The AIDS National Interfaith Network (ANIN) is the only organization whose
mission is to mobilize the vast volunteer resources of America's faith community in the
battle against HIV/AIDS. ANIN has taken the lead in forging partnerships between local
AIDS ministries, other local AIDS service organizations (ASOs), national religious
denominations, national AIDS organizations and public health agencies. ANIN is also the
main source of technical assistance and information for the over 2,000 AIDS ministries
across the U.S., and ANIN's role as the voice of the faith community's caring response
to HIV/AIDS is growing.
With no cure in sight, increasing and improving volunteer efforts to halt the spread of
HIV/AIDS remains critically important. Roughly half of the local, volunteer-driven AIDS
service organizations across the U.S. are AIDS ministries staffed by committed clergy,
volunteers and professionals providing a wide range of life saving and life extending
prevention and care services.
ANIN brought together, in 1993, for the first time ever, 12 national HIV/AIDS networks
affiliated with national congregations/denominations to form the Council of NATIONAL
RELIGIOUS AIDS NETWORKS (CNRAN). As a result, ANIN has been awarded a grant
from the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to coordinate seven
HIV/AIDS prevention and care projects (being implemented by CNRAN members across
the country) and to provide a variety of program training, technical assistance, information
and referral services to AIDS ministries across America.
To build capacity within national religious organizations, their
respective national religious AIDS networks and individual AIDS
ministries to participate in HIV prevention efforts.
The Council of NATIONAL RELIGIOUS AIDS NETWORKS met in Washington, D.C in
March 1996 and in New York City in August 1996.
The current membership of the council includes:
The AIDS Ministry Network-ChristianChurch,(DOC)
The Lutheran AIDS Network
The National Catholic AIDS Network
The National Episcopal AIDS Coalition
The Presbyterian AIDS Network
The Balm in Gilead (African American Church AIDS programs)
The Union of American Hebrew
Congregations/Central Committee of American Rabbis AIDS Committee
The Unitarian Universalist Association, AIDS Resources Network
The United Church AIDS/HIV Network
The United Methodist HIV/AIDS Ministries Network
The Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches, AIDS Ministry
During 1996 four new national networks have joined the Council:
The Buddhist AIDS
Network the Greek Orthodox AIDS Network the Dignity USA-National AIDS Project
the HIV/AIDS Ministry-Seventh Day Adventists.
The combined membership of all the
council members numbers over 10,000 persons from across the United States. Through
their respective denominations, the Council networks have access to over 175,000
congregations across the nation.
ANIN assists individual members of the network to conduct national AIDS prevention
programs through subcontracting with them funds from the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention:
National Catholic AIDS Network: Many Threads, One Weave: A Parish Training Program to Develop
HIV/AIDS Awareness and Education
Presbyterian AIDS Network: HIV/AIDS Prevention/Awareness Video for mainline African-American churches project
UFMCC AIDS Ministry: The PEP (Peer Education Program)
United Methodist HIV/AIDS Ministries Network: The Computerized AIDS Network (CAM) project
UAHC/CCAR AIDS Committee: Jewish Response to AIDS Video Project
United Church AIDS/HIV Network: HIV Prevention Initiative
Lutheran AIDS Network: Parish based HIV/AIDS Curriculum
Red Ribbon Project:
In light of the overall goal of building capacity within national religious organizations
towards prevention programs, ANIN established the Red Ribbon Project in July of 1995
and hired Mrs. Sarah Naylor as its coordinator as a contracted consultant. During the
reporting period Mrs. Naylor has initiated contacts and met with denominational personnel
to assess their programmatic status with regard to their individual denominations
response to the epidemic. There are twenty-three national religious bodies with more than
one million members each; the goal of the Red Ribbon project is to dialogue on these
issues.
To build capacity within national religious organizations and
their respective national religious AIDS networks to enhance HIV
prevention efforts through better collaborations with other
national AIDS organizations.
ANIN provided opportunities for Technical Assistance
by conducting workshops at:
the Lutheran AIDS Network AIDS
Ministry Gathering, NYC
the UCC Health and Welfare Ministries Conference,
Baltimore,MD
the Urban Ministry Conference, in Chicago with a workshop and display
booth
the AIDS and Clergy Conference, Keynote Sioux Falls, SD
the National
Association of Social Workers in AIDS conference, Atlanta, (Seminar on AIDS &
Spirituality)
the Clergy & AIDS Retreat, Centennial,Wyoming
the AIDS Ministry
Workshop, Oregon State Department of Health, Sunriver,OR.
