MOUNTAIN CITY, Tenn. (BP) — Looking for a walker or hospital bed or some other medical equipment and don’t know where to go? Roan Creek Baptist Church would be a good place to start.

While a medical equipment ministry may not be typical for most Baptist churches, it definitely fulfills a need in northeast Tennessee, said Roan Creek pastor David Hankal.

There is a lot of poverty in the area, Hankal said. “This ministry is God-sent,” he affirmed.

The ministry began about 12 years ago under the leadership of Harry Cunningham (now deceased), who was also serving as senior adult minister at the time, Hankal said.

He recalled that the Johnson County Cancer Society was receiving donations of medical equipment. A staff member with the cancer society contacted Cunningham to see if the church would take the equipment and distribute it to those who needed it, Hankal said, “The church agreed to take it on,” he added.

Cunningham then involved the church’s “Young at Heart Ministry,” composed of members age 55 and up, in the ministry. 

The senior adults have been “the hands and feet” of the ministry, which is funded by the church, ever since,” Hankal said.

The ministry is now overseen by Tom and Janie Nelson with help from their son, Tim.

“We want to serve the Lord and the community,” Nelson said. “This is a great ministry.”

When the ministry first began, Cunningham purchased a small building to house the equipment. They soon outgrew the space and the church eventually built  a large building behind the church to house the medical equipment ministry and other things for the church.

The pastor observed that the ministry “exploded.” The ministry works with local home health nurses, hospitals and nursing homes to get the word out about the ministry and often gets referrals of people who are in need of items. It even reaches families who live outside Johnson County in nearby communities, he added.

Among the times that can be found at any given time include walkers, wheelchairs, body chairs, lift chairs and at various times, hospital beds in addition to supplies needed by senior adults such as adult diapers, braces, diabetic supplies and more. “We basically have any item a senior adult might need,” Nelson said.

Medical equipment is expensive and sometimes is not covered by insurance, he noted. The church’s ministry provides all of its items at no charge, he said. 

When a needed item is not available, the person is placed on a waiting list and notified when what they need becomes available. “We never know what we will have,” he said.

The church’s ministry is constantly receiving donations and distributing them to those who need them, he noted. 

Hankal said that just recently the church provided a hospital bed to someone whose parent needed it. 

The parent died and the bed was brought back and within two hours it was given to another person who needed it, he added.

Nelson said they sometimes get calls about equipment from folks who want to donate it but cannot deliver it. Nelson will go and pick the items up. He has even driven to North Carolina and Virginia for donations.

And the reverse is true. If someone needs items and can’t come to get them, Nelson will deliver. 

While the ministry meets physical needs, it is evangelistic, both Nelson and Hankal agreed.

“This is a way we can tell people about the Lord,” Nelson said. 

“Every time we take out a bed and set it up, we ask the people if we can pray for them.”

Hankal noted that “we have prayer with everyone who picks stuff up or bring stuff in. It has been a connection to families who live in our community.”

The pastor affirmed that “God is working through this ministry. We are seeing a lot of needs met. It’s a God-thing.”

(EDITOR’S NOTE — Lonnie Wilkey is editor of the Baptist and Reflector, news journal of the Tennessee Baptist Convention. This article originally appeared at the Baptist & Reflector.)