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The
Open Door AIDS Ministry
“The Open Door” AIDS ministry program has
been an outreach program of St. John’s in the
Village since March 1998. I have been privileged to
be its chaplain and facilitator since its inception.
It offers one-day Workshops on AIDS and Christian Spirituality,
weekly Support Groups, counseling and spiritual direction.
All are conducted in a safe and confidential environment
which respects the privacy of the individual. There
is no charge to participants.
The Support Group, which is limited to people living
with AIDS/HIV, meets on Thursday afternoons on the first
floor of Wade House. This private space is also used
during weekdays for counseling and spiritual direction.
Many of its furnishings and fixtures have been generously
donated by parishioners.
Workshops are open to people living with HIV –
and to family members, spouses, lovers, and care-partners*
of HIV+ persons. Counseling and spiritual direction
is also available to individuals in these categories.
Workshops are held in the Parish Hall, where the privacy
and anonymity of attendees is ensured by signs directing
people attending other events at St. John’s to
enter and exit via other doors while the workshop is
in session. In 2008 two Workshops were held: “Pentecost:
Gifts of the Holy Spirit” (Saturday, June 14)
and “Advent: Journeying to Bethlehem” (Saturday,
December 13).
The Open Door program is unique in that it is faith-based.
Unlike secular programs, which rely on government funding
and cannot mention God, we focus on our individual spiritual
journeys and our relationship with God. The goal is
always: Finding God in AIDS.
The Open Door was expanded from an outreach project
to a full ministry program in 2000 by a generous start-up
grant from the Trinity Grants Program. Since 2003, it
has been fully funded by St. John’s, which also
provides a modest Open Door Discretionary Fund. As funds
permit, the ODDF enables the program chaplain to assist
people living with AIDS/HIV expeditiously and confidentially
with such needs as food, rent, health care premiums,
medical bills, medical procedures and transportation
to and from hospitals and doctors’ offices.
None of this would be possible without the continued
unwavering support of the Rector, Churchwardens, Vestry
and parish family for this program, which has helped
me to help many people living with AIDS/HIV.
In addition to the parish funds budgeted, we are grateful
for generous donations received during 2008 from individual
parishioners to both Open Door and its Discretionary
Fund. For the second year in a row, Open Door has been
the recipient of a generous grant from ERA (Episcopal
Response to AIDS) in the amount of $5,000 for the year
2009. We are grateful to ERA’s Board for their
generosity, and we are also grateful to the many St.
John’s parishioners who by their participation
in the AIDS Walk, as walkers or donors, helped raise
the funds that made this donation possible.
Workshops will be held in 2009 on Saturday, June 13
(“Spirituality and Acceptance”) and Saturday,
December 12 (“Advent: Anticipation and Prayer”).
For more information, call me at the Parish Office.
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