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Minister Takes HIV Test at Church

Associated Press - Monday, November 25, 2002

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- A Baptist minister took an HIV test in front of his congregation then implored parishioners to do the same after church as part of an effort to raise awareness about AIDS.

Of the 700 members of the True Bethel Baptist Church who watched the Rev. Darius G. Pridgen endure the needle prick, 105 stopped by a nearby charter school to be tested for the virus that causes AIDS, the Buffalo News reported.

Before lively hymns and scripture readings during Sunday worship, Pridgen warned dozens of teenagers in the church about the dangers of sex and promiscuity. "Once you catch (AIDS), you don't just get rid of it. Do not let yourselves die for a few minutes of pleasure," he said.

The effort for mass HIV screening through a church is believed to be one of the first of its kind in the nation, organizers said.
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