The Black Church Week of Prayer for the Healing of AIDS

The Black Church Week of Prayer for the Healing of AIDS is a powerful week of prayer, education and action. The annual observance takes place Sunday March 2nd, to Saturday, March 8th, 2008. This national AIDS awareness campaign engages Black congregations to support, encourage and empower African Americans, Africans and all people of the Diaspora to take action toward stopping the spread of HIV/AIDS in Black communities worldwide. The Black Church Week of Prayer for the Healing of AIDS is sponsored nationally by The Balm in Gilead. To mark this week, your minister could dedicate a sunday sermon to the topic of HIV/AIDS in DC. Your minister could lead by example and get an HIV test, and make HIV testing available to the congregation on site. You could make HIV/AIDS the topic of a sunday school lesson, or plan a special event to talk about HIV/AIDS in DC. There are lots of possibilities. Now is an excellent time to talk to your church about participating in the Black Church Week of Prayer for the Healing of AIDS. You can find out more at the Balm in Gilead website. When you're ready you can register your church online. And of course, if there is anything I can do to help, please let me know.

December Quality of Life Retreat for People Living with HIV/AIDS

The next retreat takes places December 3rd through the 6th at the Washington DC Retreat House The Quality of Life Retreat program began in 1988. Since then over sixty-two retreats have been conducted. The retreats are a connecting and coping experience for persons living with HIV/AIDS. It is a chance to get away, to get together, to interact and to learn the techniques and attitudes that are effective in dealing with the issues of long-term survival. The program includes workshops that focus on self-acceptance, spiritual empowerment, stigmas, mental health, and maintaining quality of life. There will be workshops, entertainment, singing, prayer, and a healing services. Participants support each other through a Prayer-Buddy System. The group may also design a Talent Show. The retreat is limited to 40 participants and is offered to persons living with HIV/AIDS. The program is ecumenical and opent to individuals of all faiths, religions, and beliefs. The retreats have four objects: To provide a safe, loving environment in which participants can be fully themselves, free of fears and inhibitions, and can deal openly with their deeest concerns. To offer spiritual, practical, educational and health resources to those whose lives have been, are and will be affected personally by HIV infection. To listen to what HIV infected persons have to say about their journeys. To offer and develop a viable model of how the religious community can make a compassionate and effective response to this crisis. The ultimate goal is to provide retreats that will be a connecting and coping experience for persons living with HIV/AIDS. The next retreat will take place December 3rd through the 6th at the Washington DC Retreat House, which is operated by the Sisters of the Franciscan Order. For more information visit www.qualityofliferetreatshiv.org

Healing the Light Body: An Offering to the HIV/AIDS Community

Healing Arts will will conduct a Tibetan Buddhist healing ceremony (Ta Chak Kyung Sum) for people living with HIV in DC at the Foundry United Methodist Church, 1500 16th St NW, Washington, DC. The healing ceremony, with Lama Rangbar and Sherab Tenzin, will take place Thursday August 9th, and Friday August 10th starting at 6:00 PM. For more information, visit: www.healingsciences.org Click here to download a flyer for these events Thursday August 9th at 6:00 PM Friday August 10th at 6:00 PM

Damien Ministries Retreat November 12-15

Damien Ministries will be hosting a retreat for people living with HIV/AIDS from November 12th to 15th. They invite you to: "Discover the meaning of God and spirituality for yourself within the HIV/AIDS experience; focus on spiritual growth that encourages learning, healing, relaxation, and fun, surround yourself in a time, place, and commmunity of grace and care." More information is available on the Damien Ministries Website. The application deadline is October 31st.

