HIV/AIDS Initiative

My Brother's/Sister's Keeper

Wed, 15 May 2013 03:45:00 GMT

By Jeannie Wraight and David Miller

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If someone you care about has recently tested positive for HIV, you may be at a loss concerning how to help him/her. There are no how-to books or cookie-cutter approaches, but we would like to offer some ideas for how you can come alongside and support him/her.

For most people, an HIV diagnosis is an extremely emotional, life-changing and traumatic event. �Feelings of guilt, shame, fear, anger, disappointment and sadness are intertwined with a sudden confrontation with one's own mortality. Almost every aspect of a person's life may seem suddenly unstable.� The present and future of personal health, intimate and social relationships, community standing, job security, and financial viability all seem at risk. The lingering stigma that is still attached to HIV adds another complicating layer to an already overwhelming situation.

It is not uncommon for people to want to isolate themselves, so a strong support system is often a Godsend. �Here are five things you can do as "my brother's/sister's keeper" to help someone who is newly diagnosed with HIV:

1.� Offer your unconditional support. Let him/her know that you are there for him/her and you will stand by him/her and not leave him/her to face life alone.

2. �You will experience your own distress at your friend's new predicament during this time. Try to separate any turmoil you may be feeling from your interactions with the person as much as possible, at least until they have gotten a grasp on their own situation.

3.� You will both likely experience sadness, disappointment, anger and/or fear. �Consider going together and speaking to a pastor, therapist or another professional that can help you deal with the personal struggles you are facing. �It's important to deal with the new realities and deep feelings, but remember, the person who is newly diagnosed needs you to be strong, non-judgemental and full of faith and strength in order to face tomorrow.

4.� Educate yourself. There is a ton (and we mean A TON) of information on the internet about HIV. �Start with the basics at the Centers for Disease Control, www.cdc.gov/hiv/, and Kaiser Family Foundation, www.kff.org/hivaids. www.TheBody.com is an excellent and reliable source of information regarding all aspects of HIV. �For your soul-health and a faith perspective, try Saddleback Church's www.hivaidsinitiative.com.� Always search for the most current information you can find. �Millions of people have travelled this same road, so there is no reason to reinvent the wheel. �

Most questions you or the person you care about may have regarding health, medication, health insurance, employment, legal issues, government assistance etc. have been asked and answered, and here is some information will help guide you:

.� http://www.hivlawandpolicy.org/resourceCategories/view/3

.� http://www.thewellproject.org/en_US/Womens_Center/HIV_and_Disclosure.jsp

.� http://www.aidsmeds.com/articles/Disclosure_7568.shtml

.� http://www.aac.org/get-info/health-library-topics/disclosure-telling-others.html

.� http://www.aidsmap.com/page/1442642/

5.� Understand and assure the person who is newly diagnosed that HOPE is greater than HIV.� HIV is no longer a death sentence. Yes, life is going to change, but that does not have to be a horrible thing. A person living with HIV can thrive in a long, happy and productive life with the help of a good doctor, a drug regimen that best suits the HIV positive person's needs, a clear and educated understanding of the virus, a commitment to take care of oneself, and a confident and hopeful attitude.

Finally, receiving an HIV diagnosis can be a very difficult thing. The support of a caring family member or friend like you can make all the difference in the world, and you can be the catalyst to a bright, healthy future for your friend.

A Turning Tide...

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 17:00:00 GMT

Report from the 20^th Conference on Retrovirology and Opportunistic Infections (CROI)

Written by Mariel Selbovitz, MPH and David Miller

At the 20^th Conference on Retrovirology and Opportunistic Infections (CROI), which concluded this past week, Dr. Francois Dabis, from ANRS (Agence Nationale de Recherche sur le Sida/National Research Agency on AIDS) in France, gave a presentation, "Is the End of AIDS in Sight?"� At this critical symposium on achieving an "AIDS-free generation," Dr. Dabis defined the end of AIDS as (1) no more AIDS-defining events or deaths, with (2) less than 350,000 new infections per year worldwide, (3) elimination of new HIV infections in children and (4) disease control.� While his comments seemed to indicate a turning tide, he also asserted that there is not enough data to speculate about the end of AIDS.

Yet, waves of scientific breakthroughs as reported in peer-reviewed publications and general media, as well as political talk of an "AIDS-free generation" have recently flooded our attention.� When the first International AIDS Conference was held in Atlanta in 1985, scientific response to the AIDS crisis was hindered by a drought of both political will and allocation of resources.� Lately, we have seen significant gains in the prevention of mother-to-child-transmission, the advent of HAART, expanded access to treatment, and the adoption of the test and treat model. Today, we are seeing the ebb of new infections in Africa but are awash with growing infections in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and other parts of the world.

At this watershed moment in the course of the AIDS crisis, we see both a deluge of opportunity and a return to a drought of despair.� Leading scientists offer hope by forecasting either the universal induction of replicative incompetence via an effective therapeutic vaccine or new antiviral approaches to which resistance does not develop, which would effectively be a viable functional cure.� Scientific feasibility, increased financial investment, strong political commitment and popular support can make these predictions come true.� However, Sequestration parches, threatening to devastate every aspect of HIV&AIDS scape, from service provision by ASOs (AIDS Service Organizations), to groundbreaking biomedical interventions, to publicly funded programs such as ADAP (AIDS Drug Assistant Program) and PEPFAR (The United States President's Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief).

