What Can My Church Do?

CCOW has published a resource entitled "To Restore Hope,"  which you can download at the bottom of this page. It offers the stories of local churches and Christians who have become involved with HIV/AIDS work. The stories are inspiring -- and you're invited to join in! Some more suggestions for action might include . . . . 

  • Pray regularly for
    • people living with HIV and AIDS and for those who care for and about them
    • wisdom for government leaders to make policies that allow universal access to AIDS treatments
    • an end to the stigma and exclusion that are so destructive
    • children who have been orphaned through AIDS and are at risk
    • success for programmes that are combatting mother-to-child transmission

Be creative in your prayers. Tearfund has suggestions for creative prayer (see our "Praying and Preaching" pages . . . or you could ask people to meditate on one of the posters from the Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance (see our Resources page) . . .

  • Hold a special service for World AIDS Day. Use the resources available from our "Praying and Preaching" pages, or others. Perhaps you might want to focus on using resources that come from an area with which your church has a link. Perhaps you'd like an outside speaker. CCOW can help with both . . . .
  • Have an exhibition of materials from Christian AIDS campaigns around the world. CCOW has materials from Africa and Asia that you can borrow. They show what different churches are doing -- and help us to see how important it is that we join in.
  • The G8 promised that there would be universal access to AIDS treatment by 2010, but we're nowhere near there yet. Take actions as a church in the "Access Denied" campaign. Write to your MP, sign postcards, hand around a petition . . . join the voices who are calling world leaders to hold to their promises (See the Campaigns around HIV and AIDS page for details)
  • Support agencies in the work that they are doing to help those affected by HIV and AIDS and to prevent further infections. Ask the agencies you support what they are doing and how you can help out. If you'd like some  suggestions on agencies you can support, contact CCOW.
  • Find out what your link church is doing to work on HIV and AIDS and see how you can support it. Contact CCOW for help with this.
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