One Harlem Church Loses 9 Members To Coronavirus

written by: @dawnnnyy_

Recently, Rev. Dr. Johnnie Green has become the bearer of bad news. While he is preaching daily and utilizing Facebook live to stream to his congregation, he is also sharing updates about his congregation, most of which are heartbreaking.

In just the last month, his congregation at Mount Neboh Baptist Church lost 11 members, nine to the coronavirus, and two of natural causes. “It was as if every other day I was getting a call that another parishioner had passed,” Green said.

According to reports, Green believes his church has been the hardest hit institution in Harlem.

“We deal with death all the time, but we’ve never had to heal with a succession of death like now,” said Green. “We see a lot of violence. We see gang activity from time to time. I’ve had to preside over the funerals of kids who were literally killed outside the doors of the church. But we’ve never seen anything like this.”

Of his 41 years in the ministry, he describes these days as overwhelming and most challenging. “The mounting death toll leaves little time for proper grieving.”

The Mount Neboh Baptist Church lost “iconic members,” as Green described them. Senior parishioners and well-respected, community-involved elders, who “will never be replaced.”