This Easter, The Simple Church in Bossier City turned its message of grace into tangible action, raising over $50,000 to help eliminate more than $5 million in medical debt for thousands of individuals across northwest Louisiana.
In a powerful moment during Easter Sunday services, Lead Pastor Justin Haigler encouraged the congregation to donate not to the church—but to others. “Jesus paid a debt for us we could never pay,” Haigler said. “We have people in our community that have debts they didn’t ask for. Out of our gratitude for what Jesus did for us, let’s give and see how much debt we can eliminate for someone else.”
The church partnered with the nonprofit organization Undue Medical Debt, which uses donations to buy and forgive medical debt at a fraction of its original cost. While The Simple Church set an initial goal of $25,000, the congregation’s generosity more than doubled expectations, ultimately raising $50,000.
Those funds allowed Undue Medical Debt to abolish $5,083,468.60 in medical debt for 4,087 individuals and families across seven northwest Louisiana parishes: Bienville, Bossier, Caddo, Claiborne, DeSoto, Jefferson, Red River, and Webster.
According to the organization, qualifying individuals typically earn four times or less than the federal poverty level or have medical debt exceeding 5% of their annual income. The average debt cleared per person was $1,243.81.
As of March 2025, northwest Louisiana carried approximately $18.3 million in medical debt. The Simple Church’s contribution effectively relieved 1 in 4 people burdened by this debt in the region.
“Jesus was all about solving problems,” said Robyn Horton, the church’s “Do Good Pastor.” “We are just really trying hard to follow his example. The Simple Church is all about loving God, loving people, and solving problems.”
Recipients will be notified by mail within the next two weeks that their debt has been officially canceled.
For more information on The Simple Church’s outreach and community missions, visit www.thesimplechurch.tv.