The nondenominational suburban congregation of about 3,800 had set out to help people nearby pay off some medical debt, recalled Larry Wren, Pathway's executive pastor. After all, the core membership at Pathway's three sites consists of middle-income families with school-age kids, not high-dollar philanthropists.

But then they learned that, like a modern-day loaves-and-fishes story, that smaller amount could wipe out $2.2 million in debt not only for the Wichita area but all available debt for every Kansan facing imminent insolvency because of medical expenses they couldn't afford to pay — 1,600 people in all.

As Wren thought about the message of Easter, things clicked. "Being able to do this provides an opportunity to illustrate what it means to have a debt paid that they could never pay themselves," he said. "It just was a great fit."