FORGIVE FOR HEALTH MINISTRIES, INC.
Healing Relationships for Good
As I walked out the door toward the gate that would lead to my freedom, I knew if I didn’t leave my bitterness and hatred behind, I’d still be in prison.
-Nelson Mandela
And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. -Ephesians 4:32
Birth of a Ministry
After years of working with divorcees, Dr. Saunders noticed that many who were unforgiving were more ill and often could not complete programs such as Divorce Care in their recommended format. Many of these divorcees reported illnesses such as hypertension, arthritis, diabetes, and chronic back pain. While working on her doctoral degree, Dr. Saunders discovered evidence-based literature that documented the connection between unforgiveness and chronic back pain. The article led her to conduct more studies on this topic, and ultimately, she completed her research on forgiveness and health in Black divorcees - resulting in the peer-reviewed published article, “Can Christian Divorce Support Groups influence Forgiveness and Health Outcome in Black Divorcees: A Phenomenological Investigation” in the Journal of Divorce and Remarriage.
After publishing the article, Magon continued to build her knowledge in this area, but shortly afterward, she started feeling a call to start a ministry to help people to forgive. Already too busy to take on anything new, and not an ordained minister, Magon tried to resist this call for months and came up with several excuses regarding why this was not for her. But finally, in 2015, she surrendered and started this ministry as an inter-church program. This has allowed her to take the message of forgiveness across the U.S. and the world. Since then, Dr. Saunders and her team have developed courses, books, and other resources to assist individuals on how to forgive.
In 2018, Forgive for Health Ministries hosted its first annual conference, then filed for incorporation in the winter of 2019. The ministry aims to help individuals recover from life’s trauma and get them to move into a new life free from the burden of unforgiveness.
PROGRAM GOALS
1. To encourage health care providers to assess the forgiveness levels of all patients and to refer them to appropriate “caring’’ professionals or ministries.
2. To help all individuals to forgive so that they can live free from the shackles of unforgiveness.
3. To implement trauma-informed care in African Americans and other minorities, so that they can “thrive”, thereby reducing health disparities.
4. Work to build awareness and the evidence-based for addressing religion, education, food insecurity, transportation, and other social determinants of health.
5. Serve as a bridge between faith communities and public health to improve population health.
OUR VALUES
Integrity, Honesty, Love, Respect, Compassion, Quality, and Christian Service
Integrity
We are upstanding in all we do and are guided by decency and fairness.
Honesty
We are honest, open, and transparent in all of our dealings.
Love
We strive to show all people the love of Christ.
Respect
We respect and listen to every person.
Compassion
We show the compassion of Christ to all we meet.
Quality
We provide high-quality service and work with excellence as unto Christ.
Christian Service
We follow Christ’s leadership in service to all mankind.