August Quality of Life Retreat for People Living with HIV/AIDS

The next retreat takes places August 31st to September 3rd in Frederick, MD The Quality of Life Retreat program began in 1988. Since then over sixty-two retreats have been conducted. The retreats are a connecting and coping experience for persons living with HIV/AIDS. It is a chance to get away, to get together, to interact and to learn the techniques and attitudes that are effective in dealing with the issues of long-term survival. The program includes workshops that focus on self-acceptance, spiritual empowerment, stigmas, mental health, and maintaining quality of life. There will be workshops, entertainment, singing, prayer, and a healing services. Participants support each other through a Prayer-Buddy System. The group may also design a Talent Show. The retreat is limited to 40 participants and is offered to persons living with HIV/AIDS. The program is ecumenical and opent to individuals of all faiths, religions, and beliefs. The retreats have four objects: To provide a safe, loving environment in which participants can be fully themselves, free of fears and inhibitions, and can deal openly with their deeest concerns. To offer spiritual, practical, educational and health resources to those whose lives have been, are and will be affected personally by HIV infection. To listen to what HIV infected persons have to say about their journeys. To offer and develop a viable model of how the religious community can make a compassionate and effective response to this crisis. The ultimate goal is to provide retreats that will be a connecting and coping experience for persons living with HIV/AIDS. The next retreat will take place August 31st to September 3rd at the Mar-Lu Conference Center, on Catoctin Ridge in Frederick County, MD. For more information visit www.qualityofliferetreatshiv.org

Johnson Memorial Baptist Church: Another Ward 7 Resource

The Johnson Memorial Baptist Church now has an HIV/AIDS and Substance Abuse Program that launched this month. Joyce Frazier is the coordinator of the program, which operates at the church 800 Ridge Road S.E. Washington, D.C. 20019. You can stop by Monday, Wednesday & Friday from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM; and Tuesday and Thursday from 5:30 PM to 8:30 PM. For more information, contact Joyce Frazier at (202) 581-3670. Help spread the word about this new program: click here to download a poster and share it with others.

May 25-28: Quality of Life Retreat for People Living with HIV/AIDS

The next retreat takes places May 25th-28th in Frederick, MD The Quality of Life Retreat program began in 1988. Since then over sixty-two retreats have been conducted. The retreats are a connecting and coping experience for persons living with HIV/AIDS. It is a chance to get away, to get together, to interact and to learn the techniques and attitudes that are effective in dealing with the issues of long-term survival. The program includes workshops that focus on self-acceptance, spiritual empowerment, stigmas, mental health, and maintaining quality of life. There will be workshops, entertainment, singing, prayer, and a healing services. Participants support each other through a Prayer-Buddy System. The group may also design a Talent Show. The retreat is limited to 40 participants and is offered to persons living with HIV/AIDS. The program is ecumenical and opent to individuals of all faiths, religions, and beliefs. The retreats have four objects: To provide a safe, loving environment in which participants can be fully themselves, free of fears and inhibitions, and can deal openly with their deeest concerns. To offer spiritual, practical, educational and health resources to those whose lives have been, are and will be affected personally by HIV infection. To listen to what HIV infected persons have to say about their journeys. To offer and develop a viable model of how the religious community can make a compassionate and effective response to this crisis. The ultimate goal is to provide retreats that will be a connecting and coping experience for persons living with HIV/AIDS. The next retreat will take place May 25-28 at the Mar-Lu Conference Center, on Catoctin Ridge in Frederick County, MD. For more information visit www.qualityofliferetreatshiv.org

Should Homophobic Churches Receive DC HIV/AIDS Funds?

A few months ago I included information about the The Union Temple Baptist Church Huggin’ HIV/AIDS Ministry & Akoma Project on this website. In the brochure which I republished, the Union Temple Baptist Church states: "For over thirty years, the Union Temple Baptist Church has provided unbiased and reassuring services to populations who have been rejected and ostracized by society." After hearing excerpts from a sermon by Reverend Willie Wilson of the Union Temple Baptist Church I'm not so sure that that is true. Rev. Wilson delivered what is hands down the most mean-spirited homophobic sermon I've ever heard in my life. Don't take my word for it, click here to listen to excerpts from the sermon and decide for yourself. Which leads me to ask the obvious question. How is it that a homophobic minister can wind up with so much federal and DC HIV/AIDS Dollars? We know that from our most recent figures (DC AHPP Surveilance and Epidemiology Division: March 2006) approximately 40% of DC residents living with HIV/AIDS are men who have sex with men, the majority of which are African American men who have sex with men. Nationally, one recent study, suggests that as many as 46% of black gay men are HIV positive. It's important that churches that primarily serve the African American community in DC be part of the fight against HIV/AIDS, and many are deeply involved and contributing much. In this case, however, I question whether it's appropriate to use federal and local HIV/AIDS resources to fund an agency which may not be safe or welcoming to gay men. (If you can provide me with any additional information, please do so.)

