The College Ministry had the incredible privilege of partnering with Saddleback’s HIV&AIDS Initiative to promote World AIDS Day and Compassion Weekend at Saddleback Church. On December 1 and 2nd the entire weekend experience was devoted to the HIV&AIDS crisis, God’s heart for the sick, and the “Getting to Zero” campaign, which seeks to get to zero babies born with HIV, zero stigma and discrimination attached to HIV&AIDS, zero AIDS-related deaths, and zero children in Rwandan orphanages by 2015. We invited our students to several meetings leading up to our campus outreach to get their input into things, help them understand more about HIV&AIDS, and give them ownership over our outreach activities. These meetings helped spark tons of creative ideas and built excitement and momentum leading up to World AIDS Day and Compassion Weekend, plus we were able to plan out what our strategy to promote World AIDS Day looked like on local community college campuses....
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Timothy Ray Brown came to Saddleback this World AIDS Day. Timothy, the only person ever confirmed to be cured of HIV infection after 40 years of this plague. Tim Brown, known to every person with AIDS, every doctor around the world fighting this miserable plague, as the “Berlin Patient” after one of the most daring medical procedures in history, a procedure which cured him of HIV after being diagnosed with an AIDS related cancer that was threatening his life.
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Why World AIDS Day matters more then ever this year
The first thing I learned when I became a Christian less then 7 years ago was that watching TV can be a problem. One of the few indulgences I allow myself is cable TV, so I can watch C-Span and CNBC for my work. Except for a very few Christian broadcasts, most of what ‘s on TV doesn’t help to make our faith stronger, our understanding of the Word greater or our hearts more open to God’s interest in our lives....
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World AIDS Day 2012 is past – but, oh, what an incredible day at Saddleback Church! Months of planning culminated in thousands of attendees hearing from Timothy Brown – the Berlin Patient – the first man cured of HIV, Gene and Chris Landers, a discordant couple, and 13 year old Cynthia Styffe, a former Rwandan orphan adopted by a Saddleback family....
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World AIDS Day is a day to remember. There are so many things to remember. We remember the millions who are infected with HIV and the millions more who have already died. We also remember the children. We often say, “You can’t care about orphans without caring about HIV, and you can’t care about HIV without caring for the orphan.” These are the sad World AIDS Day Statistics regarding children:...
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My first trip to Africa to learn about HIV&AIDS was full of unforgettable sights, sounds, and experiences. The men and women living with HIV I met moved me to tears; their brave struggle to live touched a very deep place in my soul. It was on this trip in 2003 that I first heard the words from desperate mothers that I have since heard on nearly every continent: “What will happen to my children when I die? Who will care for them once they know I’ve died of AIDS?” ...
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Together, we are celebrating the 35th Anniversary of Latino/Latina Hispanic Heritage Month, September 15 – October 15, 2012, a fiesta for all Americans to express appreciation for Latino/Latina contributions and culture. In this short blog series, I want to humbly pass on a few words of encouragement from this pastor’s heart to my Latino brothers and Latina sisters on how to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month and defeat HIV&AIDS. The third thing you can do is…
Follow the Encouragements of Your Faith
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Part Three: Choose Your Influential Friends Wisely
Together, we are celebrating the 35th Anniversary of Latino/Latina Hispanic Heritage Month, September 15 – October 15, 2012, a fiesta for all Americans to express appreciation for Latino/Latina contributions and culture. In this short blog series, I want to humbly pass on a few words of encouragement from this pastor’s heart to my Latino brothers and Latina sisters on how to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month and defeat HIV&AIDS. The second thing you can do is…
Choose Your Influential Friends Wisely
You can be an acquaintance and friend with anyone, but not all acquaintances and friends will be influential enough to affect your family’s purpose, principles, morals and values. Influential friends help shape your family. You can and should choose your influential friends wisely. ...
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Together, we are celebrating the 35th Anniversary of Latino/Latina Hispanic Heritage Month, September 15 – October 15, 2012, a fiesta for all Americans to express appreciation for Latino/Latina contributions and culture. In this short blog series, I want to humbly pass on a few words of encouragement from this pastor’s heart to my Latino brothers and Latina sisters on how to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month and defeat HIV&AIDS. The very first thing you can do is…
Continue to Keep Your “Familia” Strong
Gregory Nava, Latino film-maker, is clear, "Familia is the very center of Latino culture… the strongest thing about us and the most universal." One of the great gifts Hispanics give humanity is love for strong families. So, here’s a summary of wise advice on “familia” I have learned from Latino brothers and sisters over the years:...
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