ELCA NEWS SERVICE
August 3, 2012
ELCA members cite progress toward sustainable HIV response, but not enough
12-50-MN
CHICAGO (ELCA) - Leaders from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America (ELCA) attended the 2012 International AIDS Conference July 22-27
in Washington, D.C., as advocates of the ELCA Strategy on HIV and AIDS."
We are at a critical moment in the response to HIV," according to
Dennis Frado, who directs the Lutheran Office for World Community and
serves as the primary ELCA representative at the United Nations in New
York.
"Progress has been made, but it is not enough and will be lost if
political will and financial commitments are reduced now. Faith
communities are therefore committed to strengthening ongoing work and
partnerships to ensure a strategic, sustainable and effective HIV
response," said Frado, who attended an inter-faith pre-conference July 20-
21. The inter-faith pre-conference met under the theme "Taking Action for
Health, Dignity and Justice."
Ten ELCA representatives attended the International AIDS conference,
the primary meeting for those working in the field of HIV and AIDS that
included policy makers, people living with the virus and others who have
dedicated their lives to building a strategic response. About 25,000
participants from 200 countries attended the conference, including
representatives from The Lutheran World Federation, a global communion of
145 churches in 79 countries worldwide. The ELCA is the federation's only
church member from the United States.
The HIV and AIDS crisis has claimed the lives of nearly 30 million
people worldwide. The goals of the ELCA Strategy on HIV and AIDS include
efforts to help halt the spread of HIV, reduce the conditions of poverty
that contribute to the spread, and eliminate the stigma and discrimination
experienced by those who are HIV-positive.
"I'm actually quite pleased and proud to be part of our church," said
Sarah Dreier, program director of international policy and advocacy for
ELCA churchwide ministries.
"In addition to hosting an informative and poignant panel and
reception at the pre-conference, we [hosted] international visitors to
represent their voice and experiences and informed a leader's roundtable
with the Obama administration on a comprehensive approach to addressing
HIV and AIDS," said Dreier.
A group from the ELCA Metropolitan Washington, D.C. Synod
participated at the conference's Global Village, also open to the general
public. Members of the synod took part in the Lutheran GRACE booth where
prayers cards were being created to share with people affected by HIV and
AIDS. Participants of the ELCA Multicultural Youth Leadership Event, an
event that preceded the 2012 ELCA Youth Gathering this summer in New
Orleans, created prayers cards.
"The ELCA was able to intersect these concurrent events . which
allowed [ELCA] teenage-members to be compassionately informed," said Dr.
Ulysses Burley, an ELCA member who served in leadership roles at both the
ELCA's youth leadership event and the International AIDS Conference.
Burley led "Faith and Stigma: Best practices for building a stigma-
free faith community," a workshop at the pre-conference where panelists
shared personal stories of faith and hope and stories about how the ELCA
is a church of inclusivity.
According to Christine Mangale, chair of the ELCA planning team for
the conference, the ELCA and The Lutheran World Federation representatives
were "proud to be involved" in the overall conference experience. Mangale
is assistant to the director at the Lutheran Office for World Community.
In 2009 the ELCA Church Council adopted the ELCA Strategy on HIV and
AIDS, encouraging ELCA congregations, synods and church-related social
ministry organizations to welcome, support, and advocate with individuals
living with and affected by HIV and AIDS in their communities. The
strategy also calls for resource sharing with trusted global partners and
companion churches that will enable them to expand their service to the
most vulnerable through effective ministries of HIV and AIDS prevention,
treatment, care and advocacy.
Information about the ELCA Strategy on HIV and AIDS is available at
http://www.ELCA.org/Our-Faith-In-Action/Justice/Poverty-Ministries/HIV-and-
AIDS/About-the-Strategy.aspx.
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About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United
States, with 4.2 million members in 10,000 congregations across the 50
states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of "God's work.
Our hands," the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in
Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA's
roots are in the writings of the German church reformer, Martin Luther.
For information contact:
Melissa Ramirez Cooper
773-380-2956 or [log in to unmask]
http://www.ELCA.org/news
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