2011 Sample Worship Service for World AIDS Day

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Everett Gibson
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1 2011 Sample Worship Service for World AIDS Day Opening Prayer: Loving God, show me the truth about myself, no matter how wonderfully it might be! Holding nothing back I release the pain, the hurt, the disappointment, the depression, the anxiety that cause me harm. Holding nothing back, I trust your blessing, Sacred, Holy One, even when I cannot see it, feel it, believe it. Yes, I will be disappointed, hurt again, but that s okay. God is with me, holding nothing back! God, sweep away my fear. Sweep away my fear. Sweep away my fear. Christ, clear away despair. Clear away despair. Clear away despair. Holy Spirit, heal my heart. Heal my heart. Heal my heart. Amen. (Rev. Steve Poteete-Marshall, Walnut UMC, California-Pacific Annual Conference, 40 Days of Prayer, General Board of Church & Society, 2011) Hymn: We Are Called, page 2172 in The Faith We Sing Hymnal A Responsive Reading of Psalm 137 One: By the rivers of Babylon there we sat down and there we wept when we remembered Zion. All: On the willows there we hung up our harps. One: For there our captors asked us for songs, All: And our tormentors asked for mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion! One: How could we sing the Lord s song in a foreign land? All: If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand wither! One: Let my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth, if I do not remember you, All: If I do not set Jerusalem above my highest joy.

2 Stories and Prayers of Hope: (The stories below can be used as sermon starters, mission moments or bulletin inserts. As you will read, they can also be used to promote ministry and mission of the UMC Global AIDS Fund.) Story #1 You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. --Matthew 5:14, NRSV Imagine getting a gift of a simple 75-watt light bulb! What would be our response? Would there be squeals of delight and smiles of joy? Probably not, since we expect far more. Yet, a United Methodist mission worker visited a child-headed household in rural India where three little children received light for the first time in their small, two-room, cement-block house. They had no furniture, no beds, no toys and no bathroom, but for the first time a barren light bulb in one corner. When the visitor turned on the electricity, their squeals and smiles reduced her to tears. Their parents died from AIDS. Siva, 15, malnourished, works with raw hands 10 hours a day, six days a week, at a poultry farm. He cleans eggs with a formaldehyde substance. The $44 he earns each month goes toward buying food and paying off the 5,000 rupee (U.S. $108) debt his father accumulated while he was sick. Siva s sister, Gomathi, 12, suffers from tuberculosis, but rises at 6 a.m. to cook and clean, and then goes to school. She catches a bus at 7 a.m. and returns home 12 hours later. Together, they care for their beautiful brother, Murugan, 8, who is HIV-positive. These brave children care for one another and fight to survive. Now I can read my school lesson, whispered Gomathi. This child-headed household struggles to survive in an incredibly difficult world, but the children get needed assistance, thanks to a Women and Children's Health Center initiated through the United Methodist Global AIDS Fund. Under the direction of N. M. Samuel, M.D., this center provides free care to impoverished women and children infected and affected by HIV and AIDS. The clinic operates on faith and hope, relying on gifts to cover a budget of about $25,000. Siva, Gomathi and Murugun are but three of the 1,415 patients the center helped last year. On any day, the clinic treats 75 to 100 women and five to 60 children.

