FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact:
February 14, 2003 Janice Walker
BaumanCurry & Co. Public Relations
(323) 525-0559 x28

Churches Come Together to Pray for the Healing of AIDS

The Black Church Week of Prayer for the Healing of AIDS has grown to become the largest AIDS Awareness Program in the United States targeting the Black Community

Los Angeles (February 14, 2003) – Over the past 14 years, the Black Church Week of Prayer for the Healing of AIDS has grown to become the largest AIDS awareness program in the United States targeting the Black community. And as part of that effort, the Statewide HIV/AIDS Church Outreach Advisory Board, in partnership with the California Department of Health Services, is encouraging churches throughout California to accept the call to join in prayer to enlighten communities and congregations about HIV/AIDS during the upcoming Week of Prayer - Sunday, March 2 through Saturday, March 8, 2003.

The Black Church Week of Prayer for the Healing of AIDS is a week of education and AIDS awareness that highlights the role churches are playing in addressing the AIDS crisis. Each year, a growing number of Black congregations are developing AIDS prevention outreach programs, supporting and caring for persons living with HIV and establishing HIV testing facilities, complete with counselors knowledgeable about HIV/AIDS. “With the support of the California State and County governments, we have been able to impact our communities repeatedly with educational material and participate in events that have made an impact on the lives of our congregations,” stated (SWAB MEMBER name here) “We feel an awareness of HIV/AIDS is also growing whereby messages of compassion can more easily be communicated.”

The Black Church Week of Prayer for the Healing of AIDS is modeled after the groundbreaking Harlem Week of Prayer for the Healing of AIDS established in 1989 by Pernessa C. Seele, CEO of The Balm In Gilead. In 1995, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention funded a pilot study for the Black Church Week of Prayer for the Healing of AIDS in six cities. Today, this national program is supported by 72 AIDS service organizations and health departments across the United States, who joined in partnership with The Balm In Gilead to support churches in educating their communities and advocating for persons with HIV.

In observance of Black Church Week of Prayer, the Statewide HIV/AIDS Church Outreach Advisory Board will provide a myriad of opportunities for education and prevention ranging from pulpit sermons to parking lot testing. Communities and congregations will be given the opportunity to educate themselves spiritually and mentally regarding this disease – a proven effective method of reducing the infection rate. Dissemination of material will include the foundational guidebook “Healing Begins Here: A Pastor’s Guidebook to HIV/AIDS Ministry Through The Church,” with step-by-step instructions on how to start an HIV/AIDS ministry and the companion Quiz Cards.

Black churches throughout the state of California are being asked to help increase HIV/AIDS awareness and education because of the seriousness of this disease and the impact on the Black community. (Name of Church) in (City) is (describe how your church is fighting the problem – delivering a sermon, holding a press conference, community forums, leadership testimony and HIV Testing, Distribution of Information Packets, and Marches, Rallies and Candlelight Vigils, distributing quiz cards, starting an HIV/AIDS ministry, etc.)

The Statewide HIV/AIDS Church Advisory Board, a volunteer committee, has worked in partnership with the California Department of Health Services, Office of AIDS to develop and distribute the innovative “Healing Begins Here” guidebook and educational companion materials. The board has worked in particular to conduct outreach to some of the Black Community’s most conservative churches. Since its inception three years ago -- launched with the participation of more than 75 African American church leaders -- training sessions have been conducted throughout the state.

“Healing Begins Here,” guidebook supplements, the order agreement and quiz card can be downloaded for free at www.arkofrefuge.org or www.marcconline.org. California churches and non-profit organizations may receive free copies of the material by contacting Martin Luther King Legacy Association at (323) 290-4116. There is a reprint, shipping and handling fee for items ordered by churches or organizations outside of California.

For a tip sheet from the Statewide HIV/AIDS Church Advisory Board on HIV/AIDS – which includes sample bulletin announcements and suggestions on how churches can observe Black Church Week of Prayer – contact BaumanCurry & Co. at (323) 525-0559 or to register your church with Balm In Gilead visit www.balmingilead.org