Please familiarize yourself with the following duties so we can minister to each other more efficiently and effectively. Your faithful participation directly ministers to other members.
A. Check Your Mail
Each member should faithfully check the mail (or email if you have chosen that option) for the newsletter mailing or eShare notification, and promptly call the office to request the newsletter and your monthly share assignment if you have not received them by the 10th of the month.
B. New Members
To begin a membership, each new member sends a start-up administrative fee to the SMI office, along with their share for the first month. The start-up administrative fee is currently $200, and is non-refundable. New members will also normally be assigned to send their shares for the second and occasional third months to the office, although some may be directed to send to a member need to maintain basic amounts of share money for needs.
C. Sending Shares
Most months, you send your share directly to another member. On months where direct sharing is not assigned, you will send your share to the Samaritan Ministries office to support the ministry’s administrative services (non-refundable after 30 days).
A portion of members’ monthly shares may be converted to administrative fees for expenses Samaritan incurs to facilitate sharing. These fees, when applicable, do not increase your monthly share amount. Members will be informed of the amount prior to any fees taking effect and on their monthly share assignment.
The assignment sheet in each month’s email or newsletter mailing will tell where the monthly share should be sent. If your share check does not have your individual name on it, please make sure your name is on the memo line or other location so proper credit will be given to you. The share must be sent in U.S. currency.
D. Monthly Share Amount (as of September 2023)
The amount you send each month depends on the membership level that you choose: Samaritan Classic or Samaritan Basic.
- Samaritan Classic—Your monthly share amount is based on the number in your family participating in the membership and the age of the oldest participant. If you need financial assistance with your share amount, see Section V.C. "Sponsorship."
- Samaritan Basic—Your monthly share amount is based on the number in your family participating in the membership and the age of the oldest participant.
E. Overseas Members
Must have a stateside contact through which to send monthly shares and to receive shares sent to help with a need in a timely manner. The Member Services department can waive the need for a contact, if the member demonstrates that requirements are met by other means.
F. Sending Notes
Along with your monthly share, send a note of encouragement to the member with the medical need to which you are assigned. Also pray for this member and for other members listed in the Prayer Guide.
G. Respect the Privacy of Other Members
Members share deeply personal prayer requests and detailed health information with one another to allow for specific prayer. While it is expected this information may be shared with family and prayer partners, please be sensitive: Do not post names or details on social media, blogs, or websites without permission, or in any other way misuse the information.
H. Misuse of Trust and Accountability
At all times act with integrity and avoid the appearance of evil. Members presenting a falsified need, using deceptive practices, or participating in another member’s misuse of trust will be dropped from membership.
When a need is submitted requesting other members share financially to relieve the burden of a medical expense, the member submitting the need is committing that those medical expenses will be paid immediately, if not already paid, to the extent of the sharing received unless a different arrangement has been made through the administrative office.
Members submitting needs further commit to work with SMI staff and partners to determine if the bills are shareable, to seek fair and reasonable prices from providers (see Sections X.E and X.F), and to document amounts paid to providers.
If a member receives more share money than the amount of his financial need, as a result of discounts or other changes, he will be directed to forward any extra share money to another member with a need or to the administrative office to assist with the cost of negotiating reductions in SMI members’ medical bills.
When an issue of possible misuse of trust by a member arises (whether or not still active or currently a member), the administrative office may seek the assistance of the member’s Christian church and provide it with the necessary information to address the issue and hold the member accountable. The member may request resolution of the question through the mediation and arbitration provisions of Section XII of the Guidelines.
I. Ending Membership
If you wish to end your membership, SMI must have received notice from you no later than the 15th day of the month that you want to be the last month in which you share, so that a member with a need will not be relying on receiving your share. (E.g., if you want your last sharing month to be February, you must notify SMI by February 15.) After the 15th of the month, SMI will be preparing share notifications to send the following month, counting on the share you have pledged to help meet the needs of our brothers and sisters.
J. Modifying Membership Size
If you are continuing your membership but removing from the membership a spouse, or otherwise lowering the size, SMI must have received notice from you no later than the 15th day of the month that you want to be the last month in which you share the higher amount, so that a member with a need will not be relying on receiving the higher share amount. (E.g., if you want your monthly share to be modified after February, you must notify SMI by February 15.)
Additionally, if a spouse is being removed from the membership, the notice is not effective until written approval of the change signed by the removed spouse is received by SMI. See Section XIV regarding switching membership levels: Basic/Classic.
K. Restarting a Membership After 30 Days
- And a Need has Occurred—If you have a need occur (whether new or related to a prior need) after the date that your membership has ended, and you seek to restart your membership more than 30 days after the membership ended:
- It will be treated as a new membership so all existing health conditions will be subject to the pre-existing conditions sharing limits (discussed in Section VII), as well as limitations effective for new memberships and
- You may be required to pay a start-up fee, which is non-refundable.
- And No Need has Occurred—If you seek to restart your membership and no need has occurred since your membership ended:
- If you notify Member Services within 60 days after the membership ended and you catch up on any missed shares, your membership will be treated as if it never ended.
- If you notify Member Services more than 60 days after your membership ended, it will be treated as a new membership, so all existing health conditions will be subject to the pre-existing conditions sharing limits (discussed in Section VII), as well as sharing for new memberships. You may also be required to pay a start-up fee, which is non-refundable.
L. Restarting a Membership After One Year
If you seek to restart a membership more than a year after it ended, it will be treated as a brand new membership requiring a new application and start-up fee, and subject to the pre-existing health conditions and new membership sharing limits, as if you had never been a member. The start-up administrative fee is non-refundable.