This past Sunday, New York Governor Kathy Hochul spoke at the Christian Cultural Center, a non-denominational Christian megachurch located in Brooklyn, urging worshipers to become her “apostles” by telling the unvaccinated to get vaccinated.
Hochul took over as Governor in August 2021 after Andrew Cuomo resigned following eleven allegations of sexual harassment, which were first reported in 2020. Hochul is New York’s first female governor.
Boasting an estimated membership of 40,000 people in 2016, the Christian Cultural Center is pastored by once-advisor to President Trump, evangelical A.R. Bernard.
In her address, Hochul told those in attendance, “What we went through in this pandemic made us stronger,” going on to say she often tells young people who have missed out on important milestones like high school graduations that they are more resilient. “God let you survive this pandemic because He wants you to do great things someday,” she said.
“He let you live through this when so many other people did not,” Hochul continued as applause filled the room.
The governor expressed that the pandemic is not over and said she has prayed “a lot” during this time. Hochul said God answered our prayers: “He made the smartest men and women, the scientists, the doctors, the researchers — He made them come up with a vaccine. That is from God to us.”
“We must say, ‘Thank you, God! Thank you,’ ” Hochul said. She also explained that she wears a necklace indicating she is vaccinated to assure those around her that she is safe to be in contact with.