The world is facing one of its most pressing health crises in centuries, and it's being labeled a "pandemic" due to its severity.
Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
Galatians 6, NRSV
According to UNAIDS, 39,000,000 persons around the world are infected with the HIV/AIDS virus. Approximately 900,000 cases of AIDS are in the United States. As people of faith we must all work to eradicate this dreadful disease.
We cannot assume that all United Methodists are aware of the AIDS pandemic; therefore, there is a great need for education about the disease itself, methods available for treatment and ways to prevent the spread of the disease. Education and political advocacy must be done hand-in-hand to ensure the presence of just policies and the availability of adequate resources to eradicate the pandemic. Advocacy efforts need to occur at the local, state, national and international levels.
Biblical and Theological Context
"Persons diagnosed as positive for Human Immune Virus (HIV) and with Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) often face rejection from their families and friends and various communities in which they work and interact. In addition, they are often faced with a lack of adequate health care, especially toward the end of life.
"All individuals living with HIV and AIDS should be treated with dignity and respect.
"We affirm the responsibility of the Church to minister to and with these individuals and their families regardless of how the disease was contracted. We support their rights to employment, appropriate medical care, full participation in public education, and full participation in the Church.
"We urge the Church to be actively involved in the prevention of the spread of AIDS by providing educational opportunities to the congregation and the community. The Church should be available to provide counseling to the affected individuals and their families." (Social Principles, ¶162S)
Scripture reference: Galations 6:2
What GBCS is Doing
Supporting legislation to establish a comprehensive and integrated HIV prevention strategy to address the vulnerabilities of women and girls in countries for which the United States provides assistance to combat HIV/AIDS, and for other purposes.
Making available an AIDS survey that a compiles the activities addressing the AIDS pandemic of all annual conferences in the U.S. and Central Conferences.
Promoting the UMC Global AIDS Fund and educating United Methodists on how they can contribute to the eradication of HIV/AIDS through the fund. GBCS also sponsors seminars in Washington, D.C., on the AIDS crisis.
Actively advocated for increased funding for AIDS prevention, care and treatment both globally and domestically.
Bush administration final-days addition threatens access to critical health services.
Downloadable Resources
Response of The United Methodist Church to the Global AIDS Pandemic This report is offered on behalf of the general church to the connectional church, hoping it will be a resource in eradicating the scourge of AIDS. This survey of AIDS-related activities by annual conferences was conducted in 2008. The resolutions adopted in 2004 by the General Conference on AIDS are included. Please feel free to reproduce and distribute this resource widely and use it as a tool to strengthen your own efforts to address the AIDS crisis.
PEPFAR: The Next Phase of US Global AIDS Assistance, 2009-2013 In 2003, the United States launched the President’s Emergency Plan on AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the largest bilateral HIV/AIDS program in the world. PEPFAR has provided antiretroviral therapy for approximately 1.6 million people in 15 focus countries, and has contributed to providing prevention and care services for millions more. On 30 July 2008, President Bush signed into law the “Tom Lantos and Henry J. Hyde United States Global Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Reauthorization Act of 2008,” the bill that defines the next phase of US global AIDS programs. This bipartisan effort will renew the US global AIDS programs for another five years (beginning in 2009). While still imperfect in many ways, the new version of PEPFAR also holds a great deal of promise for people living with and affected by HIV/AIDS in the current 15 focus countries and beyond.
"Prayers for Encouragement"
A 32-page booklet of meditations, primarily for those suffering from diseases affecting the world's poor. Offered by Upper Room, It can be used as a personal meditation guide or as devotions in groups. One package of 20 booklets costs $10.
"Promises Fulfilled and Unfulfilled"
Sermon by Wesley Theological Seminary student Garey Eakes challenging readers with how hope is claimed in the midst of the AIDS pandemic.
"Scaling Up Effective Partnerships"
This guide offers practical information and guidance for United Nations staff, government officials, and secular organizations who want to collaborate with faith-based groups on joint projects related to HIV/AIDS. The guide was produced by Church World Service, the Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance, Norwegian Church Aid, UNAIDS and the World Conference of Religions for Peace. The guide can be downloaded from the Web site or ordered by mail.
Toolkit for World AIDS Day
The Global AIDS Alliance released "16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence Activist Toolkit," which includes links to some of the efforts around the United States. Also offered are suggestions for incorporating violence against women and children into existing World AIDS Day plans. World AIDS Day is commemorated on Dec. 1 each year.
