• Black Americans make up 