A Gift of Life
Photos by Melanie Hinson and Micah Martin
Two days after transplant surgery in June 2024, Elder Kevin McClelland (left) and Pastor John Hinson (right) of THRIVE Christian Fellowship in King George, VA, are thankful for good health reports. Kevin’s kidney, a perfect match, gave John new life. Kevin and his wife Mandy (center) were also greeted with new life the day after surgery—the birth of their third grandchild.
“It is an opportunity to share ... that I have this relationship with Jesus Christ.”
When the transplant coordinator called John Hinson, she told him that in all her years as a coordinator, it was abnormal to have so many people calling to donate a kidney that they had to turn them away. “It is, but not for God,” replied John, the pastor of THRIVE Christian Fellowship, a Calvary Chapel affiliate in King George, VA.
Diagnosed with chronic kidney disease (CKD) 13 years ago, John’s kidney function steadily declined. Facing dialysis, he began the transplant process at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Medical Center. Expecting a years-long wait, the Hinsons were stunned when three potential donors had been identified in just a few months.
John met Kevin McClelland in 1999 at a home group of Calvary Chapel Fredericksburg (CCF), VA. Serving together as elders at CCF, a deep bond took root. “Something about him clicked early on,” John divulged. Both men committed to meet weekly to read the Word and be accountability partners. Soon, their wives began a close fellowship. The two couples lived in the same neighborhood, a house apart, raising their children, vacationing, and ‘doing life’ together.
THRIVE Christian Fellowship Elders David Bush (left) and Eric Powell (right) lead the congregation in prayer over Kevin and John (both center) before their surgeries.
John felt the Lord place 1 Thessalonians 2:8 on his heart—to not only share the Gospel but to develop relationships within the community close to where he grew up, east of Fredericksburg. John shared his vision with Pastor Mark Ramirez and Kevin, and a group was launched from CCF to plant THRIVE in 2017 with John as the pastor. The McClellands and Hinsons were living next door to each other again, only in another county. Kevin now serves as an elder at THRIVE alongside his best friend, John.
So, affectionately longing for you, we were well pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God, but also our own lives, because you had become dear to us. 1 Thessalonians 2:8
A Difficult Journey
John’s father battled CKD, and the Hinsons knew what was ahead. They chose to continue the medical relationship with his father’s longtime nephrologist, Dr. Gehr at VCU. Melanie elaborated, “Dr. Gehr has been a gift to our family. He knows our life, and I believe the Lord wanted him to see how believers walk through this, living life for Him.”
In preparation for a kidney transplant, John maintained a healthy lifestyle with no other medical issues until 2022 when a CT scan of his right kidney revealed spots suspicious for cancer. After the kidney was removed, he confirmed, “It was renal cell cancer, but the huge praise was that it was 100% contained in the kidney.” However, now at 15% kidney function, time was short.
Unfortunately, VCU’s protocol required him to be cancer-free for three years. Knowing the previous cancer was only in the now-removed kidney, the Hinsons’ concern grew as John edged toward end-stage renal disease. Dr. Gehr explained the uniqueness of John’s case to the transplant team versus their statistical data. His advocacy stirred the transplant team to move forward.
Bad news emerged again. A pre-transplant scan showed lesions on his remaining kidney, now functioning at 7%. John marveled, “Not needing dialysis was a huge praise to me; most people would have been on dialysis a long time already. Some doctors were wondering how I was living on 7%.”
With his history of cancer and the selection of a donor, John’s kidney was removed in May 2024. “The goal was to go from disease to transplant, bypassing dialysis,” John explained. However, John would need dialysis until his surgery on June 24. He didn’t do well on dialysis, even requiring hospitalization. Kevin observed, “Instead of getting stronger, he was getting weaker.” John used that painful journey as an opportunity to connect with the dialysis clinic team. “I was there for a couple months, developing relationships with the dialysis staff in our small community. The Lord brought me back to 1 Thessalonians 2:8.”
The Big Reveal!
When the field of donors narrowed to three, Kevin spilled the beans: “I am one of the three people.” The Hinsons recall thinking, Wow, this guy has been closer than a brother for over 25 years and happens to be in the top three! “I was awestruck. Is that not the Lord?” exclaimed John.
