Trinity Moravian Church’s Debt Jubilee: $2.2 Million in Medical Bills Retired

June 2026 Trinity Moravian Church in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, completed its eighth Debt Jubilee campaign, raising $17,000 to retire $2.2 million in medical debt for 1,631 residents. The congregation marked the achievement by burning a list of names, symbolizing collective forgiveness.

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Pastor Rev. John Jackman launched the initiative during the COVID-19 pandemic after repeatedly hearing parishioners describe hospital stays followed by unaffordable bills. He partnered with the nonprofit Undue Medical Debt, which buys delinquent claims for pennies, and set a $5,000 target to retire roughly $500,000 in debt—a goal met in six weeks.

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The campaign draws on a politically diverse membership of about 200, including Rev. Jackman, hospital accountant Catherine Coe, longtime member Terri Mabe, former credit-union worker Paul Sluder, and youth scouts. Coe’s grandmother received assistance during a hospital stay, prompting Coe’s return; Mabe recounted job loss and illness that created unpayable bills; Sluder, a former debt collector, called the system “incredibly unfair.”

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The latest drive secured $17,000 in small donations and retired $2.2 million in obligations. Nationwide, an estimated 100 million adults carry some form of healthcare debt, and more than half of U.S. adults have faced such debt at least once.

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A 2025 poll by Undue Medical Debt reported that roughly 75 % of Republicans and 90 % of Democrats oppose wage garnishment for medical debt. Recent bipartisan state legislation has expanded consumer protections, indicating broad agreement that the current system is unsustainable.

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Jackman framed the effort as the church’s mission to “fix what we can where we are planted,” stressing moral responsibility. Coe urged statutory caps on medical debt, saying a dollar limit would protect families. Mabe, while critical of national leadership, said medical debt crosses partisan lines. The congregation called the campaign the easiest fundraising they have ever undertaken.

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Sluder, who spent decades in debt collection, called the current system “incredibly unfair” and “out of whack,” noting that illness often forces people into unavoidable debt. Coe echoed this sentiment, observing that people are “going into debt every minute of every day,” highlighting systemic pressure on vulnerable households.

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• “We've got quite a spread of political beliefs,” — Rev. John Jackman

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• “This is the easiest money I've ever raised,” — Rev. John Jackman

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• “I see people going into debt every minute of every day,” — Catherine Coe, hospital accounting employee

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Trinity Moravian intends to launch additional Debt Jubilee rounds annually and is encouraging other faith communities to adopt the model. Leaders hope the visible success will spur further bipartisan legislative proposals to cap or forgive medical debt nationwide.

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