| Forum to study challenge of AIDS and black church BY MELISSA LAUBER UMCONNECTION STAFF  Joycelyn Elders, a former surgeon general of the United States, will speak at an open discussion on AIDS and the black church Dec. 6-7 at the Washington Plaza Hotel in Washington, D.C. The discussion, sponsored by the Board of Global Ministries and hosted by the Baltimore-Washington Conference, addresses the AIDS pandemic sweeping through the black community. Statistics released by Centers for Disease Control should be a wake-up call to the church, said Associate Council Director Sandy Ferguson. AIDS is now the leading cause of death among African Americans between the ages of 25 and 44. Of the estimated 40,000 new HIV infections in the United States each year, more than half occur among black men and women, even though African-Americans constitute only 13 percent of the population. More than 80 percent of all HIV-positive children in the United States are black and the infection rate among black teens in the United States doubles each year, the Centers for Disease Control reported. The sad fact, Ferguson pointed out, is that AIDS is 100 percent preventable. According to a report by Stephen Thomas for the General Board of Global Ministries, the African American church is the bellwether barometer of African-American thought. Stigmas around drugs and homosexuality are the engines that have driven the African-American church community into denial. The upcoming discussion on AIDS, titled Silent No More, is designed to break down that denial. Elders is scheduled to speak at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 6. Elders, who was fired from the office of Surgeon General in 1994, is an outspoken advocate for AIDS education. If we dont stand up and fight for what we believe in, we deserve what we get, she wrote in the book Hard Won Wisdom. On Dec. 7, a series of panel discussions and workshops will be held on a variety of topics from theological perspectives on AIDS to preparing local churches for HIV ministry. The cost of the event, which includes meals, is $90 for a single room and $100 for a double room. To register contact Priti Khanna at (800) 309-3400, Ext. 437, or
. | 
Login/Register to leave comment