Invite Pastor Forshia Ross to Speak
Who Is Forshia Ross?
Forshia Ross will be the first to tell you that she would have never thought that in 1979 as she was ushered through the locked doors of the mental ward in Oklahoma City, that one day she would be a speaker, author, and head of an international ministry. From a background of poverty, physical and sexual abuse, and drugs, God would take her before Kings and those in high places as well as those struggling as she has, to share the personal hope that is found in God.
Struggling for many years with depression, physical problems, and abandonment issues, she came out on the other side through her relationship with God and her constant searching through the Bible for answers. In 1990 she started a Bible Study in her home on the outskirts of Washington, DC. She walked the neighborhoods placing fliers in the mailboxes inviting neighbors to come. She thought surely people would want to know how Jesus could help them as He had helped her. And they came! People loved the teachings so much they encouraged her to record her messages. She then began to be asked to speak at churches and prayer gatherings. And so, a ministry was birthed.
“Forshia, you seem to hear God’s voice so clearly,” say many that have heard her speak. “How did you know that’s exactly what I needed?” Forshia Ross has a strong ability to identify where people are in their struggles and bring them where they need to be. Change happens! Healings happen! Using her own experiences as a backdrop and the Word of God as a foundation, she is able to unfold the scriptures in such a way, that people definitely come away saying, "I can do this! With God's help, I can really do this!" She gives hope to the brokenhearted and stirs the hearts of the complacent. She challenges others to lead a life of obedience to God. People have experienced physical, emotional, and mental healings through her ministry by the grace of God.
Forshia is the author of two books, No Secondhand Rose, My Name is Forshia and The Wilderness Shall Blossom like the Rose, which chronicles her healing journey that led to personal encounters with God. These encounters created in her a faith that enables her to impart hope to people to believe for the impossible. Her radio program, Hidden Treasures, out of Milan, Italy gives practical biblical insight for daily living and the difficulties of life. Her Overcoming Depression Workshops are life changing and provide tools with lasting results.
A licensed and ordained minister, Pastor Forshia Ross is the founder and director of Forshia Ross Ministries. She served two years as the Rhode Island State Prayer Coordinator for Aglow International and two years as VP of Leadership Development on the RI/MA Area Board. She has also served as their pastoral Advisor. She also has been responsible for starting a dynamic prayer group called Deborah’s Army. Her mission through prayer is that God’s redemptive plan be accomplished for individuals, churches, communities, and nations. Forshia has been certified in Mental Health First Aid given by the National Council for Behavioral Health. She has won two Rhode Island PEG Awards for Best Religious/Spirituality TV Program. Pastor Forshia Ross presently leads a virtual support group of pastors from around New England and New York.
Transplanted from the Washington, DC area, Forshia Ross is from a military family and originally from Alabama but she and her husband, Eric, have now made their home in southern Rhode Island. They have 2 children and 7 grandchildren.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Forshia have a church?
We get this question quite often. Forshia and her husband Eric are members of Praise Tabernacle North in Smithfield, RI. She does pastor a Foursquare Community home church in Woonsocket, RI.
Can we talk to Forshia?
Please understand that Forshia's time is limited to fulfilling her speaking, writing, and ministering schedule. It is best to contact our office at 1.800.533.8854 for information, prayer, or requests for speaking engagements. We can also better serve you through our Contact form. We strive to be prompt in answering. She loves to receive correspondence through snail mail.
Write her at: Forshia Ross Ministries, P.O. Box 717, Glendale, Rhode Island 02826. Thank you for understanding.
Does Forshia have children?
Yes, she and her husband Eric have 2 children, Tiffany and Dax, and 7 grandchildren. Her daughter lives out of state and her son lives nearby.
How did Forshia wind up in Rhode Island?
Forshia's husband, Eric, is a retired Air Force Major. Stationed at Andrews AFB in Maryland in 1980 and later the Pentagon, they continued to live in the DC area until 1994 when her husband took a job in Woonsocket, Rhode Island. And, that, my friends, is how she got here. Forshia's father was an Army Master Sergeant, so she has lived many places throughout her lifetime.
What is Forshia's Biblical training?
Forshia received the Lord in 1978 and began to diligently seek God's guidance in her daily life through the Word of God and the Holy Spirit. She not only attended church faithfully but also attended Bible studies, especially Kay Arthur Bible studies. She found as she applied the principles of God's Word, her daily life began to change for the better.
In 1990 when the Lord led her to start a Bible study of her own in her home, she applied for a Biblical correspondence course from Regent University in Virginia Beach, VA. She is a continuous student of the Word, believing that the Holy Spirit is the greatest teacher and will use whom He chooses.
In 2007 she studied to receive her Minister's District License from the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel. She now holds an International License with Foursquare as well, and was ordained in 2011. Recently she completed a course and was certified in Mental Health First Aid given by the National Council for Behavioral Health, Mental Health First Aid USA.
What study resources does Forshia use?
The Bible, of course, in several translations and a couple of paraphrases: The New International Version, The Amplified, The King James Version, The Living Bible, and The Message. She consults others from time to time. Her most important tool other than the Bible is the Strong's Exhaustive Concordance.
She consults two commentaries: Commentary on the Whole Bible by Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown and the International Bible Commentary by F. F. Bruce. She also consults an International Dictionary of the Bible by J. D. Douglas and Merrill C. Tenney.
She finds gleaning from her older 1963 World Book dictionary more helpful than modern day dictionaries. She also finds the meanings more pure and often examples are listed using scripture. She encourages Bible students to purchase an older version of a regular dictionary to use in their studies; printed around or before 1960.
Humble Beginnings
Forshia believes with all of her heart that this ministry began in the heart of God. Forshia Ross Ministries started as a Bible study at her Virginia home in the fall of 1990. She shared what she felt God was calling her to do with her pastor at Burke Community Church. With his support, she forged ahead with much fear and trembling.
She would walk around her neighborhood, placing flyers in the mailboxes and inviting people to come. Surely they would want to know how Jesus could help them as He had helped her. And so they came! Every week, she would share how God had helped her through trusting in His Word. She encouraged them to do the same. One woman even brought her husband, and from there, the ministry grew!
Her teachings had such a huge effect on the lives that attended, that they encouraged her to record her teachings. Soon she began to be asked to speak at churches and prayer gatherings.
She believes God has led this ministry step-by-step to where it is today. She’s always amazed at how He continues to help her. Her desire to simply share how God can empower people to lead a more abundant life continues. Forshia knows what He has done for her, and she wants others to experience this as well.