LifeBridge Church partnered with Bright Smile Dental to provide a free dental care for more than 100 people in the greater Tacoma, Washington area. The January 29 and 30, 2022 event served the University Place community.
More than $60,000 of free dental care was provided by a volunteer team of 65. Some dentists said they cared for a few middle-aged patients who were getting dental care for the first time in their life.
“There is nothing like service to set my heart on fire. What I experienced was the joy of service, the joy of being the hands and feet of Jesus,” said Claudia Moncada, a dentist who came from California to volunteer with friends and dental school classmates. “I know lives were touched, connections were made, hope and love were spread. No matter how much we do to bring a blessing to those in need, it never fails! I always walk away feeling the most blessed.”
The purpose of the event was just as much about cleaning and repairing teeth as it was providing a time to connect with people from the community and speak about their spiritual relationship with God. Every patient received prayer. Many opened up and shared their stories. Several shared experiences of feeling judged or being hurt by their churches in the past. They were listened to and cared for.
Four Short Stories
Don was super-excited to wake up and see the free dental clinic happening in the business parking lot in front of his house! After receiving the dental care he needed, he said he plans to come to LifeBridge Church to "hear the Word."
A patient shared that she needed dental care before receiving a vital cancer treatment. But it was difficult to get a dental appointment booked. When she heard about the Free Dental Clinic, she was ecstatic! She can now begin her cancer treatment and is tremendously thankful.
Another patient had recently been hospitalized for seven weeks, then had a heart condition that required open-heart surgery. God had spared her life twice last year. She had grown up in the church but hadn’t been into a church since college. While expressing her gratitude for the dental care event, she shared she believes God spared her life and that she's considering re-engaging in the church for the first time in decades.
Tashia also appreciated the dental services. She said, “This was a warm and welcoming experience. Being that we are in a pandemic, the fact that your service allows us to be intimate in this way and you guys are not fearful is humanizing. The last few years have been demoralizing because of the lack of contact, so for you guys to offer such a service is beautiful.”
At the very least, the neighbors and community around LifeBridge Church have experience with a new church that truly cares and is imperfectly yet earnestly seeking to grow more like Jesus every day. LifeBridge members are seeking to live out Jesus’ words in John 20:21. "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, I am sending you."
"Jesus is amazing," said Dustin Serns, LifeBridge Church pastor. "His sacrificial love toward us compels us to extend it to others. We all experienced a taste of His kingdom through this dental clinic."
LifeBridge Church is a church plant that began its journey as a community just before the pandemic began. LifeBridge offers dental and vision clinics as well as additional community interactions. You are welcome to volunteer, join the church or donate to help community outreach. Connect to learn more at http://www.lifebridgeway.com/
