Faith and Religion Connections

posted: 09/12/2010

A new UK HIV and Faiths Directory, called HIV Connecting with Faith is now out. This directory, from African Health Policy Network, highlights Muslim and Christian organisations that provide support and - or services for people living with HIV.

The directory is useful and is for health-care professionals, faith communities, community based organisations, formal and informal support groups, statutory and voluntary sector organisations, funders and people living with/affected by HIV.

Eunice Sinyemu, Head of Policy and Deputy CEO at AHPN said

“This directory is an invaluable resource and easy to use. Because faith is an integral part of many people living with and affected by HIV, faith leaders can contribute significantly to the reduction of HIV related stigma and discrimination by providing support to people living with and affected by HIV”.

Faith in NW England 

The only entry in the Directory from NW England is 

Holy Innocents, Fallowfield, Manchester
Church of England (catholic)
Bill Raines, Rector
Wilbraham Road, Fallowfield
Manchester
M14 6JZ
0161 224 1310 / 0161 224 0535
This church provides Counselling / Advice, promotes HIV testing, offers 1:1 emotional support and has information and resources on HIV


The HIV Connecting with Faith directory can be downloaded from AHPN here.

The faith directory is part of AHPN’s faith Changing Perspectives’ campaign.

African Pastor preaches 'Jesus had HIV'

posted: 26/08/2010

A pastor led 100 in his congregation to take HIV tests and preached a sermon called "Jesus was HIV-positive," in an attempt to break the conspiracy of silence by the South African church.     
 

Xola Skosana said that HIV is stigmatised as evil and a sin in the country that has the world's largest number of people with HIV. Pastor Skosana, 43, took a HIV test in front of his congregation last Sunday at the non-denominational Way of Life church in Khayelitsha, Cape Town. The test was also taken by 100 young people from the township.
 

The pastor said he chose the title "Jesus was HIV-positive" for his sermon to draw attention to "a very serious issue". “In many parts of the Bible, God put himself in the position of the destitute, the sick, the marginalised," he said. "When we attend to those who are sick, we are attending to Him. When we ignore people who are sick, we are ignoring Him."
 

Jesus’s words
Skosana cited a passage in the Bible where Jesus says: "I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me." But he has had a hostile reaction in some quarters.
"The scathing attacks I've received from Christians are unbelievable," he said. "They're saying you can't reconcile Jesus and AIDS. They assume it means Jesus was promiscuous and had a louche lifestyle with many sexual partners."
 

Skosana has two sisters died from HIV. One died last month at the age of 44. The other died in 2003 in her early 20s.
 

South African church condemned
He condemned the national church for failing to tackle the issue when nearly 1,000 people are dying from HIV-related causes every day. The South African government had been accused of AIDS "denialism" but has more recently been praised for its prevention and treatment programmes.
"It baffles me why in the church this is the most untalked-about subject," Skosana said. "If I went to church and never heard the pastor talk about this, I would assume I must go home and die in silence. The message is that it's an unpardonable sin and we must just forget about HIV/AIDS.
 

God cares
"My responsibility as a pastor is to open a Bible and paint a picture of a God who cares for people and wants the best for them, not who judges them and is ashamed of them."
He called on other churches to be more open about the subject. "I hope this will change the paradigm, especially in the Pentecostal background. I come from the Pentecostal background and I know this discussion is totally alien there."
 

HIV information and advice
Skosana will not disclose the result of his public HIV test in case it puts pressure on the churchgoers who followed his example. They had heard him explain the virus, possible treatments and the importance of knowing their status and were given professional counselling.
 

Praise for example
Skosana's stance was praised by South Africa's National AIDS Council. Mark Heywood, its deputy chairperson, said: "I applaud his actions. It's very important that church leaders set an example, destigmatising HIV and encouraging testing so people know their status. There are many churches that have done a lot to combat HIV. The problem is that the church as a whole has not been vocal enough. It's often been left to individual church leaders and organisations. We would like to hear a clearer message."
 

Source
YouTube

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Pastors guide to HIV ministry
Other Religions and HIV guides in our Information Bank 
 

Prayer or Medicine? leaflet

posted: 16/11/2009

Mildmay, the international HIV charity based in London, have a leaflet that may be useful for some Christians with HIV concerned about treatment.

It deals with prayer, HIV treatments, and praying for healing. It quotes from the bible to show that using HIV treatments fits with Christian belief.

'It doesn't show lack of faith when we use medicines. Medicines are not different from everything else in creation: God gave them to us to use.'

"For everything that God created was good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer."

1 Timothy 4 v4. New International Bible

Prayer or Medicines for HIV  leaflet

Mildmay