New AIDS Resource Will 'Help Children Make Informed Choices'
Episcopal News Service. November 22, 1989 [89243]
After two years of planning and consultation, the youth ministries office of the Episcopal Church has released a four-part resource, Youth Ministry in the Age of AIDS, for use in every congregation of the church.
"We have been working with every ounce of our being to help Episcopalians -- young people, in particular -- to learn what they need to prevent the spread of the HIV virus," said David Perry, executive for Education for Mission and Ministry, which produced the resource. Perry underscored the sense of urgency reflected in high statistics of personal and financial Loss due to AIDS, described by Presiding Bishop Edmond L. Browning as "mind-numbing."
The new curriculum is a tangible response to the General Convention resolution that there be "AIDS education programs in every congregation by the end of 1989 that promote abstinence or monogamy as well as candid and complete instruction regarding disease prevention measures."
The Presiding Bishop said that he is "pleased to commend" the new resources to individuals and congregations. In a cover letter introducing the curriculum, Browning said, "Our young people are special and precious to us and to God. The information in this resource can save their lives."
The curriculum contains resources for youth leaders, a resource for families: (Talking with your family about AIDS), a resource for adult leaders to use with young people (Advising young People about AIDS), and a booklet for young people in cartoon format (What Young People should Know about AIDS).
Drafts of Youth Ministry in the Age of AIDS were circulated to more than 50 reviewers for scrutiny and comments. Among those responding were the provincial youth ministry coordinators, regional religious education coordinators, ethnic networks in the church, Episcopal schools and colleges, the national Episcopal AIDS Coalition, the Standing Commission on AIDS, Pewsaction, Integrity, Women's Ministries, the AIDS task force of the Union of Black Episcopalians, Episcopal Church Women, and the Church Center's AIDS Ministries Office and the interunit working group on AIDS. All responses were considered in the preparations of the final manuscript.
"I was really impressed with the thoroughness and care with which the reviewers offered insightful comments," said the Rev. Gene Robinson, editor of the curriculum. "It really was a collaborative effort. Most of the reviewers actually used it with kids -- so you could say that it was really field tested." Robinson characterized the responses to the resource as "extremely positive."
"We wanted to make sure that our process included a racial and ethnic balance," said Sheryl Kujawa, youth ministries coordinator. "We also were in touch with people from around the country and many theological viewpoints. We didn't want this resource only to reflect the views of the East Coast," she said.
Kujawa admitted that production of the resources had to strike a balance between the urgency of the AIDS crisis and the desire to be inclusive of many viewpoints. "We were already behind many other denominations in AIDS education," she said.
"I really feel that the results of our efforts include the voice of people who will use this resource," she continued. "While there are many different opinions in the church about sexuality issues, we tried to keep this curriculum focused on AIDS. And we tried to stick very closely to the intentions expressed in the General Convention resolution that abstinence from sexual activity be held up as the primary option for the prevention of AIDS," she said.
The resources examine medical and theological issues surrounding the AIDS crisis, including definitions of the disease and instructions on prevention. Additionally, the curriculum attempts to help children and adults explore their feelings about AIDS in the midst of their anxieties and fears.
"There is a lot of clinical information available about AIDS, but not much in terms of Christian values and decision making," said Robinson. "We have expanded on the secular information to include Christian values. We want to provide young people with enough material to make informed choices," he said.
"We are also trying to offer kids a way to have a ministry in the midst of this crisis," Robinson said. "Many of them may be able to use their own knowledge to affect their peers who will never darken the doors of a church."
Two of the new resources are adaptations of previous work by the Lutheran Church in America. "We didn't want to reinvent the wheel," said Robinson. "Now the Lutherans have seen our revisions and want to use our revisions." He speculated that the new Episcopal AIDS resources may be used by other denominations as well.
Each congregation in the Episcopal Church will receive a copy of the written resource. In addition to the four-part publication, two supplemental educational videos have been mailed to each diocesan youth office. Additional copies of Youth Ministry in the Age of AIDS (#56-8911) are available from Parish Services, Episcopal Church Center, 815 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10017, at a cost of $15, plus shipping and handling.