September 30, 2007
The Moravian Church and HIV/AIDS Prevention
It is said that fools learn from their mistakes but wise men learn from the mistakes of others. The Moravian Church has a moral obligation to touch the lives of men and women everywhere, especially those who are displaced and suffering from lifestyle diseases like HIV/AIDS and the like. The Social Ministry of the Moravian Church must not only be lip service. It must seek to liberate and emancipate persons who have been imprisoned emotionally, psychologically, physically, mentally and give them hope for a brighter future and make the church more relevant.
Over the past 26 years, HIV/AIDS has become a major issue not only for Governments who have had to spend millions of dollars, for mediation and education, but for families, social organizations and the Church. There is no known cure for HIV/AIDS, but drugs have been and are being produced to retard the progress and at the same time help to keep persons living with the disease live longer and have a more productive life. The Moravian Church recognizes that there is much fear about the disease born out of ignorance.
What then is required of the Church? The Moravian Church must continue to educate not only its members, but the entire populace of the impact of this disease on the human race. The Church is called to be a healing community and the people of God ought to be the family that embraces and sustains those who are infected and affected with the HIV/AIDS condition. It is to be acknowledged that the disease is no respecter of age, sex, race, nationality or social class. It means therefore that the Moravian Church must continue its crusade to sensitize the population of the dangers and prevention methods that needs to be taken to arrest this disease. No longer can members of the Moravian Church say that it is not our business. HIV/AIDS is everybody’s business. Sooner or later someone you know will either be infected or affected by the disease. It could be a family member, a friend, a colleague, a church member who sits beside you in Church or you, yourself who could be infected or affected.
The Moravian Church must secure the future of its members and in particular its young people, by teaching abstinence, self control, delayed sexual gratification and faithfulness. One 18 year old-young lady said, “My boyfriend has been pressing me lately to have sex with him. I told him no, for I have decided to save myself until marriage.” The gravity of the situation, require persons both male and female getting into relationship, to get tested for HIV/AIDS. One cannot afford to risk his or her life. Never trust a book by its cover. You need to know, what is on the inside. The Moravian Church must continue to be in the vanguard of Educating and Empowering our people to make wise decisions. The Moravian Church can do no less. This is a very important part of the social ministry of the Moravian Church.
