The promise of partnership was evident at the second annual Global Summit on AIDS and the Church, as politicians from both parties gathered at Saddleback Church in southern California to show their support of the evangelical church rising up to help stop the pandemic.
Mark Dybul, who holds ambassador status as the U.S. global AIDS coordinator, addresses media during a press conference for “Race Against Time” at the 2006 Global Summit on AIDS and the Church, Nov. 30, hosted by Rick and Kay Warren at Saddleback Church, Lake Forest, Calif.Spearheaded by Rick Warren, pastor of the 25-year-old church in Lake Forest, and his wife Kay, the two-day “Race Against Time” summit was attended by more than 2,000 lay leaders, pastors, health officials and government officials from 165 organizations and from 178 churches representing 39 states and 18 countries.
“We’ve got to work together where we can work together,” Warren said before introducing Sen. Barack Obama, D.-Ill., who supports many issues Warren opposes including abortion and, in the case of HIV/AIDS, condom distribution as a way to stop the spread of the disease that has killed millions.
“Right wing, left wing. I’m for the whole bird,” said Warren, smiling, on the last day of the conference, which featured Obama and Sen. Sam Brownback, R.-Kan., on World AIDS Day, Dec. 1.
“You have to have two wings to fly. When I thought of all the men I knew in Congress and the Senate, and believe me there were more who wanted to come (to the conference), I thought of Sen. Obama and Sen. Brownback for three specific reasons,” Warren said, citing “their integrity, their civility even when they disagree, and their openness to learning and listening.”
“It’s pretty rare in Washington, D.C,” he said. “I intentionally brought people together from healthcare, activism, religion and government. We’re looking for a culture of civility. Frankly, I’m tired of partisan bickering.”
If he and his wife only worked with people they completely agreed with on everything, they would never work with anyone, Warren said at a news conference during the summit.
“We will never totally agree with everyone, I don’t even always agree 100 percent with my wife,” he said. “But we can work together with anyone who is willing to work on this issue.”
Both senators cited their faith in Jesus Christ as a moving force in their choice to combat HIV/AIDS, and both are willing to cross partisan lines to do so.
“For (to) whom much is given, much is required,” said Brownback, who took Bob Dole’s seat in the Senate. “We need to reach across the aisles and engage.”
Both senators underscored the amount of help needed after visiting Darfur, Uganda and other African countries that have been ravaged by the HIV/AIDS crisis.
After the two senators spoke at the news conference, they sat next to Warren and took an AIDS test, which required a medical professional to swab the inside of their mouths.
Others attending the conference were offered free HIV testing on the church campus “not because they are unsure of their status, but to reduce the stigma associated with the disease,” Kay Warren said.
Obama told the conference, “The resources of governments may be vast, and the good works of philanthropists may be abundant, but we should never underestimate how powerful the passion of people of faith can be in eradicating this disease.”
Not only do churches need to participate in the prevention and care of HIV, but also in the souls of those with the disease, said Franklin Graham, president and CEO of Samaritan’s Purse and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, who spoke after the senators.
“This AIDS business is serious business. The only way this can be defeated is through Jesus Christ changing a human heart. There are no cures on the horizon. There are only drugs that can help you live a little longer. It’s through Jesus Christ alone. It’s not going to be politicians, rock stars or celebrities who solve this issue. It’s going to be Jesus,” Graham said.
Throughout the conference, the Warrens taught on how churches can raise up HIV/AIDS programs in their communities and meet the needs of those who suffer from the disease.
Kay Warren explained the steps that churches and other organizations can take to crawl, walk and run in their ministry to HIV victims.
A crawl step would be to send cards to HIV patients, she explained. A walk step would be to start an HIV/AIDS support group, and a run step would be to have testing on the church campus or go as a group together and take the test.
“When the church is involved, we have hope,” Kay Warren said. “We grieve for those who have died, but we have hope.”