Resource ConNEXTion - November 2008

Resource ConNEXTion HIV / AIDS November 2008 WEB RESOURCES   MCC World AIDS Day 2008 Resource Kit   Developed by the MCC Global HIV/AIDS Ministry, this Resource Kit includes letters, sermons, articles, worship elements, blogs, spiritual activities and a number of additional links to round out your World AIDS Day resources.   MCC Global HIV/AIDS Ministry This webpage, as part of the MCC website, introduces the Metropolitan Community Church Global HIV/AIDS Ministry and prevides links to further information, news, and resources.   MCC Global HIV/AIDS Ministry Blog   The MCC Global HIV/AIDS Ministry Blog resource page offers the latest resources, links, events, and news related to HIV/AIDS.     The Body   This site is the Web's largest source of information on HIV and AIDS. Read and listen to the latest news, research, and resources on HIV prevention, testing, etc.    Stop AIDS Project Established in 1985, the STOP AIDS project works to prevent HIV transmission among all gay and bisexual men in San Francisco through multicultural, community-based organizing. Internationally recognized as a successful model of grassroots prevention and support, STOP AIDS brings diverse gay and bisexual men together to talk about the challenges and issues posed by HIV/AIDS through neighborhood outreach, workshops, and community forums. Their work extends beyond education. Stop AIDS helps change behavior, create personal commitment to safer sex, build community support for each individual, and live these compelling beliefs: HIV transmission can be prevented. WEB RESOURCES   POZ Magazine POZ chronicles the HIV epidemic, both in the United States and overseas, supports AIDS healthcare providers, and empowers patients through publications.   Shanti - The L.I.F.E. Program L.I.F.E. stands for Learning Immune Function Enhancement. It is a new approach to health and healing based on more than three decades of published medical research. The standard "biomedical" approach to treating disease relies primarily on the use of drugs. A new, comprehensive, "biopsychosocial" approach enhances traditional medicine by also looking at internal psychological responses and external social factors that affect immunity and the course of a disease.   UNAIDS   UNAIDS, the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS, is an innovative joint venture of the United Nations family, bringing together the efforts and resources of ten UN system organizations in the AIDS response to help the world prevent new HIV infections, care for people living with HIV, and mitigate the impact of the epidemic.  PRINT RESOURCES   Reading For Our Lives   This page of the MCC website lists a number of books relavant to HIV/AIDS. Two of particular note are Breaking the Conspiracy of Silence by Donald E. Messer and Revising the Tribe by Eric Rofes. COMING SOON    Metropolitan Community Churches Global HIV/AIDS Ministry is preparing for a 2009 first quarter release of Uncommon Hope: A DVD Enhanced Curriculum Reflecting the Heart of the Church for People Affected by HIV and AIDS.   Uncommon Hope offers a dynamic curriculum for small groups to facilitate spiritual exploration, formation, awareness, and education. Whether you are a seasoned activist or just discerning your need to step forward, Uncommon Hope will provide tools and action steps to support your faithful response. We all have to work together to bring an end to AIDS.   At Metropolitan Community Churches we believe God is calling people of faith to end the legacy of silence and inaction which has hurt millions of people around the world. We believe that the silence and inaction of communities of faith, while people suffer and lives are lost to AIDS, is in opposition to the expressed core teachings of faith traditions.    If you hunger to minister at the true intersection of justice, mercy, compassion, and hope, then read these pages.  The God of your understanding may be inspiring and empowering you with a message once offered by St. Teresa of Avila, "God has no body now on earth but yours, no hands but yours, no feet but yours, yours are the eyes through which God's compassion is to look out to the earth, yours are the feet by which God is to go about doing good and yours are the hands by which God is to bless us now."  The MCC Global HIV/AIDS Ministry continues to collect names to add to the virtual MCC AIDS Memorial. To contribute, send the name and any other information you desire to share about the person to Joshua Love.   Thanks to Joshua, Metropolitan Community Churches' Program Director of Global HIV/AIDS Ministry and Drug and Addictions Ministry, for supplying the resources for this edition of the Resource Connextion! Happy Resourcing! Sharon Rev. Dr. Sharon Bezner MCC Resource Specialist and Region 7 Staff RevSharonBezner@MCCChurch.net 214-850-2661