November 25, 2008
by Gregg Brekke

December 1, 2008, marks the 20th anniversary of World AIDS Day. Since 1988, the face and response to AIDS has greatly changed. While many of these changes are positive, this anniversary offers us an opportunity to highlight how much more still needs to be done.

Leadership is the theme for World AIDS Day 2007 and 2008, promoted with the campaigning slogan, "Stop AIDS. Keep the Promise."

Leadership encourages leaders at all levels to stop AIDS. Building on the 2006 theme of accountability, leadership highlights the discrepancy between the commitments that have been made to halt the spread of AIDS, and actions taken to follow them through. Leadership empowers everyone – individuals, organizations, governments – to lead in the response to AIDS.

The Rev. Michael Schuenemeyer, UCC minister for HIV and AIDS, and global health, spoke on a World AIDS Day media call Nov. 25, saying, "There is no question whether people of faith have an important role to play [in the fight against HIV/AIDS] ... The question is whether we will fulfill it. For the sake of the 33 million living with HIV and an entire world affected by this pandemic (and the US is a part of this world affected by HIV), must fulfill our role and commit in real and practical ways today to keep our promise to stop AIDS."

World AIDS Day began in 1988 when health ministers from around the world met and agreed on the concept of the day as an opportunity for all of us to come together to demonstrate the importance of AIDS and show solidarity for the cause. In 2008, this underlining principle of solidarity and awareness remains the same.

Oliver Martin, co-chair of the Riverside Church (UCC/American Baptist) Global HIV and AIDS Ministry in New York City, recalled the history of his church's involvement in HIV/AIDS activism.

"In 1986 we, as a church body, especially in New York City, were starting to understand the issues of those living with HIV/AIDS," Martin said. "There were quite a few people in the congregation with AIDS and the Rev. [James] Forbes and the Rev. [William Sloane] Coffin were both doing hospital visits."

Martin noted that in 1986 AIDS sufferers were under strict quarantine. Those who cared for them were required to wear masks and protective clothing, resulting in many funeral directors refusing to take the bodies of those who had died.

"Under Rev. Coffin we formed the HIV/AIDS task force that worked with families and individuals, provide care and support, and negotiated with funeral homes," Martin said. "We were caring for people and doing a lot of advocacy as a church."

Riverside Church joined with other faith bodies in 1988 for the first day of remembrance as called for by the World AIDS Campaign and the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). "We joined in World AIDS Day as a vehicle of the United Nations," said Martin. "Many of our members are affiliated with the United Nation so it was a natural fit … we've been part of it ever since."

The Rev. Keith Haithcock, pastor at St. John UCC in Bellevue, Ky., has coordinated an ecumenical World AIDS Day remembrance since 1999. This year marks the church's ninth service and hosts leaders from seven Christian faith traditions in their commemoration.

"We have a member who is on staff at the Northern Kentucky Health Department," said Haithcock, "[The Health Department] had always done a World AIDS Day observance of some sort – and we got involved and invited other churches in to participate."

Interest from other churches ebbed over time but Haithcock found his congregation eager to take on the task of organizing and hosting the service which has become a mainstay of the church's worship calendar.

St. John's World AIDS Day prayer service follows a format developed at the International AIDS Conference in July 2008. The service begins with candles being lit around the church. Throughout the service a bell is rung and a candle is snuffed out to remember that every 15 seconds someone in the world dies of AIDS-related illnesses. Clergy from the area and other readers lead in prayers and scripture and the choir and other musicians lead in chants and hymns.

Haithcock sees the impact this service has on area churches and individuals. "We are perhaps one of the only congregations in the greater Cincinnati area who has a World AIDS Day service," he said. "If for no other reason that that, we need to continue to remember those with AIDS and advocate for renewed leadership."

2008 AIDS Facts

Although treatment for HIV and AIDS has improved and become more widespread since 1988, many still do not have access to it – in 2007 only 31 percent of those in low- to middle-income countries who need treatment received it.

Despite HIV awareness now reaching nearly all areas of the globe, infection rates are still happening 2.7 times faster than the increase in number of people receiving treatment.

While the number of countries protecting people living with HIV continues to increase, one third of countries still lack legal protections and stigma and discrimination continues to be a major threat to universal access.

Young people, 15-24 years of age, accounted for 45 percent of all new HIV infections in adults in 2007.

More broadly, real action on HIV and AIDS and human rights remains lacking. Legal barriers to HIV services still exist for groups such as women, adolescents, sex workers, people who use drugs, and men having sex with men, and programmatic responses promoting HIV related human rights have yet to be prioritized.

United Church of Christ News Service