Seeing the immense needs among the residents in their local communities, The Rev. Dr. John Forney and his two sons, Jonathan and Christopher, founded Forney Charities, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, in 2012. Their overarching goal is to improve communities as a whole by helping its residents, one person at a time.

The Rev. Dr. John C. Forney was born in 1942 in Long Beach, CA. A former specialist 5th class  medic in the United States Army from 1965-1967, The Rev. Dr. John Forney trained as an EEG technician and worked with brain-injured patients and those on the psychiatric ward at Letterman General Hospital, San Francisco. He continued in this position as a civilian after honorable discharge. In 1975, Forney graduated from the Claremont School of Theology. For more than three decades, he has served as a pastor and priest in Southern California, currently in the Outreach Mission of St. Francis Episcopal in San Bernardino, CA, working with the parish to develop outreach programs and low-income Section 8 housing for homeless and others.

The Rev. Dr. John Forney also manages Forney & Sons Holding, LLC, a holding company for the family natural gas business, incorporated and chartered in Delaware, 2008 – a small company which holds a farm in WV that has been in the family since 1804 and is part of the natural gas and timber industry.

Since 2012, Forney Charities has primarily operated a tutoring initiative in East Los Angeles at Epiphany Episcopal Church. The focus is to help high school students improve their SAT scores and negotiate the college application process. Of our first year’s tutees, 6 went on to become the first in their families to go to college. Our second group is now proceeding through the program. Through the Pomona Valley Chapter of Progressive Christians Uniting, Forney Charities has also developed a community program of speakers, Agenda for a Prophetic Faith, addressing social and ethical issues of concern to the faith community and others.