Bishop Browning Sets Aids Day Of Prayer
Episcopal News Service. May 15, 1986 [86108]
NEW YORK (DPS, May 15) -- Presiding Bishop Edmond Lee Browning has called on all Episcopalians to make Nov. 9 a Day of Prayer and Intercession for victims of AIDS and those who minister to them.
Browning set the day as part of the response to a General Convention resolution calling for a renewed ministry directed at "the tragic human suffering and loss of life" in the AIDS epidemic. In his statement, Browning also announced that he has charged a working group with assisting in developing the liturgical and educational resources for the Day of Prayer and to identify and act as liaison to existing programs and resources. (Eds: statement attached.)
Marcia Newcombe, staff officer for social and specialized ministries at the Church Center, is convenor of the Working Group and, in light of the overwhelming Convention response, confident about the panel's task: "Our Church is in the position to be a vanguard in this ministry. We need to address this crisis as a matter of life and death. It directly can affect all segments of the population. It is a family crisis with all of its ramifications. Health insurance, job security, housing issues are greatly impacted by AIDS. We must be ready to be advocates. Emphasis must be placed on appropriate educational resources for dioceses and parishes... I am happy to report that I have heard from several dioceses who have or are in the process of developing very effective AIDS ministries."
Other members of the group are: Dr. Irene Jackson Brown, Education; Canon Peter Golden, National Mission; Marcy Darin, Communication; and the Rev. Charles Cesaretti of the Presiding Bishop's staff.
The 68th General Convention requested that the Presiding Bishop "establish and lead a National Day of Prayer and Healing with special intentions for the AIDS crisis." This request was in the "love and compassion (for) the tragic human suffering and loss of life involved in the AIDS epidemic..." Responding to both the General Convention's intention and to the pastoral and spiritual dimensions of this deepening health and social issue, I ask all Episcopalians to join me on Sunday, November 9, 1986, in offering prayers and intercessions for people with AIDS and for those who minister to them.
To assist me and the Church to develop appropriate liturgical and educational materials and to identify resource agencies for pastoral care, I have established a Church Center AIDS Working Group. I have asked this Working Group to make this churchwide effort a priority and to utilize various avenues of communication to disseminate up-to-date information, worship resources and a list of pastoral care facilities. This Group will also provide linkage to existing diocesan and local programs.
The facts about Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome shock us into action. As of February 1986, there are over 17,000 adult and pediatric reported cases of AIDS. When a person is diagnosed with AIDS, that person faces an almost certain death in 24 months (for IV drug users the average is 9 months). Medical bills are astronomical. Many with AIDS lose jobs and housing. Social support systems collapse. The person with AIDS struggles with the reality of death. Families, friends and loved ones carry the burden of guilt, fear, grief and hostility.
The Christian community can offer care and compassion, resources and reconciliation, hospitality and hope. Above all, we can provide for some of the spiritual and pastoral needs of people with AIDS and those who share their suffering. We can be a fountain of ever-flowing love and a foundation for a community of grace.
"And the king will answer, 'I tell you this: anything you did for one of my brothers here, however humble, you did for me." (Matthew 25:40).