Dixwell’s Varick Memorial church has partnered up with the governor’s office to form a new Community Pastoral Response Center charged with providing pastors and faith-based communities with up-to-date information about the covid-19 pandemic.
Kelcy Steele, the pastor of the historically African American church on Dixwell Avenue, made that announcement via email Saturday morning.
The point person from the governor’s office for this new partnership is former Hill Alder Dave Reyes, who currently works for Gov. Ned Lamont in Hartford.
“Concerns surrounding the coronavirus (COVID-19) are rightfully rising throughout the United States,” Steele wrote. “In response, many organizations are postponing or canceling events in order to limit the spread of this illness.
“Understandably, this evolving situation is on many people’s minds and has many people worried about what will happen next. While there is a lot we do not — and cannot — know, we should do what we can to stay informed. As believers, we need to approach this situation with wisdom. The more we know, the better we can love others in the coming weeks and months.”
He said the response center’s primary areas of focus will be to:
• Provide Information concerning food banks throughout the city.
• Provide up to date information to pastors and faith-based leaders concerning the virus.
• Provide Tele-Pastoral Care to those in need of spiritual guidance.
• Provide resources for pastoring through COVID-19.
The announcement comes one day after Mayor Justin Elicker and top city health officials held a tele-conference with 130 local pastors during which he urged them not to hold services this Sunday to help prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.
The governor also held a coronavirus-related tele-conference with 150 pastors from throughout the state early Friday morning.
“Our clergy around the state are vital connections to so many of our residents and we will be successful in keeping our residents healthy and safe by engaging with them in this way,” gubernatorial spokesperson Max Reiss told the Independent by email Saturday. “With this new line of communication, we can clearly work with our local and faith-based communities as we all work together to fight the spread of COVID-19.”
