For nearly 35 years, Dowagiac’s Michael VanArkel has lent his voice almost every Sunday, helping to lead the congregation in song as a member of Holy Maternity of Mary’s choir.

Now, nine months after nearly losing his life due to a ruptured pancreas, VanArkel’s fellow worshipers are gathering to help their beloved friend and neighbor find his groove once again.

Members of Holy Maternity are hosting a benefit concert for the Dowagiac man at 4 p.m. Sunday at the church, located 210 N. Front St., Dowagiac. Several local singers and musicians will lend their musical talent to the show, performing classic, spiritual, jazz and musical theater pieces, said Gabrielle Smith, the director of music at Holy Maternity and main organizer of the concert.

Performers include:

• Andrew Fisher, founder and lead vocalist of the Andrew Fisher Quartet

• Timothy McFeeters, a graduate of Andrews University

• Emily McAndrew, a graduate student at Andrews University

• David Ortiz, another graduate of Andrews University

• Alisha Engelkemier, a 12-year-old student with Andrews University’s pre-college violin group

Smith and Joshua Goines, the organist at First Presbyterian Church in Berrien Springs, will play accompaniment during the performance, which should last around an hour, Smith said.

Following the concert, visitors may enjoy some pies, cookies, cakes and other desserts, baked by Holy Maternity members.

There is no cost to attend, though people are asked to leave a free-will offering. Organizers will donate the concert’s proceeds to VanArkel to help pay for his ongoing medical and travel expenses to the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota.

Smith, who has served as music director at Holy Maternity for a little under two years, said she was inspired to host a benefit concert for VanArkel, who she befriended since taking the position with the Dowagiac church, she said.

“He is truly a great person,” Smith said. “If you ever needed something fixed or dealt with, he would always make sure it gets done.”

The Dowagiac man suffered from a ruptured pancreas last July, which caused him to enter a coma for several weeks, VanArkel said. He was hospitalized for nearly eight months, in treatment at Borgess Hospital in Kalamazoo until December, before he was transferred to Mayo to undergo a state-of-the-art procedure to drain out the excess fluids caused by the rupture, which, among other complications, caused his liver to temporarily shut down, he said.

“If I hadn’t gone to Mayo, I wouldn’t be here today, or I would still be on dialysis, waiting for a new liver,” VanArkel said.

He finally returned home in February. In spite of having tubes inserted in his hip and chest cavity — which require daily maintenance and treatment — he has returned to the church and begun singing again in the choir, he said.

While the worst part of this ordeal is behind him, VanArkel still has a ways to go before he fully recovers. He still lacks the strength to return to his job as an electrician, and has an upcoming appointment at the Mayo Clinic, where doctors will remove the drainage pipes inside his body, he said.

When he heard Smith and others were looking to support him through the concert, VanArkel said he was floored by the gesture.

“I thought it was way above and beyond,” VanArkel said. “I never really knew how many lives I had touched over the years. To think they would all come together to do something like this for me makes it extra special.

“Everyone kept telling me, ‘We aren’t doing this because we pity you. We do are doing this because we love you and want to help.’”

Smith said she is hoping to raise $500 or more through Sunday’s concert, though donation bit will help.

“If you are looking for an evening [of] excellent music and superb desserts, please come out to the chapel Sunday,” Smith said. “All the contributions go toward a wonderful cause, to help out a wonderful person.”