“This time last year, we were unable to go to the sanctuary,” he preached to his congregation at the Greater New Mount Moriah Missionary Baptist Church in Detroit. “At this time, last year, we were dealing with coronavirus in the early stages. At this time, last year, I had to spend Easter alone in my basement.”
Flowers himself had Covid-19. His wife, Terri Flowers, was also in the hospital with the virus. But this Resurrection Sunday, about a year later, was different – partly due to Flowers telling his congregants to get vaccinated against the virus.
“If God can use doctors for cardiology, if God can use doctors for oncology and cancer, then surely God can use doctors for Covid-19,” Flowers told CNN. “This does not mean that you have no faith. You must have your faith, but you must also use doctors to get vaccinated.”
Some political leaders – including President Joe Biden, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan – have asked religious leaders, especially in black communities like Flowers, to urge their congregations to be vaccinated.
Terri Flowers said she and her husband tell churchgoers that getting the vaccine is “painless”.
“Covid, however, is not painless,” she told CNN. “And having experienced myself being in the hospital … for more than nine days last year at the same time, I can only say to those who have not been vaccinated, please, it’s okay to be vaccinated.”
The state added 8,400 new cases in one day over the holiday weekend – the largest since December, according to data from the Michigan Department of Health. State health officials are calling it the “third wave” of the virus, with Michigan also battling a large number of cases of coronavirus variants.
It has not been easy for some members of Flowers’ congregation to accept the idea of taking the photo.
Deacon Harry Mont said he was initially skeptical of the vaccine.
“For the first few days, I was a little hesitant myself, but I had to look around to understand that people were coming in to get vaccinated,” he told CNN.
“I hear things about the after-effects and what you have, but I had to look beyond that and say, what am I going to do instead of protecting the people around me?”
Mont, who has now received both doses of the vaccine, said he is gradually seeing more confidence among his church colleagues.
He said the change in attitude in the community may be a result of the church having its own vaccine clinic in mid-March.
The church vaccinated more than 200 people at its clinic, according to Flowers. The second doses are being administered in mid-April.
Flowers described several believers who credited his guidance as the main reason they were vaccinated – including an 85-year-old woman who told him that she did not plan on getting the vaccine until she heard a recent sermon from him.
“The message is resonating,” said Flowers. “There are people who told me, I wasn’t going to do that, pastor, but after hearing from you, I decided to go ahead and get vaccinated, so I praise God for that.”
Some community members said they believed there was progress in terms of vaccinating more people and wearing masks to help fight Covid.
“I think that in the communities of color, we are advancing in this area,” said Sandra Sloan, a church member, who said she encouraged her family members to also get the vaccine.
This year’s Resurrection Sunday service had a smaller audience, as many worshipers continued to attend church services online, Flowers said.
But Flores’ message to those attending the face-to-face and virtual church remained clear.
“There will always be someone with some kind of doubt,” said Terri Flowers. “And for those, we can only pray for them. We can only continue to encourage them and just be there for them. But, being on the other side, fortunately, I can only say, just do it.”