Oneonta, NY. May 24, 2021

The Parish Paper has announced a campaign to mobilize clergy and other church leaders to boost the number of persons who receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Educational materials will focus on at-risk communities and individuals who are reluctant to be vaccinated. The campaign will provide a survey about vaccine hesitancy, offer web-based tools in the form of brief how-to articles, and offer webinars for regional church offices and the congregations under their care.

 “As a working pastor, I became concerned to hear that some people in my own circle had chosen not to get the vaccine,” according to The Parish Paper’s Coeditor, Dana Horrell. “I heard stories of others who face barriers to vaccination due to family and work responsibilities. It occurred to me that our readership, which is clustered heavily in the Northeast, Midwest, and the Great Plains states, must face similar challenges. What can church leaders do to help?”

The Centers for Disease Control has identified “socially vulnerable” populations that are at greater risk for COVID-19 due to low pay, job loss, family responsibilities, and racial disparities in health care. For another segment of the population, polling data has identified vaccine hesitancy as a major obstacle in its own right; roughly 30% are still reluctant to get the vaccine due to doubts, isolation, distrust of institutions, or disinformation

Anyone interested in getting involved can take a survey on their experience with the vaccine hesitant at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2G9HSFF, access web-based tools at http://vaccineturnout.com/, or contact the Rev. Dr. Dana Horrell to arrange a webinar for groups at info@theparishpaper.com.

What is Mobilizing Vaccine Turnout?

Mobilizing Vaccine Turnout (MVT) offers tools for church leaders to find, engage, and transport anyone who needs a vaccine for COVID-19. The campaign is a project of Faithful Citizen, Inc., a 501c.3 non-profit organization. The project leader is Dana Horrell, Ph.D., a pastor serving Cooperstown United Methodist Church (NY). Horrell is the author of Engage!: Tools for Ministry in the Community (Fortress Press, 2019) and Coeditor of The Parish Paper, a resource for church leaders and congregations.

The Parish Paper offers "ideas and insights for active congregations" and is co-published monthly by  Dana Horrell and Cynthia Woolever.  For current and past editions and information about the SNEUCC subscription and distribution, please visit https://www.sneucc.org/parishpaper