Local Faith Leaders Promote COVID-19 Vaccination as an Act of Compassion
Press Contacts:
Rev. Sarah Verasco, Senior Pastor
United Church of Christ Longmont
sverasco@ucclongmont.org
303-776-4940- office
Rabbi Fred Greene
Congregation Har HaShem
fg@harhashem.org
303-499-7077-office
Mardi Moore, Executive Director
Out Boulder County
mmoore@outboulder.org
720-346-1836 -cell
Local Faith Leaders Promote COVID-19 Vaccination as an Act of Compassion
BOULDER, CO - Today, Out Boulder County released a statement signed by 22 faith leaders asking those not vaccinated against COVID-19 to show compassion for others and the world by talking to their healthcare providers about the vaccines and to consider taking one of the safe and effective vaccines.
“Compassion looks beyond the self, recognizes our interdependence, and includes a desire to help,” said Reverend Sarah Verasco of United Church of Christ Longmont.
“I believe in the power of showing up. How we show up for others is a sacred act. We can show up for you, too. If you want to talk to someone about it, we can help. If you want to read more from reliable sources, we can share,” said Rabbi Fred Greene of Congregation Har HaShem on the Margolis Family Campus. “Getting vaccinated is the best way to protect ourselves, and it is an act of generosity, compassion, and responsibility for the welfare of others,” he added.
The statement is available in English, Spanish, Arabic and Hebrew and reads:
“According to the Oxford dictionary, compassion is defined as a “. . . concern for the sufferings and misfortunes of others.” Across all of our faiths, the call for compassion is clear in all of our holy texts. Compassion for our friends, our neighbors, our family, ourselves and yes, even the stranger with whom we don’t necessarily agree. Many of those who are vaccinated have done so out of compassion. The desire to relieve the suffering of friends, family and neighbors have compelled them to trust the gifts bestowed upon the scientific and medical communities.
The vaccines have been proven to be safe and effective at preventing serious illness or death. They have been declared both kosher and halal. The COVID-19 vaccines continue to save lives and reduce suffering and misfortune. To those who are not vaccinated, we implore you to have compassion for our world. We encourage you to look deeply into your heart and schedule time with your medical provider to be fully informed and consider getting a COVID-19 vaccine.”
“Faith leaders are trusted by their congregations and their communities. The data is clear that faith-based efforts to promote vaccinations work,” said Mardi Moore, Executive Director of Out Boulder County, which provides advocacy, services, programs and support to Boulder County’s LGBTQ+ communities. “On behalf of Out Boulder County and our community, I thank these 22 leaders for promoting vaccination as an act of compassion,” she added.
The effort to engage faith leaders in promoting vaccination emerged in response to the overwhelming data supporting faith leaders as trusted messengers in their communities. According to local and national research conducted by PRRI (https://www.prri.org/research/religious-vaccines-covid-vaccination/):
Nearly four in ten vaccine hesitant Americans who attend religious services at least a few times a year (38%) say one or more faith-based approaches would make them more likely to get vaccinated.
Even among refusers, these approaches could be effective. Nearly one in five Americans who are vaccine refusers (19%) also say one or more faith-based approaches would make them more likely to get vaccinated.
A majority of Hispanic Protestants who are vaccinated and attend religious services (54%) say one or more faith-based approaches encouraged them to get vaccinated. More than four in ten vaccine hesitant Hispanic Protestants (44%) say one or more faith-based approaches would make them more likely to get vaccinated.
Almost one-third of vaccine hesitant white evangelical Protestants who attend services (32%) say one or more faith-based approaches would make them more likely to get vaccinated. Among those who are vaccinated and attend services, more than one in four white evangelical Protestants (26%) say one or more faith-based approaches encouraged them to get vaccinated.
White Catholics who are vaccine hesitant have become more than twice as likely to say one or more faith-based approaches could sway them (31%) than they were in March (15%). Of those who are vaccinated, 15% of white Catholics, and 25% among those who attend religious services, say one or more faith-based approaches mattered.
“In times like what we have experienced for the last 19 months, it is important to understand that motivating and providing access to Latino community members to obtain the COVID vaccine is crucial for their health and safety and not to plant doubts with misinformation,” said Jorge de Santiago from El Centro AMISTAD. “Unfortunately some of the messaging that is coming from some faith leaders around our county is hurting our community and also is putting them at risk of getting sick or even dying from COVID-19. We need to work together to protect the health of the Latino families by putting aside personal beliefs and making sure that everyone is vaccinated so we can have a healthy community especially to protect the children who can’t get the vaccine,” he added.
This statement is one of the education and outreach efforts that Out Boulder County is doing in response to the COVID-19 pandemic including conducting survey research on the impacts of the pandemic on LGBTQ+ people, targeted youth outreach efforts, an online tool to help prepare people for discussions with vaccine hesitant friends and family, and an ongoing social media campaign.
Full List of Participating Faith Leaders and Affiliations
Imam Shoaib Alzenati – Islamic Center of Boulder
Sr. Minister Christina Braudaway-Bauman - First Congregational United Church of Christ
Rabbi Deborah Ruth Bronstein - Congregation Har HaShem
Pastor David Wayne Burt – Heart of Longmont United Methodist Church
Reverend Amelia Dress - United Church of Christ Longmont
Pastor Will Forsythe - All Souls Church of Boulder
Reverend Nicole Garcia M.A. LPC
Rabbi Ruth Gelfarb - Congregation Har HaShem
Rabbi Fred Greene – Congregation Har HaShem
Fr. Teri Harroun - Light of Christ Ecumenical Catholic Church, Longmont
Reverend Stephanie Kidwell - Mountain View United Methodist Church
Reverend Emily Kintzel - Niwot United Methodist Church
Rabbi Jamie Korngold - Adventure Rabbi
Reverend Nicole Lamarche – Community United Church of Christ
Pastor Stephanie Lord - Christ the Servant Lutheran Church
Pastor Michael Mather - First United Methodist Church
Reverend Mary Kate Rejouis - St. Aidan’s Episcopal Church
Rabbi Charna Rosenholtz - Shulchan.net
Reverend David Schwartz - Unitarian Universalist Church of Boulder
Rabbi Marc Soloway - Congregation Bonai Shalom
Reverend Randy Spaulding - Boulder Mennonite Church
Sr. Minister Sarah Verasco - United Church of Christ Longmont
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About Out Boulder County
Working independently and in collaboration, we facilitate connection, advocacy, education, research and programs to ensure LGBTQ+ people and communities thrive in Boulder County and beyond. www.outboulder.org