The reluctance and silence in addressing issues relating to AIDS in many black churches is changing with the emergence of special ministries dealing with the disease in African-American congregations and denominations, reports Sojourners magazine (March/April).
Issues surrounding AIDS, such as homosexuality and drug use, were often seen as problems beyond the walls of the church, write Marion Brown and Lori Hunter. But the mounting toll of AIDS-related deaths among African-Americans has forced congregations to form AIDS ministries and to join forces with others in prevention programs.
The Progressive National Baptist Convention has implemented a national program of AIDS/HIV education for its member churches. The Balm in Gilead is a leading organization providing training to church leaders and producing liturgical literature on the subject. The group also holds a national week of prayer for the healing of AIDS and has worked with churches to create quilt panels that memorialize family and friends who died from the disease.
(Sojourners, 2401 15th St., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20009)
