On Saturday, the Women's Missionary Society (WMS) of the AME Church's Arkansas Conference sponsored free HIV testing at Shorter College in North Little Rock. The tests were administered by the Arkansas Department of Health, with results available in 15 to 20 minutes.

Claudia Smith, health coordinator for WMS in the AME Church's 12th District, which encompasses Arkansas and Oklahoma, said black churches must become more involved in preventing HIV/AIDS, a disease that disproportionately affects African Americans. "We have to talk about it in our churches, in a place that has historically been where people go to get truth."

"We as a people have to be open and honest about what's going on," said Smith. "Yes, this is a disease that's killing us. But yes, the church is a wonderful place because the church can let people know what to do."

Smith stressed that the goal of the event was not to focus on preaching about sex or sexual preferences but rather to provide a safe environment where people can learn more about the disease without judgment.

In 2007, approximately 40 percent of the 350 new HIV cases diagnosed in Arkansas had already advanced to AIDS. "So we're talking about people who may have been transmitting it without knowing it for several years," said Tere Roderick, HIV prevention manager for the state health department.

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