Debt Relief Announcement

Cornerstone Church Eliminates MORE THAN $4.8 Million in Medical Debt FOR LOCAL RESIDENTS

September 11, 2022

To celebrate the launch of its annual “For Prescott Month,” Cornerstone Church partnered with R.I.P. Medical Debt by contributing $21,000 to help eliminate more than $4.8 million in medical debt, making a tangible difference in the lives of local residents.

The leading cause of bankruptcy in the United States is medical debt. R.I.P. buys medical debt at a discounted price and then partners with donors to eliminate that debt for those most in need of relief: households whose income is less than twice the poverty level.

Cornerstone Church (located in Prescott, Arizona) targeted available debt held by R.I.P. in local counties. Those counties include Yavapai (where the church is located), Navajo and Coconino (where the church partners with a ministry to Native Americans), and Maricopa (where the largest amount of medical debt in the state resides).

“Many families in our church generously gave over the last two years, so we could meet tangible needs in our community in the wake of the pandemic. When we heard about the work of R.I.P. Medical Debt, our leadership and those who had given money for the purpose of meeting tangible needs caught a vision for how canceling medical debt could be an expression of our church’s heart to be for Prescott and for the world,” said Scott Savage, lead pastor of Cornerstone Church.

“Our church is built on the cornerstone of Jesus Christ, his death on the cross for the forgiveness of sins, and his resurrection over the power of sin, death, and despair. We want to freely perform this act of love for people who are suffocating under the weight of medical debt as an expression of God’s love for them. In the letters R.I.P. Medical Debt sent to those whose debt was canceled, we were able to let over 5,000 families know of our desire to lighten their burden and communicate how Jesus cares for them.”

For further information about this project, email contact@prescottcornerstone.com or read FAQ section below. To learn more about R.I.P., visit ripmedicaldebt.org.

FAQ (FREQUENTLy ASKED QUESTIONS)

How did Cornerstone learn about R.I.P. Medical Debt?

In early 2020, we learned about a church on the East Coast who worked with R.I.P. to accomplish a similar project in their area. We were blown away by the exponential impact of this kind of project. (In that instance, $40,000 from a church paid off $4,000,000 in debt within a community.)

Where did the money come from for this project?

We had record-setting generosity towards our Benevolence Fund in 2020 and 2021. The leadership of the church realized there was more than enough funds available in the Benevolence Fund to meet ongoing needs around us. We began to pray about what God would have us do with the excess funds that had been given. Over time, a vision to pursue some local projects like this one emerged.

Did this project require any special approval?

After vetting R.I.P. as an organization and reviewing the idea with board of elders, Pastor Scott Savage met with the donors to the Benevolence Fund whose gifts represented the amount needed for the R.I.P. project. The donors unanimously and excitedly gave their permission to redirect the funds they’d given these projects.

Cornerstone then worked with R.I.P. to identify counties to target. Over a 4 week period, R.I.P. purchased the debt in those counties with money from Cornerstone, canceled the debt, and then notified the residents their debt had been forgiven.

Who had their debt canceled through this process?

Approximately 5,400 family units in Yavapai, Navajo, Coconino, and Maricopa Counties had over $4,800,000 in medical debt forgiven. Those family units likely represent 10,000-20,000 people. R.I.P. provided the following information to Cornerstone about the impact of our gift.

Were any privacy rights violated in this process?

No. Cornerstone was not given any names or contact information for those whose debt was forgiven. We were invited to share the name and location of the church, along with a brief explanation of why we did this. That information was added to notification letters by R.I.P. These letters were sent to over 5,400 families near the end of August.

Does Cornerstone plan to use the Benevolence Fund for future projects like this?

There are two special announcements coming this fall on front and back ends of For Prescott Month, related to financial giving to causes from excess Benevolence Funds. The R.I.P. project is the first one. The second announcement will come in late October.

Can I give to the Benevolence Fund and what will those funds go to?

Yes, anyone can give to the Benevolence Fund. Gifts can be made to the Fund via cash or check with a note indicating the desire to direct the gift to the Fund. Anyone can also give to the Fund at prescottcornerstone.com/give.

Future giving to the Fund will go to its original purpose - meeting tangible needs in our church and community (such as housing payments, utility bills, medical costs, food, clothing, etc. for those in need).

I have a tangible need in my life. Can I receive help via the Benevolence Fund?

Anyone can apply for benevolence assistance from Cornerstone. The church’s leadership has established policies and procedures how money from the Fund is dispersed to individuals. A staff pastor processes requests and administers the funds within those policies and procedures. Applications are available anytime just outside the office at 700 W. Rosser St. in Prescott, AZ. Applications can be left in a drop box or returned to the office during normal office hours (8am-3pm Monday-Thursday).

Have we heard from anyone who received a letter?

Yes! We’ve already had one woman named Gloria from Glendale, Arizona tune into our Sunday live stream on YouTube on September 4. She made the following comment, “I would like to thank cornerstone church for paying my medical debt. Thank you!! I feel God’s presence in my life”