Christian Assembly Church in Los Angeles has announced that it is paying off medical debt totaling $5.3 million for nearly six thousand households in Southern California.

In a video posted online, the church announced that it had purchased the outstanding medical debt of households that earn less than twice the federal poverty line in twenty-eight neighborhoods where it has parishioners. The church purchased the debt from RIP Medical Debt, a nonprofit that uses donor funds to wipe out medical debt, for $53,000 and is working with the organization to help recipients repair their credit scores.

"Because of your generosity...we are cancelling all of the unpaid medical debt, $5.3 million, as a Christmas gift to all of the poor in all twenty-eight neighborhoods," said Tom Hughes, co-lead pastor of Christian Assembly. "As they recover from their illness, it will help them get back on their feet and avoid homelessness."