Staying with our water and weather analogies, "Where's the rain?"

We think the Church is, has been and could be, the "showers of blessing" needed in these critical days.� The Church can accelerate clinical efforts toward achieving an "AIDS-free generation" and "Getting to Zero" by ministering to millions still without access to treatment and care, and many more millions who suffer from food insufficiency, lack of access to clean water, and basic medical care.� Churches around the world, big and small, now have the opportunity to turn the tide both domestically and internationally by starting food pantries, missions, and advocacy that emphasizes the value of every life, demands the implementation of the hard-won advances and restores the hope of the theme of the XIX International AIDS Conference, "Turning the Tide Together!"�

The tide is turning for millions of people living with HIV.� The question is, "Will we keep that incoming tide rolling with positive momentum through the vision and action of the Church?"

For more information on CROI: http://retroconference.org. For more information on how the Church is helping - and your church can help: www.hivaidsinitiative.com.�

HIV and Pregnancy: The Outlook is Positive!

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 17:00:00 GMT

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By: Jeannie Wraight

Being very public about my HIV diagnosis and writing for several HIV publications, I'm constantly receiving emails from people living with HIV, telling me their stories and asking questions.� One issue that comes up a lot in these communications is pregnancy.

Couples who are both HIV-positive and those who are negative with positive partners ask if it is safe to have children because they are unsure.

The answer is, very simply, "Yes! HIV-positive people can have healthy, HIV negative children!"

There is a large body of research which shows that if the mother is on ARV's (antiretroviral drugs) there is less than a 2 percent risk of her baby being born positive: ""Today, the risk of giving HIV to your newborn is below 2 percent. But you and the baby must get the right HIV drugs at the right times... ". (WomensHealth.gov http://www.womenshealth.gov/hiv-aids/living-with-hiv-aids/pregnancy-and-hiv.cfm). �Of course, 2 percent is still a significant risk, especially as only 3 percent of all newborns have birth defects (http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/birthdefects/index.html).

Anecdotally, I've known hundreds of HIV-positive women, and not one has given birth to an HIV-positive child while on HIV antiretrovirals. That doesn't mean it never happens.� It's just much more rare, especially if ARV's are taken properly and consistently.

Great strides have been made in protecting an HIV negative partner from possible infection during attempts to become pregnant.� Over the past several years, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) has been shown to decrease the risk of HIV infection significantly.� It is a new HIV prevention method in which people who do not have HIV take a daily pill to reduce their risk of becoming infected.

PrEP can be used for longer and shorter periods of time while trying to conceive. It should only taken under medical supervision, and the same vigilance in assuring 100% adherence to medication must be applied for an HIV-negative person as with an HIV-positive person.

Deciding whether to have children or not is a very personal decision made in light of important facts and risks. The crucial thing to remember is that it can be done much more safely than in the past.� So, factor in your HIV status along with other important aspects of your life and make your decision, whatever it maybe.� You, your partner, God, wise counsel and informed consideration of the risks can be invaluable guides.

Faith in Action

Mon, 01 Apr 2013 17:00:00 GMT

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By Kay Warren

On March 7, 2013, I had the opportunity to be on a panel entitled, "US Policy Priorities for Women's Global Health in the Second Obama Term," at the Center for Strategic International Studies in Washington, DC.� The event was to highlight International Women's Day (March 8), by focusing attention on issues that directly affect women's health and well-being.

There were presentations from HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius; Christie Turlington Burns of Saving Mothers, Giving Life; Kristie Mikus, the PEPFAR county director in Zambia; Dr. Phil Nieburg and Carla Koppell, the Senior Advisor for Women's Equality and Empowerment at USAID.� My topic was, "The Rwandan Faith Community Response to Women's Health and Well-Being."

Saddleback Church's PEACE Plan has been active in Rwanda since 2005, and in partnership with the churches of Rwanda - and in many instances the government of Rwanda - we have collaborated in efforts around HIV&AIDS, orphan care, poverty reduction, illiteracy, clean water, land grabbing, training community healthcare workers, leadership development and church health.� More recently, we have expanded our efforts to include three more issues that directly affect women's health and well-being:

�� HPV Vaccinations.� More than 135,000, 12-15 year old girls have been vaccinated against HPV in Rwanda in the last two years through the Pink Ribbon Red Ribbon Initiative.� In the churches with which we partner with, we encourage the pastors to promote the HPV vaccination.� Because the vaccine is new to Rwanda, we have witnessed an ongoing suspicion of Western vaccinations as well as fear of a vaccine related to a sexually transmitted disease.�

But the pastors who are at the community level can be "legitimizers," trusted sources of information in every congregation who can dispel myths and stigma.� Through the PEACE Plan's Clinical Church- which is an effort to link the church to healthcare at the grassroots level, pastors are becoming powerful allies for better health for the women and girls of their congregations.

�� Economic Empowerment. �Since 2008, more than 300 savings groups have been established through local churches.� Each group sets its own rules and standards for participation.� Most require a "seed" donation of 5,000 Rwanda francs ($3 US).� The group decides how they want to use the shared savings.� It is an incredible wealth-creation vehicle for rural women who live in extreme poverty.� Since 2008, they have saved $1 million US!

