A Kentucky community is joining together in prayer asking God to heal a local pastor battling an aggressive form of cancer.
Pastor Mark Elkins of New Heights Church says he is still praising the Lord nearly two years after discovering he had cancer.
Doctors discovered tumors in his liver and an extremely high enzyme count that signaled something was wrong.
“I went in to have gall bladder surgery and came out missing a gall bladder and had cancer,” Elkins told Kentucky Today.
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Members of his church located in Middlesboro, KY hold prayer meetings every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday petitioning God for Elkins’ healing.
“Tonight at New Heights Church we are meeting at 9 o’clock to pray for our pastor and friend, I am asking as a community that we come together, even if you’re not a member of our church, please come to join us in prayer for a brother in Christ, we are asking that the Lord heal him, I believe the Lord is gonna move in a miraculous way,” reads a recent Facebook post.
And there is evidence that consistent prayer is working.
In September 2021, Elkins posted an update that tumors in his body had disappeared and others reduced in size.
“Your prayers are being heard and your prayers are being answered,” he said.
He was even granted a slot that suddenly opened up for an experimental clinical trial. “It was a miracle. I always believed that,” he told Kentucky Today. “When that happened, a nurse told him directly, “It was a God thing, and you were meant to be here.”
Last August, he updated his followers with the news that his white blood count and red blood count are back to normal.
Today, Elkins is still receiving treatment, but despite the long road, he is praising the Lord for His grace.
“How the Lord has helped me through this is amazing,” Elkins said. “[The doctor] called me Superman multiple times. The Lord was using me physically in ways that didn’t make sense. They said, ‘you’re going to lose your hair, never have surgery and always be on chemo.’ None of those three have happened. I was cancer-free for about four months but it’s a very aggressive cancer and it came back. She would shake her head. I was a living, walking testimony.”
Elkins told the outlet that he still preaches most Sundays.
“No matter how bad or how good I feel, He gives me the strength to [preach],” he said.
Meanwhile, church leaders are stepping up to keep the rest of the ministry running.
“It has been amazing to see how the people that weren’t leaders before… have stepped up. Our attendance numbers are better than we’ve ever had, and the giving is getting better. It’s way better. We set a goal of wanting to baptize and disciple 52 people – that’s one a week. I believe part of discipleship is significant in being saved,” he shared.
For now, the prayers for Pastor Elkins continue and he is not afraid to say that God is moving.
“This what answered prayer looks like,” he posted.
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