Mount Shasta Church has a proactive health ministry that draws many community members from all walks of life. Patti Guthrie, health evangelism coordinator, says, “A broad spectrum of people come through our doors because health, diet, exercise, and life are a language without walls.
With the financial assistance of the Northern California Conference, the Mount Shasta Church recently hosted a free dental, medical, and eye care clinic. Attendance for the clinic topped 50 people. Some were already involved with the church’s robust health ministry, and others were personally invited by pastoral staff.
Medical volunteers staffed the clinic from as far away as Loma Linda and Sacramento. When asked, Coral Parrish, a local chef who made sack lunches for everybody, stated, “This type of outreach is just what the community needed.”
To maximize the effect of the church’s outreach, each participant was given a survey. The surveys assessed interest in further contact with the church, with the following areas ranking highest: plant-based cooking, weight loss, depression recovery, Bible study, and diabetes reversal. Guthrie explained, “Hosting healthy living classes opens many avenues of discussion, appreciation, and occasionally Bible study!”
Deidra Cazneaux, a community volunteer, concluded, “The level of care and compassion by the providers and the organizers was noticeable and a tremendous blessing to those who came for services. This clinic was a beautiful example of God’s people being the hands and feet of Jesus.”
Featured in Northern Lights, May 16, 2024
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