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�� Gender-Based Violence (GBV). �The statistics are shocking.� According to the World Health Organization, among women aged 15-44 years, GBV accounts for more death and disability than cancer, malaria, traffic injuries, and war put together.

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Through the Orphan Care Initiative, the Rwandan pastors have been exposed to training on GBV.� Last week, at a presentation by the CDC to my colleague and 20 lay social workers being trained by Saddleback, one pastor reported that he used to preach that a woman needed to endure beatings when her husband was drunk because that was her role as a wife.� After just one training last year, he changed his mind entirely.� He met with his denominational leaders and now has a program at his church that includes volunteers going as a group to confront men who are threatening or harming women and children.� They now report abuse to the authorities, bring violence out into the open of the community and have created a safe place for women to go in the community to find safety in an emergency.�

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The faith community - the church - has a vital role to play in creating better lives for women and girls - from vaccinations, to economic empowerment, to protecting them from gender-based violence. �This is the church at its best, putting faith into action.

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"For Such a Time as This."

Thu, 14 Mar 2013 17:00:00 GMT

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By Pastor Bill Mugford

Facing the twin specter of the annihilation of her marginalized people and exposing a ruthless henchman in a death-defying act of speaking truth to power, the Biblical Queen Esther chose to believe she had arrived on the world stage with a mandate, posed as a question: "And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?" (Esther 4:14).

This week, a new Pope is elected.� It is not a "royal position," but many - including himself - seem to believe that Francis comes to a position of leadership for a little more than one-half of the world's Christians, ".for such a time as this."

By choosing his papal name, Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio of Argentina distinguishes himself as Pope Francis I and - in what is termed an "unprecedented" way - links himself to two others known for poverty, pastoral, priestly and protector gifts.

Like St. Francis of Assisi, this Pope takes Jesus' admonition, "Blessed are the poor," (Luke 6:20), seriously: vowing poverty; selling a luxurious Archbishop's residence; living as Cardinal in a tiny Buenos Aires apartment; cooking for himself; and riding the work-a-day bus with his parishioners in the bustling chaos of a developing-world city.

Emulating St. Francis and reminiscent of the towel-bearing Great Shepherd, Jesus (John 13:1-17), this Pope is unabashedly a pastor who leads by example, admirably washing and kissing the feet of AIDS patients on their deathbeds in hospice and embracing the callouses of drug users with a servant's hands.� There is no room for stigma in this fearlessly compassionate shepherd's heart.

As St. Francis cared deeply for his 12^th century Church in ruins, so this Francis is determined to live out his priestly calling as "pontiff"(lit. "bridge-builder"): representing God to the world; proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus with integrity, humility and simplicity; and representing the people to God while rebuilding the Church - a daunting task.

Finally, Francis I is akin to his other namesake, St. Francis Xavier, the penultimate Jesuit.� This new Jesuit Pope - the first of his kind - is educated, intellectual and as accustomed as his predecessor to speaking Biblical truth to secular power.� He is a renowned activist-apologist, standing against abortion and for traditional marriage to the displeasure of his Argentinian President.� While the Gospel is surely "a lion which needs no defending," the advocate-protector of doctrine is clearly the role of this, and every, Christian elder (Titus 1:9).

Francis.� For your love for the last, the lost and the least - especially those living with HIV&AIDS - we welcome and will pray for you. �

Living With HIV?

Mon, 04 Mar 2013 16:00:00 GMT

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By Jeannie Wraight

HIV antiretrovirals have given most people with HIV a reprieve from the devastation of AIDS. Those diagnosed in the U.S. in the 21^st century were spared if their doctor was knowledgeable and up to date. The 'get your affairs in order' speeches and the reality of 'you are going to die with HIV' were quickly setting in. The few of us who were sick or had friends with AIDS will ever forget the Lazarus effect of HAART literally raising people from their deathbeds.

Unfortunately, along with the conversion from dying with HIV to living with HIV, we experienced complacency after the approval of HAART that had far reaching implications.� When the dying stopped so did the fight for new, more tolerable, less toxic therapies. Now, in 2013, despite all the medical and scientific advances made in HIV over the past 15 years, some of us are once again facing our own mortality. �We are once again dying, not from the once common opportunistic infections associated with AIDS, but from HIV related illnesses that are slowly destroying our bodies. �We became satisfied with HAART and stopped demanding better drugs. More importantly, up until a few years ago, stopped searching for a cure. Whether it's 90 people out of 100 or 10 people out of 100, we are still dying.

For some of us our kidneys, hearts and livers now fail us after a decade or more on HAART. But this doesn't have to be the case. Just like in the late 80's and early 90's when people with HIV and our allies fought for drugs to stay alive, we need to fight for new drugs and federal funding to develop new classes of drugs and functional cures.

HAART gave us time. Many of us will live for another 20, 30, 40+ years. But not all of us. Some of us are succumbing to the damaging effects of daily HAART and the still lingering effects of HIV, inflammation and immune activation. One by one, these deaths are quiet and go unpublicized. There is no mass raise in death rate. There will be no outcry. AIDS in the U.S. no longer takes us in droves. We are dying quieter deaths but have no doubt, we are still dying.

