HUMBLE, Texas – A church pastor in Humble hoping to educate his African-American congregation on the COVID-19 vaccine is doing so with the help of the nation’s leading authority on the coronavirus, Dr. Anthony Fauci.
In a nearly 20 minute interview recorded Wednesday at The Luke Church, the Reverend Doctor Timothy Sloan talked with Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, who has become a trusted voice during the pandemic.
“I had been really wrestling with my own personal level of confidence in the vaccine.
I knew if I had these questions I was certain my congregation had these same questions. What I really want to accomplish with this is using this conversation with Dr. Fauci to create some level of confidence and I believe for the African-American community the Black church is the most important vehicle of disseminating this type of information,” Rev. Sloan said.
In late December pastor Sloan wrote to Dr. Fauci requesting a one-on-one interview and Dr. Fauci accepted.
Health awareness is one of the pillars of The Luke Church ministry. The First Lady of the church, Dr. Sonya Sloan is an orthopedic surgeon who’s been working on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic in New Mexico, treating patients from the hard-hit Navajo Nation.
She hopes the conversation with Dr. Fauci will be a step toward restoring trust after centuries of disparities in treatment and abuse that have led the Black community to distrust the medical community.
“The lack of trust is there and that’s what I think still has to be addressed and it really hasn’t been,” Dr. Sloan said.
Pastor Sloan’s interview with Dr. Fauci will air during virtual services on Sunday, January 10, 2021 at 8 a.m. and 10 a.m.