Religious Leaders Absent in the Anti-AIDS Fight

August 21, 2009

Though they exert great influence in the communities in which they serve, religious leaders are not doing enough to fight HIV/AIDS, said experts at the recent ninth International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific, held in Bali, Indonesia.

"Many religious groups and leaders are unwilling to address HIV/AIDS and make it a priority. Their commitment level is quite low, particularly when compared to the size of their budget and the amount of work they do," said Donald Messer of the US-based Center of Church and Global AIDS.

"We've been talking about HIV/AIDS and the religious groups' response for three decades now. We're still talking too much even now," said Fiji's Dominica Abo. The "most powerful contribution" religious leaders can make is addressing stigma, discrimination, and biases that put groups like women at high risk for the disease.

The epidemic's impact on women and children needs to be addressed from a faith-based perspective, said the Rev. Youngsook Charlene Kang of the United Methodist Church in the United States, noting that women account for nearly half of all infections worldwide. "We need to call on religious leaders to educate and create new pathways within our churches for parishioners to learn the role that faith communities can play."

Messer noted that many conservative Muslim and Christian groups continue to preach against contraceptives, including condoms, believing they promote promiscuity. "[Yet] when used directly and consistently, condoms are humanity's best protection and weapon against HIV/AIDS," he said. "Some religious leaders are more eager to preserve the purity or correctness of theological perspectives than their task to save human lives."

From The Body Pro : http://www.thebodypro.com/content/art53360.html

Disciples pioneer HIV and AIDS testing in Indiana

By Nathan Day Wilson, DisciplesWorld contributing writer

INDIANAPOLIS (8/1/09) — There’s a new first to add to the growing list of Disciple firsts — the Disciples HIV/AIDS Ministry is the first faith-based effort fully certified by the Indiana Department of Health. If commitment and consistency are criteria, there is little doubt the honor is well deserved.

In terms of commitment, the ministry is completely organized and administered by well-trained, impassioned volunteers such as Jody Grieb, a member of Central Christian Church in Terre Haute.

In terms of consistency, every day the ministry offers testing in Terre Haute. On Saturdays the ministry tests at Roberts Avenue United Methodist Church on the corner of Massachusetts and Roberts Avenue in Indianapolis. Every third Thursday of the month, testing takes place at the Walgreens at the corner of 16th and Meridian Streets.

As of this writing, 191 people were tested during the 2009 General Assembly. The oldest was 74 and the youngest 11. The 11-year-old, suggested Grieb, convinced as many as 40 more people to be tested.

One who was tested was Sharon E. Watkins, general minister and president.

“There are assumptions made about who should be tested and who doesn’t need it,” said Watkins. “But if we are serious about stopping this pandemic, we all have to take part.”

Watkins' statement is consistent with recent reports that the fastest growing infection rate in Indiana is among heterosexual women over the age of forty.

“Plus, maybe if I’m tested, they will start allowing me to give blood again,” she said in reference to the limitation placed on her by the Indiana Blood Center since she lived in Africa.

In addition to testing, the ministry offers crisis counseling and is able to make referrals for those who receive confirmatory tests.

Each test costs $10.28. The ministry receives no official financial support from the denomination. Volunteer administration significantly reduces operating expenses. Subsidies from Starbucks and Walgreens for material costs resulted in a combined financial gift of over $17,000 since October 2008. Finally, state-certification will make the ministry eligible for state funding of testing supplies.

To learn more about the Disciples HIV/AIDS Ministry, contact Jody Grieb at Central Christian in Terre Haute.

As printed in Disciples World online:

http://www.disciplesworld.com/newsArticle.html?wsnID=15659

Getting Ready for Assembly

I'm very excited about our upcoming General Assembly. The Disciples HIV/AIDS Ministry will be in Indianapolis providing prevention education and free anonymous HIV testing via two mobile testing units.

Our primary platform, a 30 foot RV will remain at the convention center to provide on-site testing, prevention education, and harm reduction supplies while our mobile van will perform testing with our partners at Walgreens and Starbucks and at other locations throughout Indianapolis. Starbucks has graciously covered the cost of our testing supplies and Walgreens has provided us with harm reduction materials and is covering operating expenses.

