Grand opening of Living Water Community Clinic Dental Clinic Ribbon Cutting on Saturday May 22nd
Living Water Community Clinic serves uninsured adult patients with free medical, emotional, and spiritual care in Orange, Spotsylvania, and Culpeper VA Counties.
Pastor Adam Colson’s Remarks
Thank you for attending today’s special event. I am pastor Adam Colson with The Lake of the Woods Church and a member of the Clinic Board of Directors. I would like to welcome and recognize our Board of Directors – Sean Barden, Chair of our Board; Lee Frame, Vice-Chair of our Board; Barbara Crawford, Secretary of our BOD; Belinda Divelbiss, Treasurer of our BOD; Anna Nellis, Chair of Auxiliary; Ryan Flanders, Dr. John Sellers, Tom Schafer, and Mike Evans. We would also like to recognize Dr. Tom Reynolds, our Medical Director, Deanne Marshall and Kristina Musgrave from the Orange County Chamber of Commerce, our providers Mike Evans, Ruthanne Morrow, and Liz Sullivan (who was our first provider who helped open the medical clinic, and to all our volunteers here today from our nurses to security to administration to chaplains to the dental team. We would not be here today without you.
The Scriptures tell us in Proverbs that “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” The Clinic started as a vision (in obedience to the word of Christ “Heal the sick” “Freely you have received, now freely give”). We are now five years strong and opening the dental clinic. Over the last five years, we have grown from an acute care facility to a primary care office taking care of patients for chronic illnesses such as hypertension and diabetes. In addition to taking care of our chronic patients, we have diagnosed a tumor in a young man He was referred to a surgeon and is now doing very well. We treated and care for a patient with liver disease, referred a patient for knee surgery, treated and referred cardiac patients, and have referred many patients for diagnostic tests such as x-rays, ultrasounds, and mammograms. We have provided critical medications at no cost to the patient. We have provided many hours of free counseling and spiritual care.
Since May 28, 2016, we have seen over 400 patients with over 2,000 visits. We have doubled our space to include additional exam room, laboratory, and the dental suite.
Our new dental clinic will continue to provide care for overall health of our patients. Oral health is integrated in overall physical health – poor oral health can lead to infections and other clinical issues. We are proud to offer free dental care for our patients. Dr. John Sellars, who could not be with us today as he is attending his grandson’s wedding stepped up to oversee the dental clinic. We appreciate all our volunteers who are helping to make this possible. I would also like to thank all of you who have supported the medical and dental clinics through donations and prayers. We would not be here without you.
Ephesians 3:20-21 tells us, “20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, 21 “to Him be glory in the church by Jesus Christ to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”
Today we pause to acknowledge that God has indeed done exceedingly abundantly above anything we ever dreamed possible. We thank him today and acknowledge that he is indeed the God of impossibilities.
Closing Prayer
O Healing Spirit of God: We invoke your blessing as we dedicate this dental and medical clinic the sacred service of healing. For we are eternally grateful unto You, Oh Lord, that you hast fashioned us not as puppets, lacking in will or choice, but as living beings, endowed with your creative spark.
Thou have placed us in a world that is imperfect and incomplete and have charged us with the responsibility of using our talents, treasures, and gifts to bring healing, and hope.
We ask you, Lord, that you would make us ever conscious of our need for each other’s help and our aspirations toward you.
We thank you, also for endowing us with the wisdom and the skill to face our problems with courage and confidence, knowing that you art with us when we labor to hear and help our fellow sojourners. Be with the medical professionals and Chaplains whose dedicated hands will make of these bricks, of this steel and glass a sanctuary of grace and a tabernacle of blessing, lifting the spirit as it strengthens the body. Praised be you O Lord, who does entrust your healing wisdom to the children of men. Amen.
I would know like to ask the following people to come up as we cut the ribbon at our new dental clinic.
Attendees/on the ribbon:
Dr. Thomas Reynolds
Adam Colson
Sean Barden, Chair of BOD
Lee Frame, BOD member and Orange Supervisor
Deanne Marshall, Orange County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director
Debbie McInnis
Dental Team