Get involved, learn, ask questions, fight. Together we can stop HIV from taking more lives. Together we can help ensure a cure is found. Together, we can truly LIVE with HIV.

STOP The Spread of HIV&AIDS

Tue, 19 Feb 2013 16:00:00 GMT

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By Pastor Bill Mugford

As mentioned in our introduction, "Getting to Zero!" is primarily being used to express a heart-felt goal that there are NO NEW HIV INFECTIONS, NO NEW HIV&AIDS-RELATED DEATHS and NO STIGMA and DISCRIMINATION against people living with HIV&AIDS by the year 2015.�

For this goal, the Church offers a moral imperative: "Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies," I Corinthians 6:19-20 (NIV). In accordance with the imperative, the church encourages a real solution: abstinence.�

Abstaining from all high-risk behaviors linked to the spread of HIV&AIDS practically accomplishes the goal of "Getting to Zero!" and it's all about STOP:�

S: Save Sex for Marriage. Abstinence before marriage, while a difficult idea that goes against culture, is a viable and proven method of stopping HIV transmission.�

T: Teach Men and Boys to Respect Women and Children. By teaching men and boys to view women and children as respected equals created in the image of God, the church is working to reduce gender violence, sexual abuse, and the spread of HIV.�

O: Offer Treatment through Churches. The church offers more than clean needles and condoms, it offers freedom from addiction and care for the addict.�

P: Partner with One Person for Life. When two HIV negative people partner together faithfully in marriage for life, the risk of sexual transmission of HIV is virtually non-existent.�

There is a hopeful future. "Getting to Zero!" is an achievable goal! Though there is neither vaccination nor cure, we can encourage behavior that STOPs infections and a way of living with HIV&AIDS that effectively provides a "functional cure!"�

At the end of this series, pray, "Father. Help me honor you with my body, treating it as a temple of the Holy Spirit and encouraging others, whether living with HIV&AIDS or not, to do the same. And help me further get involved to love and serve anyone living with HIV&AIDS and their families and friends as you guide. Amen."

Experiencing Church as Dangerous?

Wed, 13 Feb 2013 16:00:00 GMT

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By Pastor Bill Mugford�

We want "Getting to Zero!" to mean that people living with HIV&AIDS and their families and friends NEVER encounter a church or Christians that are dangerous!�

The Early Church was a wonderful and safe place for everyone who became a part of that compassionate community: they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. Acts 2:42-47. Further, even the quickest overview of this text demonstrates that the Primitive Church set the standard for real solutions to challenging life problems by ensuring that all kinds of practical needs were met for those who became part of the family of faith.�

Yet, there is an insight that may escape us if we do not think carefully of the church's welcome and work in this passage. Note that, everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles, Acts 2:43. "Wonders and signs" is code for the fact that the church welcomed in those who were sick and needed healing. In fact, almost all of the miracles performed by Jesus and his disciples were on behalf of the sick. Secondly, it is God who is healing the sick by working through the performance of the apostles. The Early Church practically trusted God with their sick and acted in accordance with his will to pray for them.�

The bottom line is this; anyone who joined the Early Church is assured a place where real solutions to any need, including the needs of the sick, are addressed and met. The Church is the safest place in a dangerous world. Tragically, people living with HIV&AIDS and their families and friends often feel that culture is safer and the community of faith is more dangerous.�

Let today's prayer be: "Jesus, Lord of the Church and Lord of my life. Let my church be a place where we welcome the well and the sick, and everyone without exception experiences the safety of a community completely devoted to the Gospel, grace, and your will and work. Let us praise God and enjoy the favor of all people. And Lord, add to our number daily those who are being saved. Amen."

Those Who Lack Hope

Mon, 28 Jan 2013 16:00:00 GMT

Those Who Lack Hope | Pastor Bill Mugford

Churches who love people with HIV&AIDS and their families and friends are gifted faith communities which intentionally create ministries that effectively communicate hope by the grace of the Holy Spirit to all.

Describing such churches and their grace-ministries, the Apostle Paul instructs, "Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts . for their strengthening, encouragement, and comfort," I Corinthians 14:1,3b (NIV84). These three characteristics are crucial to providing effective minis�tries of hope and should be applied to every endeavor of the church, especially ministries for people living with HIV&AIDS and their friends, and families. Each of these characteristics is a study in compassionate community.

"Strengthening" means "to build (up)" and its root word also means "a house, a home." We can never underestimate the value of house and home for a person living with HIV&AIDS, for many lose housing as the result of economic hardship and some suffer the loss of home because they are physically, emotionally, and socially abandoned by family and friends. Ensuring a place to live and a family to love are gifts beyond measure for the person living with HIV&AIDS.

"Encouragement" means "to come alongside (to help)," and carries the connotation of "giving heart" to someone who has lost hope. People living with HIV&AIDS and their families and friends benefit greatly from constant support, friendship, and even mentoring at personal, small group, and community levels.

And "comfort," means just that, "to console." Given over the longer-term, it further means "to make strong." People living with HIV&AIDS encounter both momentary and marathon challenges, and our "just being there" in advocacy and pastoral care creates hope.

"Getting to Zero!" the number of those who lack hope is not easy, but it's doable! Make Paul's guidance part of your prayer: "Father. Help me to follow the way of love and eagerly dispense gifts of the Spirit . for the strengthening, encouragement, and comfort of people in my life living with HIV&AIDS and their friends and families."

