Thousands Are About to Get a $2.7M Letter of 'Love'

Close to 2,400 families in two Texas counties will get a letter this week that will lift their hearts, but also (and more importantly) relieve their wallets. What that note will inform them, per FOX 4 News: that a Dallas-area church has raised enough money—almost $2.7 million in total—to pay off all their medical debt. "We are pleased to inform you that you no longer owe the balance on the debt referenced above to the above provider," the letter from Lake Pointe Church reads. "Our forgiveness of the amount you owe is a no-strings-attached gift. You no longer have any obligation to pay this debt to anyone at any future time."

This "amazing and massive act of kindness," as KKCL-FM calls it, was spurred by the church's celebration of its 40th anniversary and accompanying "Pay It Forward" campaign. The church, which collaborated with a medical debt company to bring down some of the amounts owed, will also get in touch with creditors to help get credit back for the families in Dallas and Rockwall counties who are trying to start over. "This week when everybody wakes up and they get the letter that says their debt has been canceled, we want them to know that we love them," Josh Howerton, the church's pastor, tells FOX 4. (More uplifting news stories.)