Stories

In the spring of 2002, God gave me a Genesis 12:1 type of call to leave my comfortable, though less-than-fulfilling job at a major heath center in Detroit. I finally heeded the call—almost 6 months later—not knowing where I was going, or how. Shortly thereafter, I was invited to a CCHF conference and happily attended with ten other Detroiters in ministry. Little did I know my answer awaited me there. At the May, 2003 Annual CCHF conference I met like-mindedsoldiers in God’s ... Read More »

God has used CCHF from the very beginning to nurture and bless and encourage our work in Buffalo, New York.Growing up in Belize as a child of Mennonite missionaries, I knew early on that what I wanted to be more than anything else in the world was a doctor and a missionary. Maybe it was seeing the great need in Belize for doctors, or riding with my father as he took people from our remote village to the city hospital when they needed a doctor—be it for a snake bite or a complication fro... Read More »

Almost two years ago, I made a naive inquiry into an internship with an organization I knew very little about. Thankfully, humankind’s naivety is fraught with God’s sovereign will. I had become a Christian in college and strove to bring my life and ambitions in conformity with cruciform discipleship. My dreams of pursuing training in medicine for status, money, power, and pride were irrevocably abandoned in the baptismal waters. Raised to life was a deep concern for the poor, the ... Read More »

Back in 2000 I heard this wonderful story about a great but humble man in the state of Mississippi, doing work in a poor community around racial reconciliation. I wanted to know more and the individual who was sharing the story told me, “Why don't you come to a CCHF conference and you will meet this gentleman and can learn more about his life?” I took that opportunity that year and have been an active participant in the CCHF conferences ever since. I did get to meet Perkins that y... Read More »

Voice of Calvary Ministries (VOCM) was incorporated in 1975 as a Christian community development organization to serve the poor and disenfranchised in Mississippi. In 1981, Voice of Calvary Family Health Center (VOCFI-IC) was established in Jackson to provide quality health care at an affordable price. In 2004, the Voice of Calvary Family Health Center (VOCFHC) began operating as a separate nonprofit organization with its own board and its own 501(c)3 tax-exempt designation. This change has b... Read More »

Like Samara, I too have a heightened consciousness of: 1) our “racialized” world and my place in it; 2) the female condition in a patriarchal society and how I’m affected by it; 3) one’s relentless thirst for Christ while yet involved in a well-established religious system; and 4) my passion to tell others how they too can encounter Christ for themselves. This historic moment recorded in John 4 was started when a certain Jewish man asked a certain Samaritan woman for a... Read More »

‘My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. It has been important to remember that my motivation for ministry is the call to follow Jesus. Jesus calls us into relationship with him and with others. Working in health care among the poor has been an important part of that call because Jesus modeled a life of compassion that included having relationships with those on the margins of society. In showing compassion to those in need we meet Jesus. (Matthew 25:40) “These things I remem... Read More »

The realization that I belong entirely to God both in life and in death, that I am not my own, keeps me going in the work that God has called me to do - health and health care among the poor. There is always a piece of me that I want to hold back, to keep for myself - a car, a house, kudos for a job well done - but God reminds me that everything I have, body and soul, belong to Him. Initially that concept seems like slavery. God bought me with a price and I am forever indebted to Him. I am no... Read More »

While it’s a privilege to offer care to hurting people, it’s hard to see this degree of suffering day in and day out. Before long you start to ask “Why?” Sure, I know that we live in a fallen world, but what possible purpose could all this suffering have? It's a profound question - one that theologians have struggled with for centuries. I don’t pretend to have the definitive answer to the problem of suffering. Still, I’ve found some hope and encouragement i... Read More »

Perhaps a personal reflection that I wrote in February 1988 best explains some of my thoughts and struggles while working at ICHC and living in the community. Prove Yourself Prove yourself! Prove your motives! Prove that those motives are pure! How does a person prove that she is genuinely concerned about an issue? When I made the statement that I care about low-income people and about the lack of adequate health care for them, I was suddenly faced with the issue of trying to prove that state... Read More »