Those Who Are Stigmatized

Tue, 22 Jan 2013 16:00:00 GMT

Those Who are Stigmatized | Pastor Bill Mugford

Stigma is a Greek word with a nasty history. It means a "brand" or "mark," usually inflicted with a hot iron. Stigma is also a mark of disgrace or infamy-a sign of stain or reproach. Stigma is not limited to physical injury, but wounds, inflicts pain, and causes scars on the hearts and minds of its victims. Stigma is why many people living with HIV&AIDS form their own communities and fear engaging the larger culture and church.

Jesus confronted stigma with the disciples early on, "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth," Acts 1:8 (NIV84). Geography carries stigma in Jesus' day, and we could well-interpret this passage as an anti-stigma message to the church, "You will be my witnesses to people exactly like you, people a little unlike you, people you love to hate and people unthinkable to you."

Dr. David Barstow, a researcher on stigma related to HIV&AIDS has developed a list of ten marks of stigma-free people and their faith communities. A Stigma-Free Faith Community...

. Talks openly about HIV&AIDS, as well as related issues such as sexual behavior. ;

. Describes HIV&AIDS as medical conditions, not punishment for immoral behavior;

. Provides basic factual information about HIV&AIDS, including methods of transmission, treatment and prevention, to those who are uninformed;

. Encourages members to participate in all-faith community activities, regardless of HIV status;

. Repeatedly and consistently gives messages of compassion, not judgment, toward people living with HIV;

. Focuses on providing care and support to people living with HIV, rather than on how they became infected;

. Encourages positive living through education and support groups for people living with HIV;

. Actively encourages testing for all members and provides facilities for voluntary counseling and testing;

. Affirms the individual responsibility of all members to know their HIV status and to refrain from behavior that risks transmission of HIV; and .

. Works proactively with other organizations to address HIV&AIDS issues in the wider community.

So, how did you and your faith community do? Are you stigma-free, or do you still have work to do? Why not pray, "Father. Help me to love everyone you call into my life and community of faith, whether they be people exactly like me, people a little unlike me, people I have loved to hate or of whom I have been afraid, and people unthinkable to me. Especially, do not let me stigmatize people living with HIV&AIDS and their families and friends through fear, anger or prejudice, for Your honor and glory."

Those Who Are Left Out

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 16:00:00 GMT

Those Who Are Left Out | Pastor Bill Mugford

Next to feeling unloved, being left out is perhaps the most miserable existence a human being can know. Unintentionally being overlooked or deliberately shunned contributes to a profound loneliness that people living with HIV&AIDS all-too-frequently experience.

We are all made for love and community. Jesus declares that love is the most persuasive evidence of Christ-like faith, "By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another," John 13:35 (ESV). He also commands us to build a great community by fulfilling the Great Commission, "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you," Matthew 28:19, 20a. That calls the Church to be the most inclusive community ever, a community that exists to grow because members of the family consciously and constantly work so that others are included.

Tragically, the Church's response to HIV&AIDS has contributed to the formation of a community whose calling might better be described as "The Great Omission." Not many people living with HIV&AIDS feel welcome in most churches or around us as Christian believers. And if there are people living with HIV&AIDS in our faith communities, they often feel much safer not revealing their status. The next sentence deserves its own paragraph for emphasis.

You and I have no greater calling than to love people into Christian community, "Getting to Zero!" the number of people who are left out, especially those living with HIV&AIDS and their families and friends.

"Make disciples" is actually a command to "make friends!" Friends is precisely what Jesus called His own disciples: "I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you," John 15:15b. Friendship with Jesus is, was and forever will be, friendship with a purpose. "Make disciples" means you and I are building a Kingdom community of the dearest friends, which includes any and every person living with HIV&AIDS and their families and friends.

People living with HIV&AIDS and their families and friends need us to be interested in, spend time with, care about, love on, pray for, learn together with, and include them as family in the church. Jesus does it for us! We can do no less for others!

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Those Who Feel Unloved

Mon, 07 Jan 2013 16:00:00 GMT

Those Who Feel Unloved | Bill Mugford

Christians have sometimes referred to the Great Commandment and the Great Commission as "GC2." They are the most important words Jesus ever spoke and the transformative basis of living out a Gospel that cares for the sick, specifically for people living with HIV&AIDS and their families and friends.

Jesus' version of the Great Commandment reads, "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength . Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these" Mark 12:30-31 (NIV84). His statement proclaims that we cannot live truly fulfilled lives until we discover and develop essential relationships that transform who we are and define everything we do.

Note that "we're all in" when we love God and others as Jesus commands: our "heart"- intellect, emotion and will; our "soul"- the internal-eternal us; our "mind"- the intentional, creative, imaginative us; and our strength - the physical, actional us. No part of our being or behaving should be unloving. What's more, because of the construction of Jesus' commandment and connection of his words, "heart, soul, mind, and strength" also apply to our "neighbor" and "ourselves." NO ONE should be unloved. This is the integrity of the Gospel.

We want the number of people living with HIV&AIDS and their families and friends who feel unloved by Christians and the Church to "Get to Zero!" With the Lord's help, we can do that by praying the Great Commandment: "Lord. Help me love you with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength and love my HIV&AIDS neighbor and his/her family and friends as myself."

