informational video about how these donations work.

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