The Trinity newsletter for Holy Week and Easter is ready online — and in the mail to households! You can read it here, it’s also available in our Facebook group and will soon be in members’ mailboxes.
editor
Unity Offering 2024
March 1st is observed as the anniversary of the founding of the Unitas Fratrum in 1457. Each year on this date, Moravians across the world join together to support the work of the Unity through a special offering. This year, we are invited to give in support of Ukrainian refugees in Germany and the Czech Republic. WE WILL TAKE A SPECIAL OFFERING ON SUNDAY MARCH 3 AT TRINITY.
Learn more at UNITY OFFERING.
Please submit gifts through your local congregation, directly to the Northern Province, or through the MMFA Giving Portal at GIVING PORTAL.
$6.5 Million Debt Abolished!
On Sunday, January 28, a list of 2,973 debts was symbolically burned during our worship service, representing $6,560,412 in crushing medical debt owed by poor families in Wake County, NC. Our Christmas campaign for the Debt Jubilee Project planned to raise $20,000 over six weeks — but ended up raising $43,169! We partnered with Raleigh Moravian Church, The Table Moravian Church, Fries Memorial Moravian Church, and the Men’s Fellowship of Ardmore United Methodist Church. Many individual donors from all over the state helped push us over the 200% mark. We were aided by a surprise front-page column by Scott Sexton, Aiming High At A Pile of Debt on Dec 31.
Th Debt Jubilee Project has purchased all the available medical debt in Forsyth and surrounding Piedmont counties. In an investigative article, NC Medical News recently revealed that Atrium and Novant, the major health systems in our area, have decided to no longer sell medical debt. We will be working to change this policy so that we can continue to help poor families in our area.
Herrnhut Award
Trinity has been honored with the HERRNHUT AWARD by the Moravian Church Board of World Mission. This is a recognition of congregations in North America that are doing exemplary mission and service work both in their local communities as well as in global mission efforts. This award has been given to only one other Moravian Congregation at this point.
The Rt. Rev. Chris Giesler and Rev. Angelica Regalado presented the award in our January 28th service, not only to recognize the recent Debt Jubilee Project, but also LOGOS, our children’s ministry, our support of Anthony’s Plot. and our founding of Sunnyside Ministry. To read the entire proclamation, click HERE.
2024 Unity Prayer Watch
This Sunday, Jan 7, Trinity is responsible for eight hours of the worldwide Unity Prayer Watch – from midnight until 8:00 am. We have divided the eight hours into 16 half-hour slots. Please click on this link:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0845A4A828A5F49-47036343-unity
To sign up for a slot.
You can download a PDF guide of prayer topics from our website at
http://trinitymoravian.org/content/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/2024-Unity-Prayer-Watch-Topics.pdf
Thank you for being a link in this unbroken chain!
Pastor John
P.S. The free version of Signupgenius which we are using will probably present you with several “free” offers after you sign up. I recommend you decline these unless you are really interested in one.
Summer Newsletter is Here!
Our Summer 2023 newsletter is here — members should have received a copy in the mail. Or you can read it here online!
Debt Jubilee Goes VIRAL!
Yes, the Debt Jubilee Project went viral on April 12-13 – no kidding! We were viral on Twitter, TikTok, and Reddit, where the story from WXII-12 was posted and reposted.
TikTok – 13.5 Million views
Twitter – 28.8 Million views
Reddit – Top Favorites page on 4/12, 3,300 comments.
As a result, we were mentioned on the syndicated radio programs the Bobby Bones Show and the Glenn Beck Show.
Listen to Glenn Beck Show – begins at 13:40
Listen to Bobby Bones Show – begins at 50:30
$3.3M Medical Debt Forgiven!
It was announced today that the recent Davidson County campaign was able to purchase and forgive $3,296,863.64 in medical debts.
- Davidson County: 3,133 individuals totaling $2,988,937.45
- Davie County: 155 individuals totaling $192,815.53
- Yadkin County: 67 individuals totaling $115,110.66
The average medical debt forgiven was about $1,000.
When poor families cannot afford to pay their medical debts, after initial collection attempts, the debts are often sold off to third party debt collectors for a penny on the dollar or less in a practice called factoring. The third party collector then has the legal right to demand the entire amount. Some use very aggressive tactics. This is where our Debt Jubilee Project, working with RIP Medical Debt, can intervene and purchase the debts – but we forgive them rather than collecting. Watch out for the next Debt Jubilee campaign!
For more information on the Debt Jubilee Project, visit the website at debtjubileeproject.org.
Unity Prayer Watch 2023
This Saturday, January 7, is Trinity’s turn at the great Unity Prayer Watch. Every minute of every day, a Moravian somewhere is praying for the ministry of the Moravian Church. We have again been assigned the hours of Midnight to 8:00 am.
Please consider signing up for a 30 minute slot — or perhaps splitting a slot with a spouse or friend. We will all be praying at our homes.
You can download a Prayer Guide that will guide you through prayer for all our provinces and ministries. DOWNLOAD HERE.
This prayer watch, inspired by the “Hundred Year Prayer Watch” in Herrnhut, has continued unbroken since 1957.
December Newsletter
The web edition of our December newsletter is available online — read details about special Christmas music, lovefeast services, and our puppet ministry!