I'm also excited to announce that we will bring two panels from the AIDS memorial quilt to Assembly to display. In addition, we will gather names of friends and family members to assemble our own quilt panel. After it has been created, we will bring this 'Disciples AIDS Quilt' to various venues in the future.

Our AIDS Healing Service will be Sunday morning August 2nd in room 103 of the Indianapolis Convention Center. This service will begin at 8:00 am, giving you plenty of time to worship and find healing with us, then get to late morning services at one of the local congregations should you wish.

As you are well aware these are tough economic times. We have been very lucky to establish relationships with our corporate sponsors at Starbucks and Walgreens. Please continue to pray for our ministry and these relationships.

I look forward to seeing you at Assembly.

Peace,

Jody

Get Tested

Testing at Walgreens

We had a wonderful day yesterday at the Walgreens at 16th and Meridian in Indianapolis. I took my friend Jen from Terre Haute and Jamie from Indianapolis joined us. We were onsite from 1 until 9 pm and test 17 people! What a wonderful partnership we have created here. Starbucks provided a grant for testing supplies, Walgreens provides the location and we provide the testers and the testing vehicle.

In addition to testing we handed out pamphlets about preventing HIV and other sexually transmitted infections to just over 60 people.

I'm really looking forward to General Assembly. The supplies have been ordered and most have arrived. I'm making my lists and ensuring that everything is ready. We are currently scheduled to conduct testing every day except Sunday the 2nd of August.

I look forward to seeing many of you there.

Peace,

Jody

First, I would like to thank all of the congregations who answered the call to provide condoms and literature pertaining to HIV/STI prevention in their congregations. I personally packed 29 packages to ship from Terre Haute and I know others went and purchased supplies of their own.

So I haven't posted for a while, but I have had a lot going on here in Indiana.

First of all I am happy to announce that we have started a relationship with Starbucks to provide testing at several of their locations in Indiana. I would also like to thank Starbucks for the financial support they have given us.

I recently attended a Comprehensive Risk Counseling Service (CRCS) class in Indianapolis. Comprehensive Risk Counseling is intensive, individualized client-centered counseling for adopting and maintaining HIV risk-reduction behaviors. CRCS is designed for HIV-positive and HIV-negative individuals who are at high risk for acquiring or transmitting HIV and STIs and struggle with issues such as substance use and abuse, physical and mental health, and social and cultural factors that affect HIV risk. This three day class focused on competency for providing client centered behavioral risk change and will be instrumental in developing programs for use by those in the Disciples HIV/AIDS Ministry.

I'm really looking forward to General Assembly next month. My first GA was 2 years ago in Fort Worth and I had a blast. Please look for us with DHM in the Exhibit Hall. Also be on the lookout for the mobile HIV testing units that we will be using throughout Indianapolis. We will conclude our work at General Assembly on Sunday, August 2nd with an AIDS Healing Service at 8:00 am. I don't have the venue yet, but as soon as I do, I'll post for you to see.

Peace,


Jody

The Balm in Gilead

I received an email from Kaye Edwards today about an amazing organization called the Balm in Gilead.

The Balm In Gilead, Inc.™ is a not-for-profit, non-governmental organization whose mission is to improve the health status of people of the African Diaspora by building the capacity of faith communities to address life-threatening diseases, especially HIV/AIDS.

The Balm In Gilead’s pioneering achievements have enabled thousands of churches to become leaders in preventing the transmission of HIV by providing comprehensive educational programs and offering compassionate support to encourage those infected to seek and maintain treatment. The Balm In Gilead spearheads a dynamic response to the HIV/AIDS crisis in the faith community.

For 19 years, The Balm In Gilead has mobilized The Black Church Week of Prayer for the Healing of AIDS, which engages Black churches to become centers for education, compassion and care in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

The Balm In Gilead has established, and continues to develop, educational and training programs specifically to meet the needs of faith communities that strive to become centers for HIV/AIDS ministries, education and compassion.
(from http://balmingilead.org/about/mission.asp)

I have just spoken with representatives from the Balm in Gilead in hopes of partnering on upcoming programs.

Check out there website at http://balmingilead.org.