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Essentials for pastors starting HIV/AIDS ministries
By Manda Gibson
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“I had a cousin who died of AIDS. He was part of the gay community, and because of that, I had little or nothing to do with him. ... I could have loved my cousin, and I didn’t. Maybe that’s why I’m so passionate about this now.”
Bill Bruneau, pastor,
Penn Friends Community Church, Cassapolis, Mich. |
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Bill Bruneau says pastors need to remember three essential character traits when starting HIV/AIDS ministries through their churches – humility, patience, and love.
Bruneau, pastor of Penn Friends Community Church in Cassapolis, Mich., has been working to start an HIV/AIDS ministry through his church since he heard Rick and Kay Warren speak about the crisis at the 2005 Purpose Driven Church Conference and, then, at the 2005 Purpose Driven HIV/AIDS Conference.
Starting with humility
One of the first steps he took was to contact and visit his local public health nurse. “I went in there as a student, not to tell them what I knew,” Bruneau said. “That’s critical to developing a partnership.”
A pastor, Bruneau said, should ask HIV/AIDS workers: Is there anything I can do to help?
When Bruneau first visited the public health nurse, she was suspicious of a pastor wanting to make a difference in the HIV/AIDS pandemic. In the past, public health officials had found churches – like most organizations – had hidden agendas, Bruneau said.
So the nurse and her husband visited Penn Friends Community Church unannounced one Sunday to discover that agenda. “I was teaching on the P.E.A.C.E. Plan, particularly on the pandemic of HIV/AIDS,” Bruneau said.
As the nurse left the sanctuary that morning, she told Bruneau, “We will work together.”
Working patiently
Bruneau and his fellow church leaders still are trying to fully gain the trust of local HIV/AIDS organizations. This is a slow process that takes patience, Bruneau says. For now, they’re not doing hands-on work with people suffering with HIV/AIDS. But they’re helping in other ways as they continue to gain trust.
Recently Bruneau helped the public health nurse spread the word among churches about HIV/AIDS testing, held at the health department and county jail. Together, they developed an information packet for pastors.
The packet announced and explained an upcoming testing opportunity; it also listed local HIV/AIDS statistics and state HIV/AIDS services. Bruneau wrote a letter, emphasizing Christians’ responsibility to minister as Jesus would and challenging pastors to champion the HIV/AIDS issue in their churches. He also offered to speak personally with pastors or whole congregations.
Bruneau hoped the packets would encourage pastors to tell their congregations about the testing. A pastor’s encouragement often is the most effective way to encourage someone to be tested, said Bruneau.
In addition to mailing 152 packets, Bruneau met with eight pastors prior to the testing. “I wanted to get a sense of whether they were aware of the problem,” he said. “They were not.”
When he presented HIV/AIDS statistics about their own community, their jaws dropped.
In addition to sharing about the testing opportunity, Bruneau encouraged pastors to offer counseling for people who test positive for HIV. All eight pastors pledged their support to spreading the word about testing and invited Bruneau to tell their churches about HIV/AIDS.
Bruneau is planning to follow up with phone calls to many of the 152 churches that received information packets. Additionally, the public health nurse has told him that when people test positive for HIV and want in-depth counseling, she will refer them to Penn Friends Community Church.
Doing everything with love
Bruneau says the skepticism he’s encountered from HIV/AIDS organizations is deserved because of the many years that he didn’t care for those with HIV/AIDS.
“I had a cousin who died of AIDS. He was part of the gay community, and because of that, I had little or nothing to do with him,” Bruneau said.
For years Bruneau didn’t think about his cousin’s death, but recently God reminded him of it. “I could have loved my cousin, and I didn’t. Maybe that’s why I’m so passionate about this now,” he said.
“I’ve accepted forgiveness, but I know there’s a responsibility not to let that happen again.”
Love also will help you introduce your church to the idea of HIV/AIDS ministry, Bruneau said.
When God first convicted him about the HIV/AIDS crisis, he felt such urgency that he immediately began sharing with his whole congregation. “My passion got the best of me,” he said.
Instead, Bruneau wishes he first had shared with Penn Friends leaders and then asked their advice about how to share his new conviction with the congregation.
“It has to be done very carefully and with a great deal of love,” Bruneau said.
Despite a shaky start, he knows his congregation supports his heart for HIV/AIDS, and some are getting involved alongside him. “I’m not expecting the entire congregation to jump up and down and wear red wristbands that say, Stop AIDS, like I do,” Bruneau said. “But our church is basically 100 percent supportive of everything I do. The folks are open to doing whatever it takes to reaching people for Christ and making an impact on community.”
Bruneau knows that HIV/AIDS isn’t just a passing interest for him. He brings it up every chance he gets – whether that’s during a local Optimists Club meeting or during a casual conversation with another pastor. “I would not be surprised if the remainder of my ministry was focused on HIV and P.E.A.C.E.,” he said.
For pastors wanting their churches to get involved in HIV/AIDS ministry, Bruneau suggests that they attend the 2006 Purpose Driven HIV/AIDS Conference, and take key lay leaders and staff members with them. “Nothing will take the place of doing that firsthand,” he said.
Is your church ready to begin or deepen your HIV/AIDS ministry? Plan now to attend the 2007 Global Summit on AIDS and the Church, Nov. 28-30, on Saddleback Church's campus in Lake Forest, Calif.
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