John Lake and Alisha Isles
The Anguilla Community Action Network (ACAN) is making arrangements for a special workshop at a date to be announced next month. The aim of the workshop is to encourage church leaders to use their influence to help break the stigma and discrimination being experienced by persons infected and affected by HIV/AIDS, STIs and other life-threatening illnesses.
At present, four denominations are involved in the community effort called “Project Hope – Helping Our People to Elevate” which has the sponsorship of the Governor’s Office through ACAN. Those denominations are the Dominion Faith Church (where Pastor Dexter Welcome is taking the lead), Kingdom Citizens’ Church, New Testament Church and Word of Life Ministries. The objective is to have as many churches as possible involved in the community outreach work.
CEO and Founder of ACAN, Mr John Lake, accompanied by other members of the organisation, were at the Kingdom Citizens’ Church on Sunday, January 19. Those with him were Mrs Pamela Fleming, Director and Assistant CEO, Mrs Ludencia Maronie, Programme Coordinator, Ms Alisha Isles and Ms Michelle Wilson. Mr Lake said their mission was to advise members of the congregation about how careless persons can become infected by HIV/AIDS which, according to a film which was shown, “has no face or race”.
Pastor Rondy Isles-Carty was pleased that Mr Lake and the other speakers had visited his church. “I would say, as I have said already, this church, along with several other ministries, is in full support of ACAN, and what has happened here today [is that] they actually came and shared what ACAN and its vision is all about,” he commented. “I think it sets a tone for the rest of the church in Anguilla to say, to individuals, that persons in the church are not immune to HIV/AIDS and other communicable diseases. The church has to realise and face the reality that we are going to be affected – and so the message cannot be for those outside the church only. It has to be for those inside as well.”
Pastor Isles-Carty’s sermon was entitled “Pharaoh is coming after you” – a term commonly used to cite the persecutions of the children of Israel, by the biblical Egyptian leader, as well as to call attention to certain threatening circumstances or calamities. “I do consider HIV/AIDS as a pharaoh,” he remarked. “If you are not aware of what is happening, and how to deal with it, as Mr Lake said, then it can actually destroy us.”
The pastor continued: “We, as a church, teach abstinence as our first order. However – and I might get in trouble for this statement – to those in the world whom we know are living otherwise, we would say: be wise, use the means that are available so that this does not become a problem for you; but in the church we teach abstinence. Abstinence is the key and I would tell you, like anybody else, go ahead and get tested. There is nothing wrong about getting tested. When you get tested you are able to make decisions based on what you see.”
