Last Wednesday Pastor Rick Warren testified during a hearing of
the Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs along with US
Ambassador for AIDS Deborah Birx, head of the Global Fund Dr. Mark Dybul, and
Sir Elton John. During the panel, which focused on global health, Pastor Rick
shared with the Senators the impact that has been made through the PEACE Plan
when local churches are leveraged as key stakeholders in the fight against HIV
and AIDS and other pandemic diseases.
“In much of the world, the church is the only sector outside
of the capital,” he told the Subcommittee. “Even if we have all of the meds for
TB, AIDS, HIV, Malaria, and all the other diseases, the issue of distribution
will not be solved unless we involve the local churches . . . If we’re going to
absolutely eradicate these diseases, we’ve got to do a combination of the faith
sector, the public, and the private sector.”
To eradicate HIV, Malaria, and TB, Pastor Rick argued, a new approach is needed: “First we must form a new perspective on
foreign assistance. Second we must forget a new partnership in distribution,
and third, we must fund a new priority in the budget.”
Pastor Rick highlighted the fact that contrary to popular
belief, foreign aid is less than 1% of the US federal budget. Such aid, he
argued, is an incredibly efficient investment, as money spent saving lives all
over the world creates friends that become important allies rather than
potential enemies in the era of global terrorism.
“Medicine cost less than tanks. And the resources that we budget
from humanitarian relief programs can really save us from spending far far more
to send soldiers when resentment boils over. It’s strategically smart for
America’s security and safety, to help people who are in pain,” he told those
assembled.
Watch the full panel below:
For more information on how you and your church can become involved, please email HIV@saddleback.com or call 949-609-8555.
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