The associate pastor of Bellevue Christian Center in Nebraska announced that he will be receiving a kidney transplant and that the matching donor is none other than the lead pastor.
“Folks, it does me great pleasure to introduce to you the donor that UNMC has identified as my match, but more importantly, the donor that God has identified as the perfect match, my friend, my pastor, Andy Kaup,” Pastor Walter Hooker told the congregation on Sunday, May 1 as he was fighting back tears.
In November 2021, Hooker was placed on the kidney transplant list at the University of Nebraska Medical Center after beginning his screening process earlier in June. Kaup, who also did a screening process, was told by the hospital last month that he was a matching donor for the associate pastor.
During his remarks to the congregation, Hooker said that his kidneys are only functioning at about 10 percent and that he undergoes dialysis three times a week. He also noted that about 10 to 15 individuals approached him to see whether they could be his donor, including Kaup.
“As we went through the various phases, we continued to dream if God was really going to do this,” Hooker told church members. “When Andy completed his full-day screening at UNMC, we began to get really excited. Andy was informed by UNMC he was a matching donor for me.”
Kaup added that being the matching donor for Hooker was more than just a coincidence, CBN News reports.
“One of the things that I’ve learned about God in each and every step is that He’s constantly inviting us into His story. He’s always got room for you to step in and to watch what He can do and to just let Him move in your life. The trick is that it’s just up to us to be obedient. And that’s our heart in this. It was just to be obedient,” Kaup told the outlet.
“You know, in James 2, it talks about faith and works, and it kind of brings this thing out, you know,” he added. “What good is it if your brother has a need and you say, ‘go and hope that your need is met’ when it’s in your power to help.”
“And so, we just wanted to be a part of helping. We just wanted to be able to say, ‘We’re tied together, we’re in this together. This is God’s story. What can God do through all of this?’ And so, it truly is just a joy and an honor to be able to step into this story,” Kaup said. “And to watch God move not just in one family or two families, not just in one church or one city, but what can God do through all of this?”
Both pastors are scheduled to undergo kidney transplant surgery on Aug. 2.
Photo courtesy: ©Getty Images/Mi Viri
Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer. He is also the co-hosts of the For Your Soul podcast, which seeks to equip the church with biblical truth and sound doctrine. Visit his blog Blessed Are The Forgiven.