San Francisco Chronicle - May 13, 2005
Jason B. Johnson at jbjohnson@sfchronicle.com.

At least 60 representatives of several dozen churches, including three Bay Area congregations, are meeting at Faithful Central Bible Church in Los Angeles to develop a "faith-based" education and outreach plan.

African Americans account for more than half the nation's estimated 40, 000 new HIV infections each year, though they make up only 12 percent of the U. S. population. In California, African Americans account for 20 percent of HIV cases and 18 percent of AIDS cases -- almost triple their proportion of the state's overall population, the California Health Services Department Office of AIDS reported last year. Just 6.7 percent of California residents are black.

"This is a tremendous disparity," said Kevin Farrell, acting chief of the office's education and prevention branch. "We've had our challenges in speaking to this community."

The Statewide HIV/AIDS Church Outreach Advisory Board, which includes representatives of 20 churches, has worked with state AIDS prevention officials since 1999 to help people infected with HIV.

The religious leaders want to develop programs churches can use. The Outreach board has printed a guidebook for pastors on starting an HIV ministry. "I think the church can have a huge impact, particularly because of all the ongoing activities that happen there," said Gloria Crowell, co-chair of the AIDS ministry at Oakland's Allen Temple Baptist Church, who will attend the event.

Leaders at today's meeting planned to discuss ways to help churches reach out to worshipers from the pulpit by making HIV prevention part of their overall mission. About 150 black churches have taken part in activities staged by the organization.

Farrell said it can be hard to reach African Americans because of myths afloat in the black community that AIDS was created to harm minority populations and that treatment does not work.

"Working with the pastors really gives us an in with the community that we might not have had before," said Farrell. "These folks get to people that we really didn't have a way of reaching."

HIV prevention can be a tough issue for black churches to take on. AIDS is often associated with taboos such as homosexuality, drug use and promiscuity. For years, health advocates and some community groups have criticized black clergy for failing to take a leadership role on AIDS.

Rev. Brondon Reems, pastor of Oakland's 2,000-member Center of Hope Community, said representatives of his church would come today, believing that AIDS has become a top priority among black churches.

"In the beginning, churches were very skeptical about talking about it," said Reems. "Now we're in a place where every church, every ministry has been affected by this disease."

Center of Hope is active in HIV education. Some sermons discuss AIDS prevention and include prayers for families that have lost loved ones to the disease. Even so, Reems said AIDS can be tough to discuss within the church if it's not addressed with a focus on the need for education and prevention.

"Our message is trying to go forward to get the word to young people, who need to be tested,'' said Reems.

Since 1987, Allen Temple members and volunteers from other Oakland churches have been staging workshops at area schools and churches. One last year featured former NBA star Magic Johnson, who was diagnosed as HIV positive in 1991.

Members also take donated medical supplies and clothing to needy communities in the African nation of Zimbabwe twice a year, said Crowell.

"There are women's departments, youth departments, groups that meet every Sunday," said Crowell. "We should try to integrate HIV efforts into the regular (church) activities."

Communications professor Lenard Steinhorn at American University in Washington, D.C., who has written extensively about African American culture and race relations, said churches can have a major impact in changing perceptions about AIDS within the black community.

"(Churches are) an important part of the community," said Steinhorn. "Black people are the most religious of Americans."

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