In JULY, ANIN participated at the XIth International AIDS Conference in Vancouver,
Canada by producing an information exhibit and co-sponsoring an Interfaith Service of
Remembrance, Hope and Healing attended by over 600 conference participants.
800 Hotline: information, referral and direct technical assistance was provided to AIDS
ministries
Over 2,000 calls were recorded from the 800 service from 45 states at an average of 166
calls per month or 8.3 calls per day. These calls for information and assistance do not
include the calls ANIN receives for general business purposes.. There is a wide range of
requests and assistance provided:
a city health department calls seeking assistance on how to set up a clergy day AIDS
education program in their community
"I'm a hospice nurse at a children's hospice and we are looking for sympathetic clergy
in our area to do some counseling with families of HIV patients".
An religious organization called to tell us about starting an AIDS housing program and
asking about where to find technical assistance and federal funds.
The local Red Cross chapter called from Wisconsin and is planning a conference for
AIDS caregivers and wants to include keynote speakers on spiritual issues.
POZ magazine is planning an AIDS Expo and is looking for persons to lead workshops
on spiritual issues.
The UConn School of Social Work called and is designing a class on HIV and the
Community and asked for religious resources and the religious communities response to
the epidemic.
A coordinator of a local Jewish AIDS Network would like to organize a national network.
They asked for information, mailing lists and support to meet at National Skills Building
Conference.
In October, after a year of planning and collaboration, The AIDS National Interfaith
Network joined in a formal affiliation with the National AIDS Fund. ANIN moved its offices
to share space with the Fund at their location and started the process of shared
programming.
The National Skills Building Conference took place at the Washington Hilton and
Towers (10/10-10/13/96) and was attended by over 2,100 front line AIDS workers from
all 50 States and seven foreign countries. ANIN co-sponsored the event for the sixth year
with its partners, The National Association of People with AIDS and the National Minority
AIDS Council. 184 educational sessions were conducted by 330 presenters to improve
the management of community based AIDS organizations. ANIN specifically coordinated
one all day AIDS ministry institute, twelve AIDS ministry workshops, one Spirituality and
AIDS plenary and an Interfaith Service of Prayer and Healing at the Washington National
Cathedral attended by over 3,500 persons.
In December ANIN promoted its "16 Bells" program through coordination with the
American Association for World Health in its World AIDS Day Resource Book distributed
free of charge to 45,000 Americans. All houses of worship were encouraged to ring bells
16 times at 2:00 pm local time to commemorate the 16 years of the epidemic. ANIN also
published and distributed 10,000 copies of a revised edition of the " The Council Call" with
the financial help of the United Methodist Church. The call provides an opportunity for
persons of faith to support this interfaith statement of compassion and justice in the face
of AIDS by joining a long list of supporters, now numbering in the tens of thousands.
To provide a voice of advocacy on federal AIDS legislative issues
representing ANIN's constituency of AIDS ministries and national
religious organizations.
Worked with National Organizations Responding to AIDS (NORA)
ANIN focused on getting national denominational offices, religious agencies and AIDS
ministries more involved with NORA, the AIDS policy coalition of over 150 national,
Washington-based health, labor, civil rights and AIDS organizations.
Public Policy Advocacy
ANIN joined with others to support sign-on letters to: Congress on HIV & Military,
Medicaid Cap, Governor's medicaid proposal, Faith Groups on Medicaid reform,
Support of AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP), Governor's Medicaid Program
concerns, Support Jeffords Amendment on lifetime insurance cap, support Health
Insurance Reform Act, FY 97 AIDS Appropriations Document, Amend Food, Drug and
Cosmetic Act, to Senate on S.1477 FDA Performance and Accountability Act, to
President Clinton on HIV/AID & welfare reform, to the Congress to oppose the HIV
Prevention Act, Action alert to ANIN members on AIDS Prevention funding, to the
White House on AIDS staff vacancies at Agency for International Development (AID).
