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PREVENTING AIDS PREVENTION
Cleveland (OH) Free Times (WWW)
Ohio
By Daniel Gray-Kontar
03.27.02
GLENVILLE CHURCH OUSTS AIDS EDUCATION PROGRAM FOR PROMOTING "PROMISCUITY."James
Jones thought the arrangements he made with the pastor of his church were clear
enough for both of them to follow. Jones, an AIDS activist, asked the Rev. David
Thomas Sr. if he could hold a weeklong series of AIDS prevention events at Glenville's
Temple of Deliverance Baptist Church.
The Rev. Thomas, who happens to be a state-certified AIDS counselor, agreed
to all the proposed programming, which included prevention seminars, poetry readings
and prayer vigils, all timed to coincide with the National [Black Church Week
of Prayer for the Healing] of AIDS.
According to Jones, Thomas did not give him any stipulations on how to run
the program, which began on March 3. But three days into it, Jones was told to
cancel the AIDS meetings at the church. The reason? During a seminar conducted
by the Cleveland Treatment Center's Project SAFE, one church member not in the
seminar found a folder with condoms and literature that discussed safe sex.
"We had no idea that the church didn't want the condoms or AIDS prevention
literature," says Project SAFE executive director Willie Pace. For his part,
Jones says he didn't know, either. "The next afternoon," says Jones,
"I got a phone call from the church secretary saying that since I had condoms
there, I couldn't continue because they promote promiscuity.
The condoms were inside of a 'safer sex' kit, which included HIV education
materials. "They weren't inside a big bowl or anything," Jones continues.
"Condoms are at any kind of AIDS function for prevention." Jones, a
member of a national AIDS prevention organization called The Balm in Gilead, partnered
with several AIDS education agencies in Northeast Ohio to make the national awareness
vigil happen.
Such large nonprofit groups as Project SAFE, the AIDS Taskforce and the AGAPE
partnership were contracted to conduct workshops and present keynote speeches
during the series. But when Jones was forced to suddenly end the program in the
middle of the week, he had to scramble to find another location to hold it.
Ultimately, the remaining events were quickly moved to the Rev. Marvin McMickle's
Antioch Baptist Church, but not without considerable confusion between Jones and
the multiple organizations with whom he'd contracted - and with a soured relationship
between Jones and the Temple of Deliverance Baptist Church. Since the events were
canceled three weeks ago, Jones has left the small church of about 150, claiming
the series was canceled because of discrimination.
"Several people told me that Rev. Thomas was trying to find a reason
to make me leave the church because of my sexual preference and the nature of
my conference," says Jones, who is gay. "I guess he was getting flak
from several members of the congregation about it."
The Rev. Thomas did not return phone calls from the Free Times. In fact, he
has not returned Jones' numerous phone calls since pulling the plug on the program,
either, Jones adds. But the Rev. Thomas' reaction to providing AIDS prevention
information within his church is not unfamiliar, say some AIDS advocates, who
point out that one of the biggest obstacles for success in the fight against the
AIDS virus in the black community is the conservatism of many black churches.
"You have to applaud the Temple of Deliverance for making the step toward
prevention," says Teresa Holmes, a spokeswoman for The Balm in Gilead, the
New York-based organization that originated the national week of prayer. "But
the church probably wasn't ready for the condom distribution. The black church
has always been reluctant to get involved with AIDS ministry. When you go into
a church, you've got to approach it with a little sensitivity. It's like talking
with your grandmother about sex."
But others say that African-American churches must get their hands dirty to
save lives - and they have to do it soon. The mushrooming numbers of AIDS cases
in the African-American community tell the story.
By 1999, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, AIDS
had become the leading cause of death for black men and women between the ages
of 25 and 44. The CDC also reports that at least half of all the newly reported
cases of HIV were transmitted sexually. Since black churches have remained the
social, spiritual and economic pillars of the black inner city, many believe the
church must also increase its role in providing health education as well. It's
a role that a few black churches have assumed, while most others lag far behind.
The leading example of progressive AIDS prevention ministry in the Greater
Cleveland area is Antioch Baptist Church, whose AGAPE program is the result of
a partnership with the Cleveland Clinic. The program started inside the church
in 1999, but only three years later, the nonprofit evangelical organization has
AIDS testing sites in six locations. Last year, AGAPE tested 954 people for AIDS.
"Our involvement is very extensive in AIDS ministry," says Kelvin
Berry, executive director of AGAPE. "In the words of Rev. McMickle, 'you
can't preach this disease away from our community.' You either have to teach people
to change their behaviors or you have to teach them to be safe if they're having
difficulty changing. So we view condoms as a tool for educating someone to save
themselves from contracting an incurable disease."
But while AGAPE has paved the way for progressive AIDS ministry, the Antioch/Cleveland
Clinic partnership is more the exception than the rule. And a large part of the
reason that many black churches are hesitant to educate their congregations about
AIDS is because many pastors still consider the disease to be related to homosexuality.
They believe being gay is an aberration, says Sherona Garrett-Ruffin, a local
AIDS lecturer and outreach specialist.
"If the clergy has that perception," she adds, "you can expect
the rest of the community to have that same perspective." So for many gay
activists and HIV prevention specialists, what happened to Jones is not surprising.
Meanwhile, Jones is left wondering if he'll ever be able to find a church home
that will allow him to be gay, progressive and Christian.
"There was a big feeling of discomfort at the Temple of Deliverance and
that's why I decided to leave," says Jones. "It's like, why would you
want to be somewhere you're not wanted?"
E-mail Daniel Gray-Kontar atdgkontar@freetimes.com
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