from FaithNews Network of the Church of God (Cleveland, TN).

2/23/2005 

When the first HIV/AIDS cases emerged in the early 80's, no one could have foreseen what devastation, mayhem and decimation the pandemic would inflict on families, communities, and even whole nations around the world. Today, more than 40 million people around the world are living with the virus, and the number of new infections is growing every day. In a globalized world, HIV/AIDS has become the first truly global epidemic that transcends geographical, ethnic, cultural, religious, and social borders. While it is true that no one is immune from the attack of the virus, the most affected are those living on the margins and periphery of the world's societies, those deprived of life's basic necessities.

To elicit a Christian response to the pandemic, we invited to our campus individuals both local and global to address key issues such as: How does HIV/AIDS affect individuals, communities, and whole nations of the world? What role should institutions both secular and religious play in the fight against AIDS? In the face of the AIDS pandemic, has the church maintained its reputation as being, in the words of William Temple, "the only institution on earth that exists for its non-members" or has the church degenerated to insipidity and irrelevance?

To unpack these and other related issues Lee University invited Dr. Tygie Nadesan, a family physician and HIV/AIDS Management Specialist from the Sinikithemba AIDS Clinic in Durban, South Africa. He gave the key note address on Tuesday afternoon in the Centenary Room on the subject: "The Many Faces of AIDS: Challenging Despair with Hope and Action." Dr. Nadesan gave nine lectures in both religion and science/premed classes during the week.

World Vision personnel led the second plenary session on Wednesday afternoon. Rev. Nathan Gasatura Kamusiime, an ordained minister in the Anglican Church in Rwanda, graphically told the Rwandan story of the horrific genocide in his country and how it nourished the spread of AIDS. Dr Jon Good, a Presbyterian pastor who works with World Vision's C2C (Church to Church) program, also spoke during the session. Dr. Good's church has sponsored some 1500 AIDS orphans to date, and he encouraged the audience to participate in the adoption program. Mr. Fred Stansbury, the executive director of World Vision, South Eastern United States, initiated and coordinated World Vision's participation in our AIDS Summit. The World Vision spokespersons also addressed local pastors at a luncheon sponsored by the North Cleveland Church of God.

The week concluded with a panel discussion on the topic: Facing AIDS: Local and Global Responses. Dr. Dario Lopez, a Latin American Pentecostal theologian offered a Latin American perspective on the pandemic. Other panelists were Schilds Grant from Chattanooga and Angela Smith from Virginia Beach. Both are HIV positive and told their story of how they were infected. They talked about living with AIDS and their hopes for the future. Dr. Nadesan concluded by offering some insights as to 'Where we go from here.'

Two other significant events filled the week. The first was the 'Celebrate Love Benefit Concert' held in the Conn Center on Monday evening, the 14th of February, Valentines Day. Amani's Child, the AIDS focus group on Lee's campus, organized the concert. In the chapel service on Tuesday, Dr. Clive Claver challenged the audience to think and act globally in light of the AIDS pandemic. In his homily that was punctuated with real to life stories from his travels across the globe, Dr. Claver drew lessons for today out of the story of Jesus' healing of the man with leprosy (Mk. 1:40ff). He challenged the audience as to how the church could become part of the solution in arresting the spread of AIDS. Two local agencies, Nancy's House and Chattanooga Cares, also participated in the week's activities.