UMC Quality of Life Retreats for People with HIV/AIDS

The next retreat takes places February 5th-8th at the Washington DC Retreat House The Quality of Life Retreat program began in 1988. Since then over sixty-two retreats have been conducted. The retreats are a connecting and coping experience for persons living with HIV/AIDS. It is a chance to get away, to get together, to interact and to learn the techniques and attitudes that are effective in dealing with the issues of long-term survival. The program includes workshops that focus on self-acceptance, spiritual empowerment, stigmas, mental health, and maintaining quality of life. There will be workshops, entertainment, singing, prayer, and a healing services. Participants support each other through a Prayer-Buddy System. The group may also design a Talent Show. The retreat is limited to 40 participants and is offered to persons living with HIV/AIDS. The program is ecumenical and opent to individuals of all faiths, religions, and beliefs. The retreats have four objects: To provide a safe, loving environment in which participants can be fully themselves, free of fears and inhibitions, and can deal openly with their deeest concerns. To offer spiritual, practical, educational and health resources to those whose lives have been, are and will be affected personally by HIV infection. To listen to what HIV infected persons have to say about their journeys. To offer and develop a viable model of how the religious community can make a compassionate and effective response to this crisis. The ultimate goal is to provide retreats that will be a connecting and coping experience for persons living with HIV/AIDS. The next retreat will take place February 5th-8th at the Washington DC Retreat House, which is operated by the Sisters of the Franciscan Order. For more information visit www.qualityofliferetreatshiv.org

For Whom the Bell Tolls: World AIDS Day

the following was written by Healy Thompson, a policy analyst and outreach coordinator for the Center for Health and Gender Equity (CHANGE). It originally appeared here. For a complete list of Worlds AIDS Day 2006 Events in DC, click here On December 1, a church bell in downtown Washington, DC will toll every 5 seconds as people head to work. For most of the people who hear that bell and see people gathered outside of the church with signs and banners, it will be their first exposure to World AIDS Day. Even though World AIDS Day was first declared by the World Health Organization and the UN General Assembly in 1988, most people around the world have no idea that it exists, much less what day it is - and this is despite the fact that 4.1 million people were newly infected with HIV and 3 million people died of AIDS in 2005 according to UNAIDS. The fact that most people have no idea that World AIDS Day exists makes it particularly difficult to live up to the theme of this World AIDS Day: Accountability. In order to hold the U.S. accountable for its promises to treat 2 million people, prevent 7 million new HIV infections, and provide care to 10 million in fifteen focus countries by 2008 (promises made as a part of the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief--PEPFAR), we need people around the country to demand that the Bush Administration and the U.S. Congress implement the best prevention, treatment, and care strategies possible and make changes to the policy and legislation that stand in the way of this. So, on December 1, advocates from the religious and secular community will gather in front of Foundry United Methodist Church to publicly (and loudly) call attention to the fact that there is much work to be done to hold the U.S. government accountable to its promises on HIV and AIDS. We will toll the church's bell every 5 seconds because, on average, every 5 seconds someone is infected with HIV or dies of AIDS. That's right, every 5 seconds of every hour of every day of the year. In fact, if you read at approximately the same speed that I do, 9 people were newly infected with HIV and 7 people died of AIDS in the time it took you to get to this point in the blog (and that's if you didn't click on any links). People participating in this event - named For Whom the Bell Tolls: A Resounding Vigil - will be calling for the passage of the Protection Against Transmission of HIV for Women and Youth (PATHWAY) Act, which would remove the requirement that the U.S. spend 1/3 of its international HIV prevention dollars on abstinence-until-marriage programs. It would also require the Office of the Global AIDS Coordinator (which coordinates PEPFAR) to establish a comprehensive and integrated HIV prevention strategy to address the vulnerabilities of women and girls in each country receiving U.S. assistance to combat HIV/AIDS, including efforts to address such factors as sexual violence and coercion and early marriage as an integral component of prevention efforts. The event in Washington, DC, which is also being replicated across the country, is titled For Whom the Bell Tolls because the fact of the matter is that when the U.S. government pursues bad HIV policy (usually the result of corporate influence - take for example the undermining of generic drugs in PEPFAR treatment regimens, religiously driven ideology, or the requirement that 1/3 of all U.S. international HIV prevention dollars be spent on abstinence-until-marriage programs), real people are affected. Every time the bell tolls in Washington, DC on Dec. 1, it is representing an actual person who dies of AIDS or is newly infected with HIV. And that's what World AIDS Day is really about - having at least one day a year when people actually pay attention to what misguided policy and inaction allow to happen every day. This World AIDS Day there will also be a treatment-focused demonstration in front of the White House, calling on the U.S. to take the steps necessary to guarantee universal access to treatment by 2010 - consistent with the promise made by the heads of state of United Nations countries to reach universal access to HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and care by 2010. To learn more about the For Whom the Bell Tolls event in Washington, DC or events around the country or to learn more about the PATHWAY Act and what needs to be done to hold the U.S. accountable for its promises on HIV and AIDS, visit www.pepfarwatch.org. The Washington, DC event is being co-sponsored by Advocates for Youth, Catholics for a Free Choice, Center for Health and Gender Equity (CHANGE), General Board of Church & Society of The United Methodist Church, Health GAP (Global Access Project), National Council of Jewish Women, Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS), and Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations.

