Mountain View Conference

During the two-and-a-half-day Pathway clinic in Beckley, 1,722 people received $6.5 million in free services that included dental procedures, eye exams and medical services such as cardiology, radiology, pediatrics, podiatry, HIV tests and minor surgical procedures, etc. Patients were also offered healthy lifestyle counseling, massages, haircuts and styles, spiritual literature, a vegan lunch and supper, the opportunity to visit the clothing distribution center and prayer with a chaplain. Read more  in English or Spanish.

Story by Mountain View Conference and Columbia Union Staff

Diana, a Beckley, W.Va., resident, joined the line at the Beckley-Raleigh County Convention Center in Beckley at 3:30 a.m. Wednesday, waiting for dental service. “I’m not afraid of the drill; I’m afraid of the bill,” she says, adding that she hadn’t been to a dentist in six years. "I can't afford dental care."

More than 1,100 patients, many with similar stories to Diana, have been treated at the Your Best Pathway to Health pop-up clinic since it opened Wednesday. As of publishing time, dental volunteers treated 165 people, other volunteer volunteers performed 18 surgeries, 131 HIV tests, performed 420 eye exams, fitted 299 pair of glasses, and provided 117 haircuts and provided 2,205 lunches to volunteers and patients.

Robert Smith, pastor of the Allegheny East Conference’s First Church in Teaneck N.J., has assisted in recovery efforts for the last five major hurricanes over the last 30 years. And, he’s again helping victims, this time in West Virginia, where floodwaters killed at least 25 and left thousands homeless.

On Monday Smith (pictured above with members of the National Guard) and Lee Kimani (pictured below), pastor of the Angaza Sharon church in Newark, Del., arrived in Lefthand, W.Va., an area northwest of Charleston. Smith reports that they’ve knocked on doors, visited 20 churches of all faiths and have counseled 50 families, provided prayer and connected victims to FEMA and Red Cross resources.