3 This little light bulb is a vivid reminder of how United Methodists prove to be "the light of the world" through the United Methodist Global AIDS Fund. By bringing health and help, we spread Christ's love and light throughout the world. Prayer: God of light, guide us to be beacons of hope and love to people, especially children, who fight disease and poverty every minute of every day. Give us thankful hearts that reach out to our sisters and brothers around the world. In your holy name, we pray. Amen. Story #2 From of old no one has heard or perceived by the ear, no eye has seen a God besides you, who works for those who wait for God. --Isaiah 64:4, An Inclusive-Language Lectionary If God s promises lack meaning and relevance for the poorest and most vulnerable of God s children, they have no relevance for anyone. A Kenyan girl named Peninah highlights the truth of this. Like so many children, Peninah was orphaned at age 12 in the wake of the AIDS pandemic and left with siblings for whom to care. To make matters worse, an uncle quickly stole the best of the land Peninah s parents had left for her. Hungry, alone and frightened, Peninah was approached by a man with the offer of $8 and some bread. With a hungry brother at home and no other options before her, this young girl accepted. Peninah became pregnant and gave birth, with no way to care for her infant or her family. In 2008, Peninah was introduced to ZOE Ministry s empowerment program. This project is one of many that receive support from the United Methodist Global AIDS Fund. Two years later, the Rev. Greg Jenks, executive director for ZOE Ministry, met Peninah. The girl he met bore witness to the redemptive power of Jesus Christ. As he saw her so tenderly care for her child, he realized that only Jesus could turn such a horrible situation into something precious and beautiful. Peninah spoke with pride about her daughter and her ability to care properly for the child. Peninah said ZOE had transformed her life. Peninah s working (support) group of orphans approached the local chief and petitioned for Peninah s land to be returned to her. The chief agreed. ZOE provided a goat and $100 worth of materials for her farm. The other orphans in the support group helped Peninah cultivate her five acres of land. She was then trained in tailoring and received a start-up kit from ZOE Ministry for her new business. Today, at 16, Peninah and her small family no longer need assistance. She has a productive farm, 10 goats, two cows, chickens and a thriving tailoring business in the local market area. A

4 devoted follower of Jesus Christ, she actively assists in caring for other orphans in her community. A woman from the United States said she had waited her entire life to witness a miracle. After she met Peninah, she declared, I have now seen that miracle. Your involvement with the United Methodist Global AIDS Fund is a means through which God miraculously transforms lives! Prayer: God of hope, we witness your miracles every day. Thank you for miracles like Peninah and for ministries that transform lives. Show us how to serve your people and to share the love of Jesus Christ. In your holy name, we pray. Amen. Story #3 But Peter said, I have no silver or gold, but what I have I give you; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, stand up and walk. --Acts 3:6, NRSV A woman, 35, went to the E.C. Tyree Health and Dental Clinic in Wichita, Kan. Clinic staff offered to test her for HIV/AIDS. She insisted she did not want to know the results. After further consulting about her symptoms, she agreed to hear the outcome. During the wait and counseling, the client was completely distraught. Once she received a negative result, along with counseling on how to continue safe sexual health, she was extremely thankful for knowing. She went on and on about what a new outlook she had on this issue and (how her life) wouldn t be the same, a clinic spokesperson said. On the same note, we had a 21-year-old male come up positive for HIV, and he gave no reaction at all to the results. He didn t seem bothered by it and was OK with it. We have all dynamics of acceptance. The clinic s focus is to change the stigma around being tested. The goal is to make the test routine, rather than singling out people to take the test. On National AIDS Testing Day, June 27, 2011, a youth group was tested. The youth were encouraged to wait until marriage for sex and challenged to make an oath for themselves. The youth group also goes regularly to the Treehouse, an organization that assists pregnant Hispanic moms of all ages. Initially, clinic staff thought people would have reservations about being tested as a group, but once one or two took the test, the rest of the group followed.

5 It opens the doors to see where we need to educate, said a staff member, so that individuals can make informed decisions and know where to go when they don t have the answers. Prayer: Loving God, your son healed many people, both in body and in spirit, during his earthly ministry. Help us to share the gift of healing and hope with those who struggle with fear and stigma. In your holy name, we pray. Amen. Story #4 "Let us then pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding." --Romans 14:19, NRSV The United Methodist Church of the Open Door in Kennett Square, Pa., is known as a friendly church, where families and singles of all ages feel equally welcome. The congregation believes that celebrating diversity and building relationships is important, and they approach spiritual growth with a sense of discovery, fellowship and fun. Community ministries include HUB of Hope HIV/AIDS Ministry, Helping Hands Community Advocacy Network, Inclusive Social Ministry for Solidarity, Christ-Centered Recovery Ministry and New Horizons for Hispanic Women and Children. In recognition of HIV-AIDS Awareness Month, the HUB of Hope and New Horizons sponsored a seminar and discussion for women and teachers in the group. Participating were six students from the English as a Second Language class, a bilingual Latina who served as translator, two teachers and the presenter, the Rev. Deborah Tanksley-Brown. To gauge what the group knew about HIV and AIDS, Brown asked some true/false questions. She exposed common myths about the disease and invited the women to ask questions. The participants were actively involved, asking questions and generating discussion. At times, the energy of the dialogue required the use of Spanish so that those who didn t understand had to wait for the translation. The participants appeared to be comfortable sitting around a table in a place that they knew and with people they trusted. They seemed to welcome the opportunity to learn about an important topic that relates directly to their own well-being. The atmosphere was relaxed enough to include laughter. Ministries like this church-led seminar extend the church s welcome and make significant differences in people s lives. Prayer: God of community, we are so different that we often fail to see our similarities. Nurture us to work in solidarity with others for peaceful, mutual solutions. Thank you for opportunities to broaden our horizons. In your holy name, we pray. Amen.

