Rev. Calvin O. Butts, III, Bishop George E. Battle, Jr., Apostle William Brown,
Rev. Dr. Glenworth D. Miles and Rev. Renee F. Washington Honored For Their
Fight Against HIV/AIDS
The Balm In Gilead will pay tribute to five New
York area Pastors for improving the health of African Americans in their communities
during the organization’s second annual Valentine’s Day Tribute to
Pastors on Saturday, February 11, 2006 from 1-6:00 PM at Antun’s Caterers
at 96-43 Springfield Blvd., Queens, New York.
“On this day, The Balm In Gilead will salute five extraordinary religious
leaders who in our community have provided outstanding contributions in HIV/AIDS,” says
Pernessa Seele, Founder/CEO The Balm In Gilead. “The Black church is
the most important, trusted and influential institutions in the African American
community. These leaders have utilized their unique positions to influence
values, attitudes and behaviors in their communities to help stop this ravaging
disease.”
This years honorees are: Rev. Dr. Calvin O. Butts, III, senior pastor, Abyssinian
Baptist Church; Bishop George E. Battle, Jr., presiding prelate of the AME
Zion Church, Northeastern District; Apostle William Brown, Salvation and Deliverance
Church; The Rev. Dr. Glenworth D. Miles, St. George’s Episcopal Church;
and, The Rev. Renee F. Washington of Memorial Baptist Church
In addition to the awards ceremony and dinner, this year’s event will
feature a special “hat auction” with donations from some outstanding
women including: Myrlie Evers-Williams, Pattie LaBelle, Lynn Whitfield and
Melba Moore.
For ticket information, please contact The Balm In Gilead
at 212-730-7381.
All proceeds from the event will support the work of The
Balm In Gilead.
Over the past 17 years, The Balm In Gilead remains the only organization in
the United States dedicated exclusively to empowering African American faith
institutions in the struggle against the devastation of HIV/AIDS in the Black
community. The Balm In Gilead’s pioneering achievements have enabled
thousands of churches to become leaders in preventing HIV by providing comprehensive
educational programs and offering compassionate support to encourage those
infected to seek and maintain treatment. In 2000, the Balm In Gilead expanded
its services to five African countries: Cote d’Ivoire, Kenya, Nigeria,
Tanzania and Zimbabwe. The week beginning Sunday, March 5-11, 2006, marks the
organization’s 17th annual national observance of The Black Church Week
of Prayer for the Healing of AIDS.
