JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) – A local church paid off around $8 million in community members’ medical debt in partnership with a national program.

The Altar Fellowship Church is changing many lives across the Tri-Cities by helping people relieve medical debt.

“We heard about this program through our senior pastor, Pastor Mattie Montgomery,” David Morrison, The Altar Fellowship Missions Pastor, said.

“A business friend of his who loves the Lord just like we do called him and said that he had been dreaming about one day being able to forgive medical debt in his hometown of Florida.

“But he looked where they were, and that was not available, but where there was a lot of medical debt that needed to be forgiven was here in the Tri-Cities region.”

Senior Pastor Mattie Montgomery cast the vision to his church years after losing his father.

“The story meant so much like to our senior pastor, Pastor Matty, because [he lost] his father to cancer at the young age of eight,” Morrison said. “And while he was on hospice care at home, a businessman from their town bought Christmas gifts for their entire family.

“And so that was an inspiration for him and is continuing to be an inspiration for all of us, that not only can we be a church that brings hope inside these four walls, but we are called to be the light and the hope outside of these four walls and bless our community.”

The church raised about $50,000 in one day, unknowingly helping to pay off the debts of some of its own congregation. One of those congregation members was Carl Smith, whose dad benefited from the check.

“My dad had some medical bills that we were just struggling to pay off,” said Smith. “And he came to my room and was like, hey, the Altar. Your church paid off my medical debt. And it was just such a blessing to find that out because it’s always good to have that off your shoulders.”

Smith said he donated to the cause without knowing about his family’s debt.

“I only had a couple of dollars in my pocket, but I knew everything counted. So I gave them the most I could,” he said. Altar Fellowship member Owen Barclay said it doesn’t surprise him that his church has helped thousands of people.

“I know when I personally moved here, I came here with nothing, and I was just following the Holy Spirit, and I was praying for a job,” Barclay said.

“A couple of days later, I got a job from a man that goes to this church and the Lord provided the car as well. And so seeing personal experiences and from friends and family here, the generosity of everyone is incredible.”

The Altar Fellowship Church wanted to help whoever they could in the community, regardless of who they were.

“We want to love not just the people at our church, but we want to love our neighbors,” Morrison said. “And Jesus said in Matthew Ten, he said freely, ‘you have received so freely give,’ and we believe that he paid our debt when we didn’t deserve it.

“This is just a beautiful example of what Jesus did for all of us by just paying the debt for people that many will never meet. And what of like relief of a burden. And to get that letter in the mail saying your debt is forgiven, you don’t owe anything else, and we love you.

“And that’s really our message. It’s like God loves you, we love you, you’re seen, and we believe in you. And we want to relieve this burden from you and your family.”

The Altar Fellowship helped pay off the medical debt of 3921 families in Carter, Greene, Hancock, Hawkins, Johnson, Unicoi, and Washington Counties. They have services on Sundays at 10 a.m. and Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m.