One gentleman expressed his joy through an interpreter as he was no longer experiencing excruciating tooth pain. Another patient accompanying his son for dental care decided to take advantage of the medical screening and discovered his blood pressure was dangerously high.
These are two of the hundreds of stories emerging from the joint Adventist Medical Evangelism Network (AMEN), Lake Region and Michigan conferences free medical and dental clinic held at the Johnson Recreation Center in Detroit on Sunday, March 10, 2024.
The wildly successful event offering whole-person health care showcased what happens when churches cross conference lines and work together.
For the last several years, the Lake Union has encouraged Detroit pastors and laypeople of both conferences to dialogue and pray together in a variety of ways and “the AMEN Dental Medical Clinic took us a step further from discussion to action,” said Carmelo Mercado, Lake Union vice president and the union’s representative for these health initiatives. “What impressed me the most on this day was the unity of action and spirit that the Detroit area volunteers provided. I could see many people smiling, thankful for the privilege to serve, and patients expressing great appreciation for the help that they needed.”
How It Came Together
The idea for the clinic began more than a year ago when Michigan Conference contacted AMEN to support 10 of their churches in utilizing dental and medical services. Detroit Northwest Church voted to hold a dental medical clinic in the city and invite all churches in the Motor City area of the Lake Region and Michigan conferences to partner with them.
by Debbie Michel, Carmelo Mercado – Lake Union Herald March 13, 2024 |
