AIDS Task Force
Statistics say that five people die of AIDS every minute and nine people more are infected by HIV. One young woman, DSC AIDS Task Force Member, Natalie Brown, was so concerned about this health crisis that she put her career plans on hold and now works to serve the uninsured.
In the News...
Stories Needed
If you have a story you would like to share, the Conference AIDS Task Force would welcome your narrative. Please send your writing to billie(at)desertsw.org. Stories will be publicized in The Desert Connection, to help lift education and awareness around HIV/AIDS. Thank you.
World AIDS Day – December 1st 
The theme of the 2008 World AIDS Day is “Leadership: ‘Stop AIDS. Keep the Promise’.” This year marks the 20th anniversary of World AIDS Day. Since 1988, the face and response to AIDS has greatly changed. While many of these changes are positive, this anniversary offers an opportunity to highlight how much more still needs to be done. Our theme encourages leaders at all levels to stop AIDS. “Leadership” highlights the discrepancy between the commitments that have been made to halt the spread of AIDS, and actions taken to follow them through. Leadership empowers everyone – individuals, organizations, governments – to lead in the response to AIDS. Visit the World AIDS Campaign website at www.worldaidscampaign.org.
Dr. Donald Messer elected Chair of UMC Global AIDS Fund Committee
During the September 2008 meeting of the UMC Global AIDS Fund Committee, members elected Dr. Donald Messer as its Chair for this quadrennium. Dr. Messer succeeds Bishop Fritz and Etta Mae Mutti who valiantly co-led the initiative since 2004. Dr. Messer has a long history of involvement with the AIDS issue and currently serves as the Executive Director of the Center for the Church & Global AIDS, a non-profit, faith-based charitable and educational center founded in 2000. Dr. Messer is the former president of Iliff Theological Seminary based in Denver, Colorado and is a tireless advocate for the eradication of AIDS. He is the author of “Breaking the Conspiracy of Silence, Christian Churches and the Global AIDS Crisis” published by Fortress Press. Welcome, Don!!
Presidential Initiative for the World’s Children Launched!
Global Action for Children has launched an initiative that calls on the U.S. President to name vulnerable children and orphans a top policy priority in 2009. The Presidential Initiative for the World’s Children (PIWC) will:
- Consolidate, coordinate, monitor and evaluate the primary U.S. programs benefitting the most vulnerable children globally under the authority of one high-level ambassador answerable directly to the Secretary of State.
- Maximize taxpayer dollars and the impact through increased coordination and monitoring of current and new foreign aid programs for children.
- Support children in need while strengthening the United States’ image abroad.
- Promote U.S. national security by supporting the world’s most vulnerable.
To learn more about PIWC, go to www.globalactionforchildren.org.
National Association of People Living with AIDS - a long history of involvement
NAPWA is the oldest AIDS organization in the United States and continues to advocate for people living with the virus. Its ministry is:
- Providing information and resources on AIDS;
- Telling collective stories about HIV from the past, present and future
- Being the trusted independent voice of people living with HIV
Check out their website at www.napwa.org
The number of AIDS deaths worldwide is staggering, and devastation to families and communities is immeasurable. But the problem is also a local one. Over 15,500 people within the boundaries of this Conference are affected. And yet, the disease is completely preventable. Your Conference AIDS Task Force is leading the charge to end our complacency and step up and make a difference. Here are the areas we are promoting:
United Methodist Global AIDS Fund Established by the 2004 General Conference, the goal of the UM Global AIDS Fund is raising eight million dollars, by 2008. Our Annual Conference in 2007 passed a Resolution agreeing to raise our share of this Fund, one dollar per member. Thanks goes to nearly half of the DSC churches who have participated so far.
Grants Available for Local Churches 25% of the money our Annual Conference raises for the UM Global AIDS Fund stays within our Conference to fund AIDS ministry projects. The AIDS Task Force has developed a grant application for churches or church-related groups. If you are currently involved in an AIDS ministry project – locally or globally, and want to expand that project, or if you have an AIDS ministry you want to begin, you may apply for a grant.
Strength for the Journey Camps The AIDS Task Force supports two Strength For the Journey camps, one at Pine Canyon, and one at Mingus, for people who are HIV+ or have AIDS, and their caregivers.
One Church- One Camper To raise the awareness of people living with AIDS and to help support our Strength For the Journey camps, the AIDS Task Force has launched a One Church – One Camper program. We are inviting each church in the Conference to pray for and financially support one camper. The cost to support one camper is $140.00. The financial support may be sent to the new Conference Advance Special: Strength For the Journey Camps.
Conference Education and Prevention In the United States, HIV infection is rising the fastest in two main groups: Youth/Young adults and Seniors over 55. With the help of TIHAN (Tucson Interfaith HIV AIDS Network), we have developed a strong Education and Prevention Curriculum. The goal of the AIDS Task Force is to present this curriculum to as many youth groups, young adult groups, women’s and men’s groups, and senior groups as possible. If you are interested in offering an AIDS education and prevention seminar to a group in your church, please let us know. The Task Force also has a Speaker’s Bureau that can speak to any group. FYI: We have translated the curriculum into Swahili so it can be used in Africa.
For more information on any of these areas, please contact the team leader, Chair Rolly Loomis at St. Francis in the Foothills UMC.