Health is a central message of the Adventist Church. Supplying health to the communities that surround the churches in this conference is an effective way to share God with everyone—regardless of their religious views. David Dean, pastor of the Clovis Church, saw this opportunity and began working on finding a way to reach the community at his previous church in Chowchilla. The church was able to create a health fair and received support from the local community. When Dean transferred to Clovis Church he brought this experience and dream with him and implemented it at his new church through what is now known as the Clovis Life Hope Center.
“When I was getting ready to transfer to Clovis, I had the sense that God wanted me to do the same thing, but it was like He wanted me to take it to a deeper level, to broaden it,” explained Dean. The idea Dean brought to the church was to create a free dental and medical care clinic for the community, in addition to expanding into other health-related services.
Dean was nervous about presenting this idea to his new church because it would require a high level of commitment from the members. But when he talked to Dr. Steve Winger, who is the head elder and a dentist, Dean realized people in the church were supportive of this mission.
“He was excited about the idea,” explained Dean. “I did a sermon about something health-related and promoted it to the church, and they got excited about it too. At that point we had a team that assembled around the idea.” Next, they spent time studying scripture, reading The Spirit of Prophecy, and praying about what to do next.
For many churches, money is the biggest barrier to starting a medical clinic. The equipment needed to operate a medical clinic is expensive, and much of it requires medical professionals to operate. But the Clovis Church didn’t let this deter them from their goal. They began raising money, and continued praying and pushing forward. More and more donors became excited about this opportunity, and in June 2023 the church hosted its first health clinic.
This initial clinic included a combination of equipment the church had purchased as well as equipment the conference allowed them to use. It focused on educating about health and offering dental services, which were successful connecting points with the community. A second health clinic was hosted in 2023, and three health clinic events took place in 2024, the most recent happening last November. In August 2024, the clinic was also allowed to expand into offering medical procedures.
“The really cool thing we saw is that our church was growing at the same time, and we started to see God sending us a bunch of health professionals and young families in the medical field,” added Dean. “It's almost like God was affirming this direction by having nurses and doctors and dentists move into the city.”
The Clovis Life Hope Center connects the Clovis Church with its community by addressing the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual needs of each person who walks into the clinic. They educate and train people to heal, help, and give hope to the local community. Each person who comes to the clinic is able to have free screenings and is given time to sit down and talk to a medical professional about their health concerns or needs.
“The goal is to build a community of people who want to continue with the coaching and the counseling, maybe coming each time we have it so we can see improvements and build relationships with people as they keep coming,” said Dean.
The results of this ministry have shown the power of connecting with a community by offering essential health-related services. Some of the people who have been helped through the ministry have become active participants as well. “There's a lady who lives near our campus, and she’s not a member of the church,” said Dean. “She came and got dental work done, then after that she wanted to volunteer. Now every time we do a Life Hope Center she’s right there. She’s part of our volunteer team. She’s willing to do anything—she’s just very grateful to be connected with our church. She thinks what we’re doing is amazing!”
The next clinic will take place in February 2025. Learn more about the Clovis Life Hope Center at www.clovislifehope.org/free-dental-clinic.
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