We Were Wrong for Sitting on the Sidelines on AIDS, Ad Says

"We were wrong," said an attention-grabbing full-page ad in the Oct. 16th edition of the Dallas Morning News. The ad, placed by the Springcreek Church of Garland, deplored the church's having "sat on the sidelines" while AIDS devastated Africa.

"We were wrong; we're sorry. Please forgive us," the ad concluded.

Contacted about the ad, Springcreek pastor the Rev. Keith Stewart said it stemmed from a 2006 trip to Kenya suggested by evangelist Tony Campolo. Stewart toured western Kenya with the Christian aid group World Vision and was shocked by the extent of poverty and AIDS-related problems. Calling the experience "a brick to the side of my head," Stewart said he realized his church could do more.

Immediately, Stewart encouraged congregants to help World Vision, and today churchgoers sponsor more than 500 children in Kenya's Katito area. For about $35 a month, members provide one child with food, health care, and education. Stewart believes that in a few months the number of children the church sponsors will reach 1,000.

"I realized how impoverished my own life was," said Stewart. "What I saw in the midst of this extreme poverty and devastation were some of the greatest examples of love and community and compassion and leadership that I'd ever seen."

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