Faith-Based Organizations
Faith-Based Organizations
HIV & AIDS: WHY SHOULD I CARE?
One of the questions I’m asked over and over again is “Why are you an advocate for people with HIV? You’re a breast cancer and melanoma survivor – why aren’t you an advocate for cancer? You were a victim of childhood sexual abuse – why aren’t you an advocate for women who’ve been abused? Those are great question s– let me try and answer them. If you’re going to be an advocate for people with HIV and AIDs, you have to be able to give an explanation of why!
Five Reasons every Christian Must Care About People Living with HIV&AIDS:
It’s unpredictable – no one expects the church will care about a sexually transmitted disease! The church has notoriously failed to talk about sex, let alone a sexually transmitted disease.
There is a stigma attached to HIV unlike most other diseases. When I was diagnosed with breast cancer I didn’t worry that my husband would beat me or divorce me. I didn’t worry that I would lose my job. I didn’t worry that the neighbors would refuse to let their children play with mine. I didn’t worry that my church would ostracize me. But this is frequently what happens to people who are HIV+.
It’s incurable – When I was diagnosed with cancer, I had a fighting chance – not everyone who gets cancer will die from it. But HIV will kill you eventually. HIV is a virus that attacks the immune system, weakening it so that it can’t fight off disease. After a while, when it has become so weakened, a person is said to have AIDS. They are susceptible to strange fungi, bacteria and other viruses that healthy people can handle. There is no vaccine on the horizon to prevent it or cure it.
It’s treatable – If the bad news is it’s incurable, the good news is that it’s treatable. Life-saving medication has been discovered that will extend life. Without it, there is a 3-5 year life expectancy; with medication, an individual can live 20 years or more. This is why you don’t hear much about HIV in this country – medication is readily available. But it is not readily available around the world and it is expensive. Many more of those who could benefit from the ARVs need access to them.
It’s preventable – Here’s another piece of good news! We know how to prevent it – it’s not a mystery. How did I get cancer? I don’t know – but we do know how HIV is transmitted: Intimate sexual contact with a person who is HIV+, sharing needles through IVDU, unsafe blood transfusions, childbirth, and breastfeeding. HIV is not transmitted by casual contact.
Even though there is exciting news about the “beginning of the end” of AIDS as treatment offers the promise of preventing transmission, it seems unlikely that we can treat our way out of the pandemic. There is still an urgency need to prevent new infections through behavior change. This is a message the faith community can give.
Jesus’ Response to Physical Illness
As people of faith, Jesus’ relationship to people who were sick provides a model for us of how to respond.
Mark 1:40-42(NIV) “A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, 'If you are willing, you can make me clean.' Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. 'I am willing,' he said. 'Be clean!' Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cured.”
Lepers lived lives of isolation and stigma; they were outcasts who had to shout out to everyone “unclean, unclean” as they passed by. This man heard that Jesus was healing every sort of disease, so he braved the stares, cursing, fear, and rejection of others to find Jesus. How did Jesus respond?
He CARED
Jesus was “filled with compassion.” His heart broke as he looked at the leper. He wasn’t filled with revulsion or\ distaste…but with compassion.
Some of you might be thinking: “Because we know how HIV is transmitted, if people put themselves at risk, it’s their own fault if they get sick. Why should I care about people when they make poor decisions?” This is common thinking – even in Jesus’ day. It was assumed the reason lepers were sick was because they had secret, unconfessed sin. The truth is, it’s possible to become HIV+ through high risk behaviors – but even so – what should the response be? Jesus never asked anyone how they became ill. He always asked “How can I help you?”
He TOUCHED
Jesus could have just spoken a word to this man – he didn’t have to touch him – but he did. Physical touch is powerful; it lets people know that they are worthwhile….valuable……loved.
He HEALED
Jesus didn’t leave the leper weak and sick; he removed the leprosy from him. As Christ’s church, we occasionally have the opportunity to be a part of bringing physical healing to someone, but we are always able to participate in offering emotional and spiritual healing.
You might think the greatest need a person living with HIV&AIDS has is for medication or physical healing, but an even deeper need is to know that the God who made them loves them and longs to be in relationship with them. Every person needs to know they’re not alone.
We must do what Jesus did: offer compassion, physical touch and healing. We might not be able to physically heal – although we pray for healing – but we can certainly be a part of someone’s spiritual healing. We can offer ourselves the way Jesus did – we can offer our compassionate presence; we can offer to carry the pain of someone else. When we do, we give the most concrete proof that there is a God who loves as we become “Jesus with skin on him.” We make the invisible God visible by our compassionate response to those suffering.
FAITH-BASED ORGANIZATION's STRATEGY
C–Care for and support the sick
Walk: Start a support group for people who are infected with or directly affected by HIV. A support group is a regularly-scheduled, biblically based meeting where people can share their stories, find connections, learn new skills, and be accepted in a Christ-centered environment.
Run: Form a CARE Team – a church-based small group that comes alongside an HIV positive person to offer friendship, care, and support. A CARE Team doesn’t just offer love, but offers love expressed through loving deeds such as driving participants to doctor’s appointments, offering assistance in the home, and helping access community health resources.
H–Handle HIV testing and counseling
Walk: Take a group from your church to be tested for HIV. Ideally, the senior pastor should lead the group and be the first to get tested. Knowing the senior pastor has been tested for HIV helps reduce the stigma of being tested for HIV (Results can/should remain confidential, revealed only if the person chooses).
Run: If your local health regulations allow it, offer HIV testing in your church. Train church members to comfort and counsel people before and after they receive their results. If local regulations don’t allow you to hold testing at your church, talk with health officials about ways your church can help with testing and counseling.
U–Unleash a volunteer labor force
Walk: Offer frequent informational meetings about HIV. Regularly connect your church members in small opportunities to serve locally and globally. Make sure your ministry is not just about people with HIV, but actively engages HIV positive people on the leadership team.
Run: Build a team of volunteers who can help others in your community to become involved in caring for those who are HIV positive. Become a model of what every church can to about HIV & AIDS by being a reliable source of HIV information and support for your community.
R–Remove the stigma
Walk: Make HIV personal to your congregation by having HIV positive men and women give their testimony. Dispel stigma by touching and hugging those who are positive. Treat PLWHA (People Living With HIV&AIDS) like you would treat anyone else. Incorporate HIV positive people into every aspect of the life of your church.
Run: Demonstrate to your community that your church is taking leadership in caring and advocating for people who are HIV positive. Show up at community HIV events such as an AIDS Walk. Set up a booth for your church at the AIDS Walk and encourage volunteers to hand out water and refreshments. Partner with a local AIDS Services Organization in projects that reflect shared values.
C–Champion healthy behavior
Walk: Teach moral purity and sexuality from a Biblical standard to every person in your congregation, including age-appropriate education for children and youth. Teach how HIV is transmitted and how it can be prevented.
Run: Begin Celebrate Recovery and accountability groups; there is power to change in community. Encourage freedom from addictions that increase vulnerability to HIV infection.
H–Help with HIV medications
Walk: HIV treatment requires that an individual take their medications on time every day. Offer to support an HIV positive person by calling daily to remind them to take their medication.
Run: Explore how your church can provide pre-treatment preparation, treatment education and adherence support for the entire family. Visit hivaidsinitiative.com to learn more about HIV treatment.
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