Trinity Moravian Church in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Launches Debt Jubilee Project to Forgive Medical Debt

In March 2023, Pastor John Jackman of Trinity Moravian Church in Winston-Salem led a symbolic ceremony to cancel the medical debts of 3,355 people, according to a report from reforme.net. That report put the cancelled debts at nearly $3.3 million. A video of the ceremony showed a white leaf being burned to represent the erased debts. Afterward, recipients received letters confirming that their medical debt had been forgiven and could no longer be pursued. The report said the action reached individuals in three North Carolina counties: Davidson, Davie and Yadkin.

The reforme.net report noted that the Moravian Church traces its origins to the 18th century and is known for emphasizing simplicity, community and service. It said medical debt disproportionately affects low-income families and that the move drew attention from various religious and community groups.

A later report from WXII12 said Trinity Moravian Church was launching a new fundraising campaign for its Debt Jubilee Project, which it described as active for several years. Jackman was quoted as saying the project had resulted in forgiveness of over $18 million in medical debt across North Carolina, mostly benefiting the local area. The church partners with the organization Undue Medical Debt to acquire and forgive medical debt. The church is seeking $15,000 to enable the purchase and forgiveness of more than $2 million in medical debt, and the campaign will run until January 15. Jackman described the required funding as “monopoly money.”

WXII12 also recounted the experience of Meagan McGee-Risdon, who said her family bore the full cost of her daughter’s maternity care, which their insurance did not cover. Her account illustrates the kind of burden the project seeks to lift, a form of charity and hospitality toward households under financial strain (Isaiah 58:7).

A report from the Winston-Salem Journal stated that Trinity Moravian Church in Winston-Salem, N.C., had purchased and forgiven over $1.7 million in medical debt for local families. That report said the initiative was part of the Debt Jubilee Project, which raised funds to buy medical debts from creditors and forgive them. Jackman, the church’s pastor, described the campaign as a community effort that transcended political divides, and he was quoted as saying, “This is the easiest money I’ve ever raised.”

The reports do not agree on the scale of the work. The March 2023 ceremony was described as cancelling about $3.3 million for 3,355 people, the WXII12 report cited more than $18 million forgiven across North Carolina, and the Winston-Salem Journal report cited more than $1.7 million for local families. The sources do not explain how these figures relate to one another.