Brighton Church Hosts AMEN Clinic

At the Brighton Seventh-day Adventist Church, caring for our health and caring for our community have always gone hand in hand.

The church has been hosting highly successful healthy cooking classes with dozens of guests for years and has also operated a Kids’ Closet, where they offer gently used children’s clothes to the community at no cost. So when it came to serving those in need with free healthcare services, the little church of about 50 weekly attendees worked together with fervent hearts.

Months of prayer, meetings, and organization preceded the AMEN (Adventist Medical Evangelism Network) clinic in Brighton on Sunday, April 13. The diligent work of recruiting providers and volunteers paid off, as over one hundred of them rallied together to offer medical, prenatal, and vision screenings, dental work, massages, and mental health services to the uninsured and underinsured in Livingston County and beyond.

The team began by meeting at 5:30 a.m. for a bountiful plant-based breakfast prepared by one of the members. Another member started running the shuttle service for patients between the local high school and the church at 8:00 a.m. Throughout the day, a steady stream of people was beautifully blessed by the small church community. As the figures tell us: a total of 128 healthcare services were performed for an accumulative value of about $63,000. Fifty-nine of these services were dental procedures, and about 40 people received free prescription glasses. The church community rejoiced together while they served as the hands and feet of Jesus.

Caring for the patients’ physical well-being and even serving them lunch was just one of the ways the church was able to connect with its community. Bringing them closer to Jesus was another. Many expressed interest not only in healthy cooking and natural remedies classes but also in Bible studies, as well as prophecy and marriage seminars. In fact, the clinic was part of the church’s greater evangelistic plan and was immediately followed by a 20-part Keys to Revelation prophecy seminar, which was consistently attended by about 10 guests and 20 members.

Jeff’s story is one that is particularly inspirational. He was invited to the AMEN clinic by his friend Ron, a long-time member and deacon at the Brighton SDA Church. Not only was Jeff blessed by the medical services he received, but his interest was also piqued, so he attended the prophecy seminar a few days later and signed up for weekly Bible studies. He has a deep desire to learn more from Scripture and has shared that his understanding completely changed about end-time events and Christ’s soon return. He is already sharing the newfound truths with those around him. The clinic and the seminar were both well-attended by community members, Bible students, and even baptismal candidates who are now connected to our church family in one way or another. We pray that “in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.” (Gal. 6:9)