In his four decades as a minister, R. B. Holmes Jr. has never dealt with so much death.
More than 24,000 Floridians have died from COVID-19, including more than a few of the flock that Holmes shepherds at Bethel Missionary Baptist Church in Tallahassee.
“No one is immune from this,” Holmes told CT. “The thief is winning. The virus is a thief.”
The black pastor is especially concerned that the coronavirus has disproportionately impacted his community and other communities of racial minorities around the state. According to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, black people are 1.4 times more likely to become infected with COVID-19 and 2.8 times more likely to die from it than white people.
Black churches play a key role in coronavirus prevention, vaccination
After years of working to address health gaps, many congregations are already set up to address COVID-19.
Â
Â
Dr. Glenn B. Dames, Jr., is senior pastor of the Allen Temple African Methodist Episcopal Church in Tampa. The church has a health commission that works to address disparities. âWe try to be proactive, not only reactive,â Dames said. [ SCOTT KEELER | Times ]
Updated Jan. 23
Mind, body and soul. Those are the pillars of a âholistic ministryâ as Bishop Adam J. Richardson calls it â one that teaches the gospel, promotes education and boosts the physical health of the congregation.
US releases Detroit s disgraced former mayor from prison myjournalcourier.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from myjournalcourier.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, who has served more than seven years of a 28-year prison sentence for corruption crimes, was released from federal prison Wednesday after President Donald Trump commuted his sentence, a Bureau of Prisons spokesman told The Associated Press.