On Sunday, December 22, a monumental collaborative initiative was launched, during a special church service among the organizations ACAN (Anguilla Community Action Network), the Anguilla National AIDS Programme, the Anguilla Fire and Rescue Service and Dominion Faith Centre. The focus of this initiative is to further sensitize the community to the need to unite in the fight against stigma and discrimination of persons infected and affected by HIV/AIDS through the empowered support of faith-based organizations. Starting in January 2014, there will be a series of consultation programs implemented on Anguilla where various churches will join forces to address the pressing issues relative to HIV/AIDS and how the collective church body can play a positive role in the community. This is being made possible under Project HOPE which has been funded by the Governor’s Office. The National AIDS Programme and the Church are mutually passionate about their impact in the fight against stigma and discrimination. There has already been an embryotic effort of this initiative as seen on December 4, when several churches united for a choir fest. The churches, Kingdom Citizens Church (Pastor Randy Isles); New Testament Church of God (Pastor Bernard Joseph); Word of Life (Pastor William); and Dominion Faith Centre (Pastor Dexter Welcome) came together for an evening of fellowship which exuded a vibrant spirit of unity which they hope will flow throughout the nation.
At the launch service on Sunday, Mrs. Maeza Demis-Adams (Director, National AIDS Programme) thanked Dominion Faith Centre for spearheading unwavering support in 2013 along with many other faith-based organizations on the island. She aptly voiced her thoughts on the fight against stigma and discrimination by saying, “…the Church is David; the fight is Goliath”. She continued on to state that “…with faith, all things are possible.” Mrs. Patricia Baird (Former Director, National AIDS Programme) was also in attendance and applauded the current collaborated efforts. She said that she was pleased to see the transformation, support and progress to date.
Pastor Dexter Welcome, whose lively sermon focused on the spirit of love, particularly at this time of year, emphasized the need to eliminate stigma and discrimination against persons infected and affected by HIV/AIDS because hate and unacceptance only drives them into a darker place. He eloquently summarized by encouraging all those in attendance to let their light of hope, love, and faith shine, as Christians, to protect and care for one another. Pastor Welcome is one of ACAN’s most recently appointed chaplains.
Pastor Israel, the chaplain of ACAN for the Spanish-speaking community, pledged his continued support and dedication to the faith-based consultations agenda. He further shared his vision for implementing outreach programs within the Spanish-speaking community. He opined that often times the Spanish-speaking community is left out of important societal initiatives due to the language barrier. He is hopeful that with his help, positive strides will be made in this area, bringing all persons together- regardless of language.
Rounding out this revolutionary alliance formation, and concluding the dynamic service at Dominion Faith Centre, the Anguilla Fire and Rescue Service (AFRS) squadron was also on hand to speak on the importance of home fire safety. Their goal is to ensure all persons who are not best able to care for themselves (i.e. sick, elderly or physically challenged), be advised of key areas of fire safety such as how to fit their homes with smoke alarms, the importance of knowing emergency contact numbers, etc. They have been working within the community to showcase various safety drills and hope the information has been well received thus far. Immediately after the service, there was a live demonstration, actioned by members of the Fire and Rescue team, outlining the correct way to put out a kitchen fire, complete with a mock kitchen set-up.
Mr. John C. Lake, Director and Founder of ACAN, thanked the Governor’s Office, the NAP, DFC and the AFRS for their remarkable efforts and avid support in 2013. He shared his excitement regarding what the upcoming year holds for the future of ACAN and the National AIDS Programme with the renewed support of churches in the fight against stigma and discrimination for persons living with and affected by HIV/AIDS. Mr. Lake plans to visit churches around Anguilla to foster and strengthen involvement. He emphatically stated that he is looking forward to positive networking results in 2014 and beyond.
– Contributed
(Published without editing by The Anguillian newspaper.)