In May, ANIN provided hospitality, conducted a worship service, and AIDS display in the
lobby of Methodist building in hosting AIDS Watch 96. Over 700 AIDS advocates
attended. With a grant from the George Gund Foundation, ANIN also supported 20 AIDS
ministry advocates, from as many states, with travel scholarships to participate in the
lobby days event. During that same weekend, ANIN was present at the President's
signing of the re-authorization of the Ryan White CARE Act in the Roosevelt Room of
the White House.
The Board of Directors of the AIDS National Interfaith Network is responsible for
the overall professional management of its programs and activities. The board, is
representative of various AIDS ministries as well as regions of the country and its racial,
ethnic diversity. Meetings of the Board, which maintain a 95% attendance record, are held
twice a year in various cities across America. The executive committee meets monthly
via conference call between meetings of the full board.
Currently composed of thirteen individuals, the Board
representing the following profile:
Sex: nine are female and four members are male.
Race: five are people of color, eight members are not.
Religious
affiliations: African Methodist Episcopal (1) American Baptist (1), Buddhist (1),
Episcopal (1), Jewish (1), Lutheran (1), Presbyterian (1),
Roman Catholic (3), Unitarian Universalist (1), United Methodist (2)
Geographical
distribution: East: Boston (1), Tampa (2), New York City (2),
Springfield, NJ (1) Alexandria,Va (1) Washington,DC (1)
Central: Topeka (1), Oklahoma City (1),
West: Los Angeles (1), Phoenix (1), San Francisco (1).
Other characteristics: The AIDS National Interfaith Network's by-laws requires that there
be representation on the board of directors of people living with AIDS. In the past year
the Rev. Herbert Evans, representing the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community
Churches past away. Rabbi Marc Blumenthal, the Vice Chair of the board is also a
person living with AIDS.
ANIN is also committed to the affirmation of gay and lesbian people. Three persons on
the current board of directors are openly gay.
Board Leadership
Ms. Holly McAlpen, Chairperson Rabbi Marc Blumenthal , Vice Chairperson Sr. Anne Dougherty, Secretary Rev. Sharon Keeling, Treasurer
The board has hired the executive director under an annual contractual arrangement and
conducts an annual performance appraisal of his effectiveness. The executive director for
the organization has authority from the Board of Directors to hire and manage the staff
of the agency within the specifications of the agencies personnel policies.
Rev. Kenneth T. South has been with ANIN since June of 1989 and is currently its Executive
Director. Prior to this position Rev. South was the Director of the AIDS Education and Research Division of the Koba Institute of Washington, D.C. Two of the four AIDS programs he supervised provided outreach, prevention/education services to Blacks and Latinos in the Washington, DC area. In addition he was the principal investigator for a three city, AIDS intervention study of IV drug users, in San Juan, Puerto Rico;
Laredo, Texas, and San Diego, California funded by a contract from the National Institutes on Drug Abuse
of the Public Health Service.
In the fall of 1987 Rev. South moved to Washington to provide staffing services to Dr. Frank Lilly,
a Commissioner on the President's Commission on the HIV Epidemic.
From 1984 to 1987 he was the Executive Director of AID Atlanta. He was active in Georgia AIDS
policy development by his participation on the State of Georgia AIDS Task Force, the Dekalb County AIDS
Task Force and in forming the Georgia AIDS Action Committee.
Other national involvements with the AIDS epidemic include his participation on the AIDS Task
Force of the American College Health Association, his board membership of the American Social Health
Association, managers of the National AIDS Hotline, a member of the AIDS Advisory Committee of the
National Hospice Organization, a former Secretary of the Board of Directors of the National AIDS Network
and former President of the Board of Directors of AIDS Medicine and Miracles.
All the activities of ANIN's ministry depend on the support of its constituency and various funding
sources including: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the individuals who give
to the Combined Federal Campaign, the Colin Higgins Trust, Hoffman-LaRoche
Laboratories, The George Gund Foundation, The United Church of Christ, The Presbyterian
Church, U.S.A., The United Methodist Church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America,
our member AIDS ministries and denominations, and the many individuals whose personal
gifts continue to be a blessing. ANIN's portion of The National Skills Building Conference
support acknowledges The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Philip Morris Companies,
and the Health Resources and Services Administration of the U.S. Public Health Service.
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