Global AIDS Fund Committee Hosts April Briefing in Fort Worth

FORT WORTH, Texas: The United Methodist Global AIDS Fund Committee will sponsor the “Lighten the Burden II” HIV/AIDS briefing at First United Methodist Church in Fort Worth on April 22 from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on April 22.

The event aims to heighten awareness of United Methodists about AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis by sharing stories about realities on the ground and how the denomination is responding. Projects funded by the United Methodist Global AIDS Fund will be featured.

The one-day briefing precedes the United Methodist General Conference, a meeting of the denomination’s top policy-making body, which convenes April 23-May 2 at the Fort Worth Convention Center.

Keynote speakers include:

.Kay Warren, a two-time cancer survivor, launched the HIV/AIDS Caring Community, an online community that offers resources and inspiration for churches involved in HIV/AIDS ministry. She and her husband, Rick Warren, author of “The Purpose-Driven Life,” were instrumental in presenting Saddleback Church’s first HIV/AIDS conference, “Global Summit on AIDS and the Church,” which is now an annual event.
.Bishop João Somane Machado, Episcopal leader in Mozambique, serves in a country that has declared HIV/AIDS a national emergency. The epidemic has reduced life expectancy from 41 years in 1999 to 38.1 years in 2004. On average, 500 new infections occur every day, 90 of them among young children through mother-to-child transmission. Bishop Machado is an international leader in the fight against AIDS and malaria.
.Shane Stanford, who is HIV-positive, is the featured preacher on The United Methodist Hour and serves as teaching pastor at Main Street United Methodist Church in Hattiesburg, Miss. Shane also serves on the UMC Global AIDS Fund Committee.

Other speakers will be Bishop Hope Morgan Ward of the Mississippi Episcopal Area; Dr. Cherian Thomas of the General Board of Global Ministries, the Rev. Kent Millard, pastor of St. Luke’s United Methodist Church in Indianapolis, and Dr. Pauline Muchina, UNAIDS (invited). (See agenda)

There is no cost for registration. A light breakfast and lunch will be served. To make reservations to attend, register online or contact Donna Brandyberry at dbrandyberry@umc-gbcs.org or 202-488-5641. The registration deadline is April 11.