DC World AIDS Day Prayer Vigil

There will be an inter-denominational HIV/AIDS Prayer Service held on December 1st. The prayer service begins at 7:30 PM and takes place at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Old Catholic Church at Congressional Cemetery, 1801 E St SE. Join clergy from area denominations and pray for those who have been lost to AIDS, and for those who still suffer. For more information on World AIDS Day events in DC, click here.

The Union Temple Baptist Church Huggin’ HIV/AIDS Ministry & Akoma Project

reprinted from a Union Temple Baptist Church brochure: For over thirty years, the Union Temple Baptist Church has provided unbiased and reassuring services to populations who have been rejected and ostracized by society. Union Temple Baptist Church established the Huggin’ Ministry in response to the AIDS pandemic which has disproportionately affected the African American community. This faith-based program has provided HIV/AIDS services for DC residents for over seventeen years. The Huggin’ Ministry is well recognized in the community for providing loving and effective services to persons living with HIV/AIDS. In 1999 the Akoma (ah-ko-ma) Projected was added to the union Temple Baptist Church Huggin’ HIV/AIDS Ministry. Akoma, which literally means “The Heart”, is an African andinkra symbol of love, goodwill, patience, fondness faithfulness, endurance and consistency. The Akoma Project is funded by Ryan White Title I and Title II grants as well as DC’s CDC funds. The Akoma Project and the Huggin’ Ministry provide a range of professional services in a supportive and nonjudgemental environment. These services are available to all persons in the community. We ensure timely and open access to the following services: Case Management We serve as a direct link to services required for persons living with HIV/AIDS, such as primary medical care, access to AIDS medication, housing, transportation, childcare/children services, vocational services, legal services, etc. Mental Health Services Mental Health Services such as individual counseling, family counseling and psychiatric evaluations and assesments are provided. Support group services are available on a regular basis also. Prevention/Education Educational programs and workshops are prvided for all individuals infected or affected by HIV/AIDs. We place a strong emphasis on prevention education. Risk reduction and individual and group counseling is also provided to people who are HIV positive. Emergency Financial Assistance Emergency financial assistance is available for persons living with HIV/AID for housing/rental assistance, tilities, pharmaceutical, and burial support. This service is provided on a limited basis upon review and approval of the application. Transportation Distortation to medical care, case management appointments, support groups, and other AIDS related services is available. Pastoral Care and Counseling Spiritual bereavement and counseling is available for persons living with HIV/AIDS and their loved ones. The ministerial staff at Union Temple Baptist Church provides pastoral care. Day Treatment Participants are engaged in recreational activities including field trips, group projects and other socialization opportunities. Light meals are made available. Akoma Project & Huggin’ HIV/AIDS Ministry 1255 W Street, SE Washington, DC 20020 202 889-5346