Title: ELCA Hosts Consultation on HIV, AIDS ELCA NEWS SERVICE
September 27, 2007
ELCA Hosts Consultation on HIV, AIDS 07-157-MRC
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is in the process of developing a national church strategy on HIV and AIDS. The church hosted a consultation on HIV and AIDS here Sept. 7-9 that called together about 65 Lutherans from the United States and overseas to help guide the church's work in developing the strategy.
"Be attentive to the voices of those living with and affected by HIV and AIDS. Together we will find the courage to confront the continued marginalization and stigmatization that impacts those living with and affected by HIV and AIDS," said the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, ELCA presiding bishop, in a video greeting to participants.
Hanson said participants should be imaginative in building capacity to respond to challenges, find new ways to create awareness and engage in accompaniment and advocacy. He encouraged participants to continue their collaboration with one another.
"We as religious people want to be involved on the ground as centers giving health resources, and to participate in education and advocacy," said Hanson. "Be prophetic in speaking truth that not all have equal access to resources. This is a human rights issue and HIV and AIDS cannot be separated from issues of wealth, poverty and justice. This involves approbation, legislation and education."
Special guests of the consultation included Lutherans from Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East and Latin America, who shared stories and experiences of their work surrounding HIV and AIDS and offered the ELCA advice on issues and topics that a strategy on HIV and AIDS might address. Representatives from the Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance, Lutheran AIDS Network, UNAIDS, and the Lutheran World Federation also attended the consultation.
The consultation served as a "listening post to hear voices from around the world and to gather input for an ELCA churchwide strategy on HIV and AIDS," according to Lita Brusick Johnson, associate executive director, ELCA Global Mission.
The consultation was "an opportunity to take stock of what we have been doing and see how we might engage more deeply and comprehensively in the future, to move from a crisis-response mode toward a more thoughtful campaign that would bring more synergy between domestic and international aspects of the work," said Brusick Johnson.
Information, stories and advice offered at the consultation were recorded and will be passed on to a writing team that will articulate some possible recommendations for the church to consider, said Josselyn N. Bennett, director for poverty ministries, ELCA Church and Society. This process will lead to a strategy on HIV and AIDS for the ELCA. "The strategy will be brought to the ELCA Church Council for (consideration) in 2008 and reported to the 2009 ELCA Churchwide Assembly," said Bennett.
The 2007 ELCA Churchwide Assembly called for the development of the strategy. - - -
Information about the ELCA's ministry on HIV and AIDS is at http://www.ELCA.org/aids and the ELCA's message on AIDS is at http://www.ELCA.org/socialstatements/aids on the church's Web site.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or news@elca.org http://www.elca.org/news ELCA News Blog: http://www.elca.org/news/blog