Something we hear often when talking to individuals and
churches about starting HIV ministries is, “I’m not a medical
professional – what can my church offer people living with HIV?” The great news
is, you don’t have to be a medical professional to make a difference for people
living with HIV. The world of HIV and AIDS overlaps with so many other areas
your church may already be serving in – things that can help meet the spiritual
and physical needs of people living with HIV, not just their medical needs. Below
are five areas of ministry you may not have considered as you serve people
living with HIV:
Celebrate Recovery ™
Celebrate Recovery (CR) helps people become free of hurts,
habits and hang ups that can lead to risky behavior and HIV infection. Key helpful
areas of growth include CR groups tailored for chemical dependency and sexual
addiction. Celebrate Recovery also provides a space to heal in other areas of
life that people living with HIV may struggle in – including codependency,
anger, and love and relationship addiction. If your church doesn’t have a
Celebrate Recovery Ministry, visit http://www.celebraterecovery.com to find out
how you can start a CR or locate groups near you. With Celebrate Recovery in
thousands of churches across the country and around the world, there’s many to
choose from!
Mental Health
There is much overlap between the worlds of HIV and mental
health. Those living with mental illness have increased risk for contracting
and transmitting HIV.1 Additionally, people living with HIV often
experience co-occurring mental health issues, including “affective disorders
(eg, major depression, bipolar disorder), substance abuse disorders, cognitive
disorders, psychotic disorders, and/or anxiety disorders.”1 If your
church would like help starting a mental health or counseling ministry, visit http://hope4mentalhealth.com.
Orphan Care
We always say that you can’t care about HIV without caring
about orphans, and you can’t care about orphans without caring about HIV. The
issues of HIV and orphans are linked – in Africa alone there are over 18
million children orphaned by AIDS, and children who grow up as orphans are at
much higher risk for contracting HIV. Orphan care ministries in the church help
vulnerable children find permanent families and can help orphaned children
living with HIV receive the care they need in a family. To learn more about how
your church can start an orphan care ministry and work towards ending the
orphan crisis, visit www.OrphansandtheChurch.com.
Physical Health –
Daniel Plan
Physical activity and healthy eating can be challenging for people
living with HIV, yet key to maintaining overall health. The Daniel Plan is a
program made to equip people with the tools and skills to achieve a healthy
lifestyle with the support of the church community. Designed to help people
have more energy to serve in their church, the Daniel Plan combines the five
“essentials” - Faith, Food, Fitness, Focus and Friends together to help
individuals restore and sustain long-term health. For more information, visit https://danielplan.com/
Financial Planning
and Budgeting
In our local ministry, many of our people living with HIV
have to go on permanent disability and live on a fixed income. For some, the
transition is difficult, and they have benefited greatly from our church’s
financial planning ministry. If your church doesn’t have a formal financial
planning class, there is likely someone in your church or your ministry with a
little experience in budgeting and saving who would be willing to share their
knowledge with people in your ministry. We’re always looking for ways to
empower ministry members with a hand up rather than simply a hand out. One
member of our ministry who had struggled consistently with financial needs
finally shared that he had never in his life written out a budget to see where
his money was going. Some simple budget training is helping him live more
independently.
If you would like additional information on any of these
ministries, or to learn more about how your church can serve people living with
HIV and AIDS, email HIV@saddleback.com or call 949-609-8555.
1. "Mental Health and HIV/AIDS," Psychiatric Times