About Vigils for Healing

Vigils for Healing Co-Directors (from left): Ken Maxwell, Tracey Maxwell (founder), Deloris Huntley, and John Huntley.

Vigils for Healing is an interfaith community ministry for loved ones of homicide victims. Our original mission was simply to hold public interfaith spiritual observances at every murder site in Forsyth County, North Carolina, USA. Since that time our outreach and services have broadened, spurred in many instances by the ideas and energy of people in the community who believe in our mission.

We are comprised of volunteer clergy and laity, and function under the guidance of an advisory board. (See the links to the right.)

At its core, Vigils for Healing is an advocacy and educational organization whose two-fold mission is to promote healing for people directly affected by violent death and to change community norms from a passive acceptance of violence to an active rejection of it on moral, ethical, and spiritual grounds. We call on the power of God and a caring community to promote healing for everyone affected by violence; to reclaim the sites of violent death and the surrounding neighborhood as a life-affirming space; to allow those affected by violence the opportunity to have their grief acknowledged and their voices heard; and to publicly proclaim that violence is unacceptable and requires all those who wish to promote justice and mercy to take action.

This ministry is open to all, and we welcome your suggestions and involvement.

To achieve our mission, we:

• Hold Vigils for Healing public interfaith spiritual observances to mark loss of life in Forsyth County, NC, due to violence. Vigils are lead on a voluntary, rotating basis by area clergy of all faiths, who comprise our Clergy Team.
• Mail the families of every murder victim in Forsyth County, NC, a Condolence Packet that contains support information.
• Organize Broken Hearts, Better Days, a support group for women who grieve the violent death of a loved one.
• Organize a Prayer Shawl and Throw Ministry for victims’ families.
• Provide to the community a free Hands Without Guns gun-safety activity for children.
• Provide financial support via The Winston-Salem Foundation’s Chrissy Gallaher Victim Assistance Fund to families who are struggling with financial costs directly related to the violent death of their loved one.
• Hold a free annual Shield of Hope Banquet for families of people murdered in Forsyth County, NC, since our inception in January 2006.
• Offer to collaborate with any group or individual who would like to organize their own observance of violent death.