Resources for Faith Communities
Don’t forget: although many of these materials were prepared specifically for World AIDS Day, they can be used year round. Every week provides an opportunity for you to take these issues to your spiritual community. Whether you're a member of the clergy, a Sunday school teacher, a prayer group participant, or just an occasional attendee, you can bring your concerns about global AIDS to your community and provide inspiration and ways to get involved. World AIDS Day, the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence, and other international observances are especially relevant occasions to raise awareness among your fellow worshipers.
Following is a selection of available resources, listed according to faith. This list is by no means exhaustive. If you know of important resources we haven't included, please email grassroots@globalaidsalliance.org, and we'll add them to this list.
For a general overview of the faith community and HIV/AIDS, visit the Council of Religious AIDS Networks website. In addition, you may want to look at Developing Sermons on HIV/AIDS, by Rev. Dr. James A. Forbes, Jr., of the Riverside Church in New York City. Click here to read.
Catholic
Ecumenical
Episcopal
Jewish
Lutheran
Muslim
Presbyterian
Unitarian Universalist
United Methodist
Catholic Resources
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) observes World AIDS Day, especially through the participation of its Hispanic Affairs division. Online resources include liturgy in English and Spanish and information about Hispanics and HIV/AIDS.
The Secretariat for African American Catholics also has information on World AIDS Day. The USCCB has general information about HIV/AIDS and nonviolence on its Social Development and World Peace website. In addition, you may want to visit the National Catholic AIDS Network.
Thanks to Joseph Healy, Sister Kay Lawlor, and Kitovu Hospital in Masaka, Uganda, we also have an African AIDS Way of the Cross available. Click here to download.
Ecumenical Resources
The Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance, a broad ecumenical network for advocacy on global HIV/AIDS, global trade, and related social justice issues, produces a range of World AIDS Day materials, from sample worship to action ideas. Click here to learn more.
In conjunction with the Decade to Overcome Violence, the World Council of Churches has a program specific to addressing violence against women and children in the church community.
On the Wings of a Dove also has a series of resources on violence against women and children, as well as activities specifically targeted at the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence. Click here to learn more.
Episcopal Resources
The National Episcopal AIDS Coalition has a series of resources available, which can help you shape an Episcopal response to this global catastrophe.
Jewish Resources
American Jewish World Service, an international development organization motivated by Judaism’s imperative to pursue justice, provides a range of Jewish perspectives on HIV/AIDS that you can incorporate into services or other religious activities on World AIDS Day or anytime throughout the year. Topics include the value of human life, protecting the body, and visiting the sick.
In addition, the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism provides an overview of global HIV/AIDS and Jewish perspectives on it, along with links to action alerts.
Lutheran Resources
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has dedicated a portion of its website to World AIDS Day. There you will find a range of liturgical materials, as well as an overview of HIV/AIDS and its relationship to issues such as gender, age, and stigma and discrimination. Click here to plan your Lutheran service.
To bring related issues into your HIV/AIDS service, take a look at other ELCA statements. For example, here is a statement on violence in our homes and communities.
You might also want to check out the ELCA Advocacy Toolkit, which describes advocacy on global issues from the Evangelical Lutheran perspective and suggests ways to get involved.
Muslim Resources
Amir Al-Islam's An African-American Muslim Perspective on the AIDS Crisis in the United States provides a framework for Muslim action and discourse on HIV/AIDS prevention and response.
Presbyterian Resources
The Presbyterian Church USA is also encouraging its congregations to observe World AIDS Day with materials on its website. A sermon by Ann Jones, Our Church Has HIV/AIDS, is based in part on Donald Messer's book, Breaking the Conspiracy of Silence. Don’t forget that you can modify sample sermons to fit your community and your concerns.
Unitarian Universalist Resources
The Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations has prepared a toolkit for your World AIDS Day planning. In addition, the UUA Washington Office for Advocacy has a list of materials about global HIV/AIDS, including a sample sermon and a Q&A document.
United Methodist Resources
The United Methodist Church's General Board of Church and Society has a dedicated World AIDS Day web page with lots of information to help you include AIDS in upcoming worship services. You can also take a look at the UMC General Board of Global Ministries in New York, which features a sample worship service and links to educational resources. The UMC Global Ministries also has a selection of HIV/AIDS worship materials.
None of the UMC materials speaks directly to the intersection of violence and HIV/AIDS, but the General Board of Church and Society has provided a sample sermon on domestic violence, which you can incorporate into your World AIDS Day services or any other service that focuses on risk factors for HIV/AIDS. Click here to download a PDF file of Battered Lives, Battered Faith: The United Methodist Church Addresses Domestic Violence.