The pastor of a 6,000-member non-denominational church in Jacksonville, Florida has changed his tune on his congregant getting the coronavirus vaccine after six members of his church have died of COVID-19 in the last 10 days, the Washington Post reports.
Bishop George L. Davis of Impact Church in Jacksonville took to the pulpit to urge the church’s members to get the coronavirus vaccine, saying the vaccine was a miracle produced by scientists God put on Earth to help us.
The change comes in the wake of six members–including four under the age of 35 who Davis described as healthy and without significant pre-existing conditions–dying of COVID. Previously, the bishop, who says he’s a believer in divine creation, had been agnostic in promoting vaccines.
“It’s very frustrating knowing that these were avoidable deaths,” he said. “You also don’t want the loved ones who are left behind to feel horrible and don’t want to seem like I’m putting guilt onto them, but the reality is, I know that these people would still be here had they gotten the shot.”
Davis organized a mass vaccination drive after the church’s three services, urging people to take advantage of the convenience as Florida accounts for one-in-five US new cases.