ELCA NEWS SERVICE

December 1, 2005

Lutheran World Federation Issues 'PositHIVe Church'
05-235-FI

     CHICAGO (ELCA) -- In advance of Lutheran World Federation
(LWF) commemorations of World AIDS Day, Dec. 1, Lutheran World
Information, Geneva, Switzerland, issued "PositHIVe Church," a
full-color 28-page document highlighting the global Lutheran
communion's concerted response to the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
Articles were contributed from Lutheran churches around the
world, including the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
(ELCA).
     Josselyn Bennett, director for education and program
resources, ELCA Church in Society, wrote "HIV/AIDS Ministry in
the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America." She raised several
concerns about HIV/AIDS in North America and described two
programs that address some of them.
     More than 1 million people in the United States live with
HIV/AIDS, Bennett wrote. "The Centers for Disease Control
estimates that approximately 40,000 people become infected with
HIV each year," she wrote. "The spread of HIV impacts people
across all ages, races, sexual orientations and socioeconomic
levels."
     "Maintaining focus on HIV/AIDS remains a major challenge in
the United States," Bennett said. The ELCA "remains committed to
supporting prevention education and care for those infected and
affected by AIDS," she wrote.
     Through "Open Arms of Minnesota," more than 900 volunteers
deliver meals to the homes of people living with HIV/AIDS in the
Twin Cities area, Bennett said. "Eating regular, well-balanced
meals is important to everyone's health, but ample and nutritious
food is particularly critical for people living with HIV/AIDS,"
she said.
     The "Manchester Area Network on AIDS" is a collaboration of
services, resources and education in Connecticut, Bennett said.
The network provides case management in a caring and supportive
environment for 121 individuals and their families living with
HIV/AIDS.
-- -- --
     "PositHIVe Church" is available in a PDF 3.8 MB file at
http://tinyurl.com/d9lph on the Web. The LWF Office for
Communication Services -- http://tinyurl.com/c665o -- also sells
printed copies of the document.
     Information about HIV/AIDS is available at
http://www.elca.org/aids on the ELCA Web site.

For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or [log in to unmask]
http://www.elca.org/news