Crossbridge Church clears medical debt for hundreds of Fort Bend County residents to 'show Christ’s love in a tangible way'

Crossbridge Church in Sugar Land recently paid off $1.9 million in medical debts for hundreds of Fort Bend County residents.

As of May 15, Crossbridge paid $1.9 million in medical debt for 688 local residents, which averages roughly $3,000 per person. The church sent a letter to each resident they assisted letting them know that their medical debts had been cleared with no strings attached, KHOU News reported.

Diego Armendariz, elder of Crossbridge Church told Houston Daily what inspired the church to cover the medical expenses of hundreds of local residents.

"At Crossbridge, our mission is to honor God by making and growing followers of Jesus," Armendariz told Houston Daily. "We believe that we do this best when we help people know God, grow intentionally and make a difference. Our annual Medical Debt Forgiveness initiative is just one of the ways that the people of Crossbridge seek to make a difference in our community every day. Our hope is to show Christ’s love in a tangible way."

Crossbridge chose to help those most in need and paid off the bills of residents who had household incomes under twice the federal poverty level, Click2Houston reported. The church teamed up with nonprofit RIP Medical Debt to undertake its Medical Debt Forgiveness Initiative.

"The Medical Debt Forgiveness Initiative has been very successful," Armendariz told Houston Daily. "Last year we were able to purchase and forgive almost $1.2 million dollars of medical debt held by 471 families in Fort Bend County. This year, we were able to increase that to a little over $1.9 million dollars of debt impacting 688 Fort Bend families."

In appreciation for the church's generous contribution, Fort Bend County Judge K.P. Geroge declared May 11 “Crossbridge Church Day.”

May is mental awareness month and the church supports the community by encouraging residents to connect with professional counselors and helping to eliminate financial barriers for them to get the needed care.

In 2020, Crossbridge provided financial assistance so 74 families could receive over 230 hours of needed professional counseling.