Take a few moments in the Spirit's presence, and list three next steps you will take to love a person living with HIV&AIDS and his/her family and friends so that NO ONE IS UNLOVED.

A Hopeful Future

Mon, 31 Dec 2012 16:00:00 GMT

A Hopeful Future | By Pastor Bill Mugford

It's a dream we never thought we'd realize-a fantasy we dared not entertain. But now, this hopeful goal is both within the grasp of imagination and the scope of reality! Imagine, a world "Getting to Zero!" A planet virtually absent of new cases of HIV&AIDS; absent of HIV&AIDS related deaths; and absent of stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV&AIDS!

"HIV and AIDS?" Bewildered, you might ask, "Aren't they gone? Hasn't this disease been eradicated! Why resurrect ghosts and be haunted again by this virus?"

Today, HIV&AIDS remains humanity's greatest, most stubborn, and deadliest pandemic, having killed over 33 million. There are 34 million people living with HIV&AIDS worldwide; 1.2 million of these are family and friends in the United States; 6,674 are our neighbors in Orange County; 170 of us being recently diagnosed with HIV; and 145 newly discovering we have AIDS. Bottom line, many people, both near and far, need our help!

It is always surprising to see how much the face of a person living with HIV and/or AIDS looks just like us, representing all age and faith groups and every demographic accounted for by ethnicity, culture, race, and socio-economics. And it's heartwrenching to know that not one person now testing "positive" for the virus ever willingly welcomed the havoc wrecked on everyday life and the future by this pernicious killer.

When God revealed himself to Isaiah, asking him to get involved in a great mission to his peers, the prophet humbly began by acknowledging his own shortcomings, "Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty," Isaiah 6:5 (NIV84). After God ministered to him, Isaiah again, heard the voice of the Lord [call], "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" It took only an instant to reply, "Here am I. Send me!" Isaiah 6:8 (NIV84).

What about us, you and me? Are we willing to listen to God's call and help people living with HIV&AIDS around us? Hear again God's hopeful call, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?"

The Pills We Take

Wed, 26 Dec 2012 16:00:00 GMT

The Pills We Take | By David Miller

The XIX International AIDS Conference this past summer reaffirmed HIV is a disease of exceptionalism. Kay Warren said on World AIDS Day that no other disease carries the same level of stigma. Women aren't beaten to death because they develop breast cancer and cancer centers are never targeted for vandalism. The history of the AIDS crisis is rife with events like this - irrational fears based on ignorance and cruelty.

Another aspect of the AIDS crisis that is exceptional is the phenomenal story of HIV drug development. No other disease has ever seen such an amazing series of rapid discoveries, dramatic regulatory reform by the FDA, and dynamic collaboration that has resulted in amazing breakthroughs for science in such a short period.

In the space of 30 years we've discovered the cause of AIDS (the HIV virus), come to an understanding of the cycle of infection viral replication, and seen drug discovery and commercialization at a pace that is completely unprecedented.� There are more than 30 drugs now on the market (when used in combination referred to as Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART) representing hundreds of billions of dollars in research, �and for the companies who have succeeded, unprecedented financial returns on their investment.

AIDSmeds.com is a great source http://www.aidsmeds.com/list.shtml to learn about HAART if you're just starting out learning about the AIDS crisis.

This year the University of Pennsylvania discovered a new treatment for a deadly version of leukemia based on using a crippled form of HIV to CURE cancer patients http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44090512/ns/health-cancer/t/new-leukemia-treatment-exceeds-wildest-expectations/#.UMOZNKk1alI.

At AIDS 2012, the CDC announced that 3/4 of HIV patients in the United States are unable to fully suppress the replication of HIV. �Antiretroviral drugs are extremely complex, expensive and toxic. We can make HIV treatment more successful by providing food security, essential to successful HAART treatment, counseling, housing and services and support to help keep us alive while we fight AIDS, poverty, co-infections, HIV-related malignancies and depression.

While people discuss "Getting to Zero," there are hundreds of drugs that we need RIGHT NOW to save our lives, drugs that are languishing on the shelves of small biotech companies and in universities around the world due to lack of investment. Timothy Ray Brown is living proof that bold biomedical innovation can end this plague and bring about other cures. While millions of us hold on by our fingernails to each other, to tomorrow and to faith that our leaders in Washington, the church and business will wake up, move faster and take dramatic but necessary steps, while AIDS activists spend our rent money to go to Capitol Hill fighting for the future of these drugs, the virus is mutating and the hard won gains over the past 30 years erode, as fevers steal the night, as ache replaces enthusiasm, as the virus advances.

David Miller is an AIDS treatment activist, living in the South Bronx and a member of the Cornell Adult AIDS Clinical Trials Group Community Advisory Board, The Development Director of the World AIDS Institute and writes for A&U magazine, www.HIVHAVEN.com and blogs for Living Positive. David is a long-term survivor and a veteran of ACT UP NY. David is involved with the Campaign to End AIDS and the AIDS Treatment Activist Coalition Bioship05@yahoo.com

30 Chairs

Sun, 16 Dec 2012 16:00:00 GMT

30 Chairs | By Pastor Brad Baker

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.