6 Story #5 Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me. --Mark 9:37, NRSV Twenty-five bright-eyed children many of them orphans gathered at the front of the small, dirt-floored United Methodist church one Sunday to celebrate. They were honoring the important work of training men and women to bring about health and wholeness in the lives of people in their city of Mzuzu in Malawi, a small, landlocked country in Africa. The United Methodist Church s Communities of Shalom Initiative led the training, and the children were present to celebrate the conclusion of this event. Along with the adults, the children sang joyfully some of the well-known United Methodist hymns. The children sat in a corner of the church and listened to adults preach and teach. Their attentiveness to the words being shared was intense as if they grasped the meaning of each spoken word. These children are receiving the benefits of a grant from the United Methodist Global AIDS Fund a grant that enables them to fight starvation and extreme poverty. Many of these children are infected with AIDS and on their own as they eke out an existence with little sustenance. Hanna Makala, a stately, proud United Methodist woman, directs the Hope Homes Nutrition project. For the past four years, she has helped keep the children alive. The grant provides food for the children as well as funding for school uniforms, blankets and shoes. According to Rev. Copeland Nkhata, The United Methodist Church in Mzuzu is a rare beneficiary of this fund and is truly benefiting the children, all of whom are under the age of 18. Nkhata is initiating several key projects in Mzuzu as a part of the Communities of Shalom plan. This is one of them. This project has spared the children from exposure to cold weather, nakedness and shame, Nkhata added. Making a difference by providing hope and nutrition is key for our project. The United Methodist Church s Global AIDS Fund grant is making this possible. In no way, can eyes fail to see and hearts fail to perceive the awesome works of God under the warm umbrella of the Mzuzu United Methodist Church. God in God s own inscrutable ways has touched lives to make a difference within, and without, the human soul which inevitably finds Emmanuel abiding among God s people.

7 Prayer: God of the ages, thank you for the innocence and beauty of children. Help us to see your world through their eyes and to ensure a bright future for all of your children, especially the most vulnerable. In your holy name, we pray. Amen. Closing Hymn: Hymn of Promise, page 707, United Methodist Hymnal Closing Prayer: Our Loving God, We remember how Jesus came among us as a healer. We remember how he touched with love, spoke with compassion, and prayed with empathy for those who were sick and suffering. How they experienced his love, compassion and empathy and were made well in body, mind and soul. Today we pray that everyone who is infected or affected by HIV and AIDS can imagine the loving hands of Jesus touching them and hearing the compassionate words of Jesus spoken to them bringing healing and hope. O God, we also pray that those who suffer might feel your unconditional love and acceptance and our unconditional love and acceptance in their lives. Forgive us when forget that Jesus told us not to judge each other but to love each other the same way he has loved us, which is with an unconditional, non judgmental and eternal love. O God, thank you for the compassionate people who devote their time, love, energy and skills in caring for those who suffer. Thank you for those generous persons who share their resources in caring for the sick, oppressed, or rejected. May we all follow the example of your son and open wide our hearts and hands in sharing your love with all those around us. In God's name. Amen. (Kent Millard, retired Senior Pastor St. Luke's UMC Indianapolis, IN, 40 Days of Prayer, General Board of Church & Society, 2011) Special thanks to United Methodist Communications for their development of the stories included in this sample service. For more information about the UMC Global AIDS Fund, go to: This service is produced and published by the General Board of Church & Society, 2011.

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