UMC Global AIDS Fund Brochure
Brochures designed to inform local churches and annual conferences about the Global AIDS Fund and contribution forms are available by downloading or contacting Linda Bales, lbales@umc-gbcs.org or 202-488-5649.
United Nations Millennium Development Goals The eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which range from halving extreme poverty to halting the spread of HIV/AIDS and providing universal primary education, all by the target date of 2015, form a blueprint agreed to by all the world's countries and all the world's leading development institutions. They have galvanized unprecedented efforts to meet the needs of the world's poorest. This Web site lists the goals and ways to get involved.
ONE: What If... What if by 2015 extreme poverty was eradicated? This resource guides you through the Millennium Development Goals and discusses ways for individuals and communities to end hunger, poverty and disease around the world.
Links
Africa Action
Africa Action is the oldest organization in the U.S. working on African affairs. Its mission is to change U.S. Africa relations to promote political, economic and social justice in Africa. The organization provides accessible information and analysis and mobilizes popular support for campaigns to achieve this mission.
Global Action for Children
Global Action for Children is a nonpartisan, results-oriented coalition dedicated to advocating for orphans and other vulnerable children in the developing world. Our mission is to increase the level of funding by the governments of the wealthy countries for orphans and other vulnerable children in some of the poorest countries of the world.
Global AIDS Alliance The Global AIDS Alliance (GAA) is dedicated to mobilizing the political will and financial resources needed to slow, and ultimately stop, the global AIDS crisis and reduce its impacts on poor countries hardest hit by the pandemic. Founded in 2001, GAA has carved out a strategic leadership role in shaping the AIDS policy debate and organizing coalition-based campaigns to speed the pace of the global response to HIV/AIDS.
The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis & Malaria
The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria was created to dramatically increase resources to fight three of the world's most devastating diseases, and to direct those resources to areas of greatest need. As a partnership between governments, civil society, the private sector and affected communities, the Global Fund represents an innovative approach to international health financing.
Global Health Council
The Global Health Council is the world's largest membership alliance dedicated to saving lives by improving health throughout the world. GHC's diverse membership is comprised of health-care professionals and organizations that include non-governmental organizations, foundations, corporations, government agencies and academic institutions that work to ensure global health for all. The council works to ensure that all who strive for improvement and equity in global health have the information and resources they need to succeed.
PEPFAR Watch
PEPFAR Watch is a new Web resource intended to inform and spur action on U.S. global HIV/AIDS policies and related issues in which U.S. policy and funding is of concern, including reproductive and sexual health, access to treatment, and health care systems. PEPFAR Watch is a joint effort of the Center for Health and Gender Equity (CHANGE) and Health GAP (Global Access Project) with the aim of promoting accountability of U.S. global AIDS policies to health and human rights.
President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief
In his State of the Union address on Jan. 28, 2003, President Bush announced the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). The plan is the largest commitment ever by any nation for an international health initiative dedicated to a single disease - a five-year, $15 billion, multi-faceted approach to combating the disease around the world.
RESULTS
RESULTS is a nonprofit grassroots advocacy organization committed to creating the political will to end hunger and the worst aspects of poverty. RESULTS is committed to individuals exercising their personal and political power by lobbying elected officials for effective solutions and key policies that affect hunger and poverty.
TransAfrica Forum
TransAfrica Forum serves as a major research, educational, and organizing institution for the African-American community offering constructive analyses of issues concerning U.S. policy as it affects Africa and the Diaspora in the Caribbean and Latin America.
United Methodist Global AIDS Fund
The United Methodist Global AIDS Fund was established at the 2004 General Conference to raise $8 million by 2008. Funds are to be used to support programs offering HIV and AIDS education, prevention, treatment and care services in the United States and around the world.
The rights and privileges a society bestows upon or withholds from those who comprise it indicate the relative esteem in which that society holds particular persons and groups of persons. We affirm all persons as equally valuable in the sight of God. We therefore work toward societies in which each person’s value is recognized, maintained, and strengthened. We support the basic rights of all persons to equal access to housing, education, communication, employment, medical care, legal redress for grievances, and physical protection. We deplore acts of hate or violence against groups or persons based on race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religious affiliation, or economic status. Our respect for the inherent dignity of all persons leads us to call for the recognition, protection, and implementation of the principles of The Universal Declaration of Human Rights so that communities and individuals may claim and enjoy their universal, indivisible, and inalienable rights.