Kevin said his decision to apply as a donor was easy. “We are so close, it would be as if my wife or child would need a kidney,” he attested. However, the McClellands spiritually wrestled with God, seeking assurance this was where Kevin’s kidney should go—knowing their adopted daughter, Sophie, has CKD. Kevin’s wife Mandy explained, “The Lord had to reassure me that Kevin was going to be OK, and that I would be OK regardless of the outcome.” She added, “A friend sent me a verse from Philippians Chapter 1. She said, ‘I have no idea why the Lord wants me to send these to you,’ and basically it was: I desire to depart, but it is better for you that I stay.”
For I am hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. Nevertheless to remain in the flesh is more needful for you. Philippians 1:23-24
The weight of Sophie needing a kidney in the future remained. Mandy felt the Lord impress upon her: You don’t know for sure she will ever need a kidney—but John does. This is John’s story, and I’m writing a different one for Sophie. “Seeing how perfectly the Lord brought it together for John and Kevin was reassuring for me,” she confessed. Every step, God confirmed Kevin was to be the donor. Kevin offered, “There were many things that could’ve eliminated me as a match. So, I had peace that if this wasn’t the Lord’s will, He wouldn’t let this go through.”
God in the Delay
The day of surgery, John’s blood potassium level was too high to proceed, and his and Kevin’s procedures were rescheduled. Although disappointed, they both trusted God’s plan in the delay.
On June 27, John and Kevin arrived early to the hospital. In pre-op, John’s nurse gasped as she opened the folder containing his orders. After the three-day postponement, John thought, Oh no! What now? Three months earlier, the young nurse had lost her husband in a car accident. “She told me, ‘Not only was my husband’s name John, but you guys have the same birthday!’” he recounted.
John, now understanding the delay, concluded, “God was all over that. It wasn’t about Kevin or me but about this nurse who lost her husband and needs Jesus. Thank God I was able to be there to share Jesus and pray with her.”
Weakness Becomes Strength
After a horrific childhood tonsillectomy, John has admittedly struggled with medical anxiety. “The medical community sees what he walks through. It’s an opportunity to pray, speak of the Lord, and show what brings us strength,” Melanie illustrated. “The Lord has used what John doesn’t like for His glory.”
No Greater Love
From the time the procedure started to the time Kevin’s kidney was in place, 56 minutes elapsed; and the kidney began working immediately. Both men were released from the hospital just days later in excellent health. John’s kidney function hit an all-time high at 81%. “I am walking around with Kevin’s/my kidney and living a near-normal life, without dialysis,” John proclaimed in amazement. “Kevin went into surgery and gave—the slogan in the transplant world is ‘Share your spare.’ He saved my life, and I’ll never be able to thank him.”
Kevin points the glory to Jesus when people praise him for what he has done. “There really is nothing good that comes from me, it’s only Christ in me. It is an opportunity to share with believers and nonbelievers that I have ... this relationship with Jesus Christ, and I’m obedient to what He tells me to do.”
Trustworthy Reminders
The excitement was palpable as the THRIVE congregation filled the auditorium, eager to worship Jesus and welcome their pastor back to the pulpit in August.
“I’ll go ahead and invite our guest speaker up today,” Kevin jovially announced. Applause and laughter filled the sanctuary as John, six weeks post-transplant, bounded up the podium, seeming not to have missed a beat from his usual spirited demeanor. Grateful for the prayers, support, and in particular, Kevin’s kidney, John’s message was one of encouragement.
John and his wife Melanie enjoy fellowship with Kevin in the hospital. During surgery, in only 56 minutes, surgeons transplanted Kevin’s kidney, which immediately began working for John.
John (right) is now able to live a near-normal life, without dialysis, after receiving the life-saving kidney from his best friend Kevin (left). Now healthy, John returned to teaching at his church in August.
His second point—God is always many steps ahead of us, orchestrating and overseeing every detail—summarized John’s journey. “God ushered Kevin and Mandy to Fredericksburg, ushered Melanie and I to Fredericksburg, to the same church fellowship. We had no clue who each other were … before I even knew what kidney disease was. He bonded us together. He knew I would need a kidney, knew Kevin had the perfect match. Is there any coincidence in this?” he asked rhetorically. John exhorted the church that there are no coincidences with God. “You are not here on this planet by chance, enduring circumstances by chance. We may not understand or like them, but it is often the things we don’t like that God uses most in our life to make us more like Him. Jesus has gone ahead to prepare something you may not even be able to see—just rest in that.”
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