Church steps up for vaccination clinic
By Phil Haslanger
Collaboration Project Story Team
Rev. Beanna Illéné was running errands on the afternoon of Saturday, April 10, when she got a message that someone was looking for a spot for a pop-up vaccine clinic the next day in Madison.
Illéné had a spot – she is pastor of Trinity United Methodist Church near the Vilas Park Zoo in Madison – but she was not sure she could get things organized quickly enough. But with the help of congregational leaders, by 5 p.m. word was out on social media that folks could come to the church at 1123 Vilas Ave. starting at 10 a.m. for their first dose of the Pfizer vaccine or the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
“This shows our faith,” Illéné said later. “This is us doing the Gospel work of caring for our neighbors.”
When Sunday morning arrived, Illéné was in the sanctuary leading live-streamed worship. Outside, the crowd stretched along five blocks. As they neared the entrance to the church, they went by the congregations’ COVID memorial – ribbons representing the (now) nearly 7,000 deaths in Wisconsin.
“It was beautiful,” Illéné wrote that day. “Worship upstairs and vaccines in arms of the community downstairs.”
By the end of the day, 530 people had been vaccinated. The event got much media coverage. And on Sunday, May 2, the church hosted a second vaccine clinic, this one primarily for those getting their second shots. The day went more smoothly, Illéné said, but there were fewer people. This time, no one came for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, although 100 doses were available.
Trinity was one of a few Madison-area churches to host vaccine clinics. It was at the front end of what is now a statewide effort to engage churches as vaccine sites, especially since they may be viewed as safer places for some people to get vaccinated.
Illéné noted that some people have had bad experiences with the health care system. Others distrust government. People who do not have documentation to be in the United States fear they may face deportation. Within families, there are divisions. For all of them, a faith community building can be a safe and private place to get a vaccine.
Besides her work as pastor at Trinity UMC, Illéné is also on the staff of the Wisconsin Council of Churches, which is playing a leadership role in reaching out to faith communities. (She told her congregation at the beginning of May that she will be leaving as their pastor at the end of June and will expand her work for the Council of Churches.)
The Wisconsin Council of Churches COVID-19 Vaccine Outreach Project is being led by Rev. Daniel Schultz. (He can be reached at danschultz@wichurches.org.) The focus is on finding ways to reduce the barriers that may keep people from getting vaccinated. It is getting information to faith communities about vaccines.
