To address the HIV/AIDS
pandemic, African American church leaders throughout California came
together to develop a first-ever alliance with the California Department
of Health Services, Office of AIDS to launch the HIV/AIDS Church Outreach
Program. The Statewide HIV/AIDS Church Advisory Board, a coalition of
African American pastors and bishops, convened in Los Angeles on April
21, 1999. At this meeting the coalition of churches made a commitment
to work together with the State Office of AIDS to address specific needs
of their churches and develop materials to support the churches' efforts
to address HIV/AIDS prevention in a way that is sensitive to church
values.
To assist with the
development of Pastor's Guidebook, the state partnered with LOOK
UP & LIVE! - The Urban Church Task Force on HIV/AIDS, a multi-denominational
collaborative ministry that provides guidance and support to churches
in the Los Angeles area on ministry-based HIV/AIDS programs. Additionally,
HIV/AIDS Church Advisory Board members reviewed all materials in the
Guidebook.
The guidebook entitled,
Healing Begins Here: A Pastor's Guidebook for HIV/AIDS Ministry Through
the Church, is a step-by-step resource designed specifically for
pastors/bishops with accurate information about HIV/AIDS, its pervasiveness
in African American communities and its prevention. The Pastor's
Guidebook was created so that church leaders can address HIV/AIDS
prevention in a Christian context and heighten the awareness of HIV/AIDS
within their congregations. The objectives of the Pastor's Guidebook
are to:
A key component
of the Pastor's Guidebook is the "Sermon Notes for Clergy."
These sermons and notes were submitted by pastors who have already delivered
sermons on HIV/AIDS. These sermons are designed to stimulate thought
and assist pastors as they develop sermons to address their congregations
about HIV/AIDS issues, including compassion and prevention strategies.
The Pastor's Guidebook also contains current information about
HIV, a glossary of terms associated with HIV/AIDS, suggestions for integrating
HIV/AIDS programs into existing ministries and a list of educational
materials that can be distributed to church members.
The role of the
church in the African American community has always been that of a compassionate
caregiver. As more African Americans are infected and affected by HIV/AIDS
at alarming rates and the death toll continues to rise, the church is
called upon to take part in preventing the spread of the disease. The
Pastor's Guidebook is designed to support church leaders in this noble
task.
