WHAT YOUR CHURCH CAN DO FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE HIV+
Care and support the sick
Churches are commanded to care by God. It is their calling and love leaves no choice. Local congregations are the only caring organization found in almost every community around the world. It doesn’t take any special training to love!
Crawl: Increase your knowledge of HIV and AIDS by watching “HIV 101” at www.hivandthechurch.com. Send a card, make a call, or visit someone who is sick in your own community. This requires only a few minutes of your time. You can choose to make it an ongoing, organized ministry of your church, or just an informal way that individual members choose to reach out to those who are hurting.
Walk: Start a support group for people who are infected with or directly affected by HIV. A support group is a regular, 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 a person with HIV/AIDS to offer friendship, care, and support. A CARE Team doesn’t just offer emotional support, but practical help such as driving participants to doctor’s appointments, offering assistance in the home, and helping access community health resources.
Handle HIV testing and counseling
Everyone should know their HIV status. The CDC has recommended that everyone between thirteen and sixty-four receive a routine HIV test. There are two reasons to know your HIV status: if you’re negative, stay negative! If you’re positive, you can
access care and treatment and avoid transmitting the virus to others.
Crawl: Encourage members of your church to get tested for HIV. Explain what is involved in an HIV test, and let the congregation know where they can get anonymous testing (www.hivtest.org).
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 to help reduce the stigma of being tested for HIV (Note: 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. Before the testing, 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.
Unleash a volunteer labor force
There will never be enough health professionals in the world to teach prevention, administer treatment, and offer care to those who need it. Churches have the largest volunteer labor force on the planet – more than 2 billion members. Imagine the difference in our world if this enormous pool of untapped talent, energy and compassion could be mobilized in the fight to
support those infected and affected by HIV/AIDS!
Crawl: Equip people for ministry by studying the Purpose Driven Life and CLASS 301 where members learn that each one is a minister. Study God’s plan for every member to be involved in caring for the sick in a tangible way.
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 who are HIV+, but actively engages HIV+ 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 and AIDS.
Remove the stigma
Churches must embrace people who are HIV positive by replacing rejection and alienation with mercy and acceptance. It is not a sin to be sick. The question should not be “How did you get infected?” but “How can we help you?”
Crawl: Determine what attitudes, myths and fears prevent you and your church from caring for those who are positive, and what keeps those who are positive from disclosing their status to you. Be a friend to someone who is living with HIV.
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 the local AIDS Walk. Set up a booth that offers water and helpful resources. Partner with a local AIDS Services Organization in projects that reflect shared values. Become a reliable source of HIV information and support for your community.
Champion healthy behavior
HIV/AIDS is complex and yet largely preventable. Churches have the moral authority to promote healthy sexual behavior and to offer the spiritual motivation for abstinence, fidelity and drug-free living. Behavior change does not happen by will power or even accountability partners alone. Churches can offer a wholistic approach that encompasses all aspects of prevention and recovery.
Crawl: Practice personal moral purity by remaining abstinent before marriage and remaining faithful to your marital vows. Refrain from using illegal IV drugs.
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: Teach other churches and community members how to prevent HIV transmission. For example, connect with your local high school and colleges to offer training on abstinence and fidelity. Offer Celebrate Recovery (Christian 12-step program)
to those struggling with alcohol, drug and sexual addictions which make someone more vulnerable to HIV infection.
Help with HIV medications
While it is unexpected to visualize a role for local churches in helping with HIV treatment, the church can be an integral part of helping HIV positive individuals live longer. HIV treatment offers hope for a normal lifespan but requires specialized pre-treatment preparation and treatment support that the faith community can provide.
Crawl: Through sermons and seminars, dispel the belief that churches cannot be involved in HIV treatment. Invite a local HIV professional to help your congregation become knowledgeable about HIV treatment.
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 hivandthechurch.com to learn more about HIV treatment.
START TODAY!
Make a commitment to start an HIV ministry in your church using the CHURCH strategy. Access the information and inspirational resources at hivandthechurch.com. Join the burgeoning network of churches in the HIV Caring Connection. Pray for the day that AIDS loses its power to destroy lives and families.
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