Local Black pastors receive COVID-19 vaccine as a way of leading by example
Local Black pastors receive COVID-19 vaccine as a way of leading by example By Courtney Ann Jackson | February 1, 2021 at 9:10 PM CST - Updated February 1 at 9:20 PM
JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - Mississippi has been working to ramp up its vaccine rollout in recent weeks. In doing so, they’ve noticed fewer Black Mississippians are getting the shot.
Monday, Mississippi health and faith leaders joined forces in an attempt to get more Mississippians on board with the COVID-19 vaccine.
“We know that Black Mississippians have a higher mortality rate and have been severely impacted but are getting less vaccine than the amount of population Black folks have in our state,” said State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs.
Columbus clergy members want former police Chief Thomas Quinlan out of the department entirely, but Mayor Andrew Ginther isn t budging.
A small but outspoken group of faith leaders delivered a petition to Ginther s office at City Hall on Monday morning with more than 300 signatures on it.
The petition calls for Quinlan not just to be demoted from chief to deputy chief, as he was Thursday, but to be removed from the department as a whole. For him to step down to deputy chief is an egregious insult to our integrity, said the Bishop Donald Washington, senior pastor at Mount Hermon Missionary Baptist Church on the Northeast Side, during a press conference before faith leaders delivered the petition. He needs to go. He needs to go now because a leopard never changes its spots.
Warm hands
By Robin Garrison Leach
Baptist churches breed powerful hand shakers. The act of extending the “hand of fellowship” in greeting is as important to our services as any other sacred moment. From the time I was old enough to reach up, I learned to be ready for loving handshakes at church.
The preacher met families at the door to the sanctuary. His huge palm stretched toward approaching worshippers, fingers splayed and thumb cocked as if hitching a ride to Heaven.
The order of handshaking at our arrival was unrehearsed but always the same. Mom shook hands with our preacher, Brother Harold, first. Words were murmured above my head but my freshly scrubbed ears didn’t listen to the talk.
The health system says community clinics can remove transportation and technology related barriers. Author: Emma Nicolas Updated: 11:26 PM EST January 21, 2021
GRAND RAPIDS, Michigan In its over 80 year legacy, New Hope Baptist Church has served as more than a place of worship, and on Thursday it continued that tradition in opening its doors to Spectrum Health s first community COVID-19 vaccination clinic. We always try to be intentional about meeting all needs, said Rev. Howard Earle Jr., senior pastor at New Hope Baptist Church. I d say no we probably didn t think that we would be the location of a vaccination clinic in the midst of a global pandemic, but it makes sense, you know.