In one of our early meetings, we decided to paint thirty wooden Adirondack chairs and bring them onto college campuses.� The thirty chairs represented the 30 million people who have lost their lives to AIDS since it was discovered in the early 1980s.� Fifteen smaller wooden chairs were also painted to represent the 15 million children who have lost one or both parents to AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa.� The chairs were a great way for our community to get involved-college students from all over Orange County took chairs and used their artistic skills to create moving works of art with paint, photographs, statistics, verses, and other materials.� Local artists involved in Saddleback's art ministry, Ex Creatis, also painted chairs.

The week before World AIDS Day, our college ministry team and student leaders headed to two local community college campuses-Saddleback College and Irvine Valley College.� We set up the chairs in the main quad at Saddleback Community College and in front of the main registration building at Irvine Valley College, and brought tons of free stuff with us to hand out to students with no catch-hot Krispy Kreme donuts and fresh-baked cookies, coffee provided for free from Starbucks, "Getting to Zero" t-shirts and stickers, and booklets with information about the "Getting to Zero" campaign and HIV&AIDS.� We know that students love free stuff, but we also were reminded about how much they care about social justice issues.� When they approached our table for a free donut and coffee and inquired what we were doing, they listened intently as we explained to them that HIV&AIDS is the greatest humanitarian crisis in history.� Seeing their faces respond to what the chairs represent and asking them to look at them caused many of them to thank us for what we were doing and even inquire how they could get involved.� The response from people was incredible-they did not just take stuff and leave, but lingered, looked at every chair, asked questions-they engaged with us.� They cared.

We spoke with over one thousand students in the two days we spent on the campuses-all with different beliefs, ethnicities and backgrounds.� Some of them have personally suffered from the damage that HIV&AIDS does to families and relationships.� Some wondered why the church would care about HIV&AIDS and were surprised that we were from Saddleback Church.� Others didn't even know World AIDS Day existed.� We were so privileged to be able to share God's heart for the sick in a way that spoke to students regardless of their beliefs.� It was incredible seeing some of the students we met on campus at Saddleback Church for the first time during Compassion Weekend.

On Hallowed Ground

Thu, 13 Dec 2012 16:00:00 GMT

On Hallowed Ground | By David Miller

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.

I'd been to Saddleback right before World AIDS Day, right before I saw Tim speak, talked for hours with people here about AIDS ministries, about the current course of the epidemic. The work being done here is a model for other churches, no matter their size, their budget, to engage in this work to save the lives and spare suffering and humiliation of people with HIV, their families, friends.

Kay Warren told Tim and everyone at Saddleback what a miracle his cure represented. I saw Timothy take the stage, the same stage I had spoken from a half dozen times since I had first come to Saddleback Church in what felt like a lifetime ago, before I had even considered that Jesus Christ would make His presence known to people with HIV through the Church.

Timothy told his story, the same way he had done so many times before. But at Saddleback, it was different. People who didn't spend their every waking hour fighting HIV wept, Kay who knows what this epidemic means to us all wept, and I came away from two days of seeing hope emanate through the congregation, from people who'd come to see the first person cured of HIV believe that God's purpose for their lives had been made manifest.

It's taken me a few days to put it all into context.

The "Holiday" Season, from Thanksgiving to New Years always includes World AIDS Day, the most somber, most exhausting and most regrettable of occasions. Tim's testimony at Saddleback made World AIDS Day a message of hope for the first time.

Christmas is the celebration of the birth of our Living Savior, the promise of redemption and salvation and everlasting life, and our reconciliation with God through the sacrifice of His only Son. I never understood why we give each other gifts on Christmas when it's HIS birthday. On World AIDS Day, watching Timothy Ray Brown speak, I learned at Saddleback what to give Jesus on His birthday this year.a renewed dedication to ending the AIDS crisis.

�

David Miller is an AIDS treatment activist, living in the South Bronx. David is a member of the Cornell Adult AIDS Clinical Trials Group Community Advisory Board, The Development Director of the World AIDS Institute and writes for A&U magazine, www.HIVHAVEN.com and blogs for the HIV&AIDS Initiative. David is a long term survivor and a veteran of ACT UP NY.�

�

There Angels Wept

Wed, 12 Dec 2012 00:58:00 GMT

There Angels Wept | By David Miller

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.

World AIDS Day doesn't get much attention anymore in the news, even though tens of millions of lives, the fate of millions of orphans around the world and the stability of some nations hangs in the balance, even though there is now more hope that a cure can be found for the worst plague in modern history, World AIDS Day came and went this year without a lot of attention in the media.

Except at Saddleback Church.

At Saddleback Church, the only person ever confirmed to be cured of HIV infection, following a dramatic, bold medical experiment came to speak. Kay Warren and so many others made Timothy Ray Brown, dubbed "the Berlin Patient" by the media, a feature of the program.

There are tens of thousands of churches in America, all of whom know, to one degree or another what's happened over the thirty years as millions of people continued to disappear, as AIDS burned through our poorest communities, through the lives of friends, neighbors and relatives. Many have done as much as they could following Matthew 4:23�Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.

Even angels would have wept on World AIDS Day as Saddleback Church gave a sense of hope that there can be an end to the defining plague of our time as Timothy Ray Brown spoke about how he had been cured, about his foundation and about the challenge ahead of us to bring a cure to the tens of millions of people trying to survive the AIDS crisis.

