In the fall of 2025, Eddystone United Methodist Church was worshiping through a nine-week sermon series entitled “12 Steps for Christians” based on the spiritual wisdom of the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). Each Sunday, Pastor John or Pastor Brendan would introduce one or two of the steps of AA. And each Sunday, someone from one of the church’s five weekly AA meetings would share how they found Christ in that particular step, witnessing to the powerful ways Christ meets people in recovery.

On the Sunday when steps six and seven were the focus, a man named George M* was slated to give his personal testimony. But when he was about five minutes into his talk, George suffered a major heart attack and he fell three feet off the altar platform, where he had been speaking from the pulpit.

Two members of the church, Ron and Denyse Waite, immediately ran to the front and started to administer cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Neither Ron nor Denyse had ever attended a CPR training, but they had seen a segment on cable TV demonstrating how to perform CPR to the rhythm of “Stayin’ Alive” by the Bee Gees. And that had stuck with them.

Pastor John and George’s wife, Pat, accompanied George to Lankenau Medical Center, where he was immediately taken to the cardiac catheterization lab and received two stents. The cardiologist explained to Pastor John and Pat that George had had what is called a “widowmaker” heart attack— caused by a blockage in the main artery providing blood to the heart. The chance of surviving this kind of heart attack is less than nine percent. It was the immediate CPR that George received from Ron and Denyse that saved his life.

Since Eddystone UMC is a small church with limited financial resources, it did not have a defibrillator (AED) on its premises before this incident. But out of gratitude for Ron and Denyse’s quick and lifesaving response to George’s cardiac arrest, he and Pat purchased one for the church. The Alcoholics Anonymous groups that meet in the church’s basement five out of seven nights a week, two of which are very large, decided to purchase a second AED unit so that both floors of the building would be equipped to respond quickly in the event of a future medical emergency.

Eddystone UMC is building on the momentum and urgency sparked by this near-tragic event to intentionally become a more life-giving presence in their community. With two major hospitals within three miles of the church recently closed, the need is especially acute. In response, Eddystone UMC is using a portion of a Hope-Wholeness grant from the EPA Annual Conference to offer CPR training for the wider community—including participants in the Alcoholics Anonymous groups and members of two other congregations that gather in the church building.

As one of the pastors of Eddystone UMC, this community action has brought tears to my eyes—that  George M survived his heart attack, we now have two AED units at the church, and we will have an army of people trained in CPR. A heart-filled thanks for everyone that will make “lifesaving preparedness” a reality at Eddystone United Methodist Church.

*Please note that George gave permission for his first name, last initial, and image to be shared in this story. Thank you, George!

Photo by Hoi An and Da Nang Photographer on Unsplash