Winston-Salem church looks to buy and forgive $2M in medical debt
Trinity Moravian Church Board Vice-Chair June Edwards, left, and Trinity Moravian Church Pastor John Jackman ceremoniously burn $3.3 million in medical debt for Davidson County residents as part of one of its Debt Jubilee Project campaigns. Photo courtesy of Trinity Moravian Church
A Winston-Salem church is raising money over the holidays to buy and forgive $2 million worth of medical debt for families in central North Carolina.
Trinity Moravian Church launched its Debt Jubilee Project in 2022. Since then it's purchased and forgiven more than $18 million in medical debt for families.
Rev. John Jackman says every congregation should strive to find issues where they can be of assistance in their community.
"You may not be able to fix it, but you can help the people that are impacted, whether it's finding a school and paying off lunch debts or something like that, something small, that makes a huge difference in the lives of those kids," Jackman says. "And any church, any size, can do something like that."
The church works with New York-based nonprofit Undue Medical Debt, to purchase the debt, like a third-party collector would, on the open market. They then forgive it.
Jackman says the Christmas season is a time to remember those in need, and this is one way Trinity Moravian aims to help.
The church is looking to raise $15,000 by Jan. 15 to purchase the debt.
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