Kay Warren told those gathered about her journey to becoming an AIDS activist, about how she heard God telling her to do something about the suffering HIV is causing worldwide.

Maybe World AIDS Day wasn't the lead story this December 1^ston TV, in the newspaper, on the Internet. But at Saddleback, when Timothy and Kay, when other people, infected and orphaned by HIV told their stories, to embrace in the hope of a cure and a global movement by churches to do whatever they can in His name, to change the course of the AIDS crisis.

�

David Miller is an AIDS treatment activist, living in the South Bronx. David is a member of the Cornell Adult AIDS Clinical Trials Group Community Advisory Board, The Development Director of the World AIDS Institute and writes for A&U magazine, www.HIVHAVEN.com and blogs for the HIV&AIDS Initaitive. David is a long term survivor and a veteran of ACT UP NY.�

�

World AIDS Day 2012

Thu, 06 Dec 2012 12:18:00 GMT

World AIDS Day 2012 | By Kay Warren

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.

HIV&AIDS has touched each of these individuals in devastating ways, but HIV didn't win!� Timothy's immune system was decimated by HIV, leading to leukemia and other life-threatening illnesses, but because of a bone marrow transplant, his immune system is now free of HIV.� Gene and Chris' marriage was threatened by Gene's HIV diagnosis, but God's grace and tender mercies allowed them to build a stronger marriage than ever before.� HIV didn't win!� Cynthia's birth parents and her baby brother died of AIDS in Rwanda. She and her older brother were sent to an orphanage because their grandmother couldn't take care of them.� But a family from Saddleback knew God was calling them to adopt, and they opened their hearts and their homes to Cynthia, her older brother, and another little girl in the same orphanage.� They are no longer orphans but son and daughters!� HIV didn't win!

This is how we are Getting to Zero - through medical breakthroughs, universal access to life-saving medication, acceptance and grace, and orphans finding permanent families.� HIV kills; it destroys relationships; it leaves orphans - but when Christ-followers decide that we won't tolerate the devastation any longer, we step into an exciting future where HIV won't win anymore.� Let's Get to Zero!

Don't Forget the Orphan

Tue, 27 Nov 2012 16:00:00 GMT

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:

16 million children are orphaned due to HIV.
Every year about 330,000 babies will be born HIV positive.
Without treatment, up to 40% of babies born to HIV positive mothers will start life infected, and almost half of them will die before they are two years old.
Last year, only a handful of people living in the United States adopted HIV positive children.

Here is the hope:

There is treatment for mothers who are living with HIV which means that by 2015, with appropriate measures such as prenatal care and medications, the number of children born infected can get to virtually ZERO! This is not a pipedream. Everyone is working toward this goal. The church is at the center of helping moms receive care so that their babies won’t be born with the virus.
There is treatment for children if they do become infected. Children can lead a relatively normal life with the advances in antiretroviral medications (ARVs).
Families can adopt children who are living with the virus. If you’re interested in learning more, contact us at orphans@saddleback.com.

Every child deserves a family of their own. Here’s what you can do:

Would you pray today that more families will be willing to adopt children living with HIV?
Would you give today to the child sponsorship program which is emptying orphanages in Rwanda to families in Rwanda who are being reunified or adopted by families in their own communities?
Will you pray for the children today living with HIV? Pray that today they will be embraced by people in their church. Pray that they will receive treatment without stigma. Pray that they will be healed.

Recognizing World AIDS Day

Tue, 13 Nov 2012 16:00:00 GMT

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?"� Sitting on the plane headed for home and "normal" life, I gazed down at beautiful Mozambique as we gained altitude.� I realized that I was feeling not only shocked and sad, but angry as well - angry that the African pastors I had met weren't doing more for the people they served.� "How could they let a very ill homeless woman die under a tree rather than bring her into their homes?� Why were they afraid to take a stand against the horrible stigma and shame this woman had experienced?"� A simmering rage began to build in my heart as I mentally chastised them for not doing enough.

Suddenly, I heard the Lord ask me a very bold question:� "What are YOU doing for people with HIV& AIDS in the Saddleback Valley?� Do you even know any HIV+ people in your community or church?� Have you or Rick ever preached a message about caring for people who are sick?"� In an instant, the finger of condemnation that I had been pointing at my African brothers and sisters turned and pointed directly at me.� I took stock of my own absence from the fight and knew I had no moral high ground to stand on.� I had allowed silence and apathy to be my response.� I wept again, but this time it was not out of frustration at someone else's perceived failure but at my own. I made a determination that we would immediately begin an HIV& AIDS ministry at Saddleback to care for the people living with HIV in our church and in our community, as well as the millions infected/affected around the world.� We would build a ministry that encompassed both local and global efforts from the start - we call it "being glocal."

As December 1 approaches - World AIDS Day - you and your church have the opportunity to take a stand with us against this terrible virus that decimates individual lives, rips families apart and leaves millions of children orphaned.� I encourage you to plan a worship service to recognize this global day, not only remembering the 30 million who have died, but also to celebrate the hope that Jesus Christ offers to all.� Remember: the Church is the only entity that offers compassion, community and real solutions!� Please contact us with any questions - we can't wait to help you demonstrate God's love in your community!