Persons diagnosed as positive for Human Immune Virus (HIV) and with Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) often face rejection from their families and friends and various communities in which they work and interact. In addition, they are often faced with a lack of adequate health care, especially toward the end of life.
All individuals living with HIV and AIDS should be treated with dignity and respect.
We affirm the responsibility of the Church to minister to and with these individuals and their families regardless of how the disease was contracted. We support their rights to employment, appropriate medical care, full participation in public education, and full participation in the Church.
We urge the Church to be actively involved in the prevention of the spread of AIDS by providing educational opportunities to the congregation and the community. The Church should be available to provide counseling to the affected individuals and their families.
V. Right to Health Care
Health is a condition of physical, mental, social, and spiritual well-being. John 10:10b says, “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” Stewardship of health is the responsibility of each person to whom health has been entrusted. Creating the personal, environmental, and social conditions in which health can thrive is a joint responsibility—public and private. We encourage individuals to pursue a healthy lifestyle and affirm the importance of preventive health care, health education, environmental and occupational safety, good nutrition,and secure housing in achieving health. Health care is a basic human right.
Providing the care needed to maintain health, prevent disease, and restore health after injury or illness is a responsibility each person owes others and government owes to all, a responsibility government ignores at its peril. In Ezekiel 34:4a, God points out the failures of the leadership of Israel to care for the weak: “You have not strengthened the weak, you have not healed the sick, you have not bound up the injured.” As a result all suffer. Like police and fire protection, health care is best funded through the government’s ability to tax each person equitably and directly fund the provider entities. Countries facing a public health crisis such as HIV/AIDS must have access to generic medicines and to patented medicines. We affirm the right of men and women to have access to comprehensive reproductive health/family planning information and services that will serve as a means to prevent unplanned pregnancies, reduce abortions, and prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS. The right to health care includes care for persons with brain diseases, neurological conditions, or physical disabilities, who must be afforded the same access to health care as all other persons in our communities. It is unjust to construct or perpetuate barriers to physical or mental wholeness or full participation in community.
We believe it is a governmental responsibility to provide all citizens with health care.
The responsibilities of an AIDS Ambassador are below. An AIDS Ambassador can play a pivotal role in the eradication of HIV & AIDS in the U.S. and globally. This ministry is a "faith-based call for such a time as this."
Background: Each annual conference is charged by General Conference legislation (2004) to have some sort of AIDS Task Force or working group. And, each annual conference has a key contact person for HIV & AIDS (go to www.umc-gbcs.org/HIV and to find the survey with all the Annual Conference AIDS contact persons). Each person in an annual conference can be a powerful contributor and support to the Annual Conference AIDS task force or working group by serving as an AIDS Ambassador.
As an AIDS Ambassador, you can:
Inform the annual conference AIDS primary contact person of your willingness to address the issue of HIV & AIDS and explore ways you can support the work of the annual conference task force.
Promote the UMC AIDS Advance Fund in your local church ? go to www.umglobalaidsfund.org for information on the Fund. The Advance Fund # is 982345.
Write articles on HIV & AIDS for your local church or annual conference newsletter to continue raising the issue before the congregation.
Find out what's happening in your local community regarding AIDS services. Where are the gaps in services? How can you work with others to fill those gaps?
Pray for people living with or affected by AIDS. If you don?t know anyone with AIDS, become connected with a local AIDS serving effort. Meeting people living with AIDS will be transformational in your life.
Organize a World AIDS Day event in your local church and/or community. World AIDS Day is usually commemorated on December 1st. Resources can be found at www.umc-gbcs.org or www.gbgm-umc.org.
Be a legislative advocate at your local, state and national level. Encourage people to become a part of the AIDS Network based at the General Board of Church & Society. To sign up, go to: www.umc-gbcs.org.
Explore how the 25% of contributions to the UMC Global Fund retained in your annual conference is being used for AIDS ministries.
Produced by the UMC Global AIDS Fund Committee. Questions: Contact Linda Bales Todd, 202-488-5649 or lbales@umc-gbcs.org or Dr. Don Messer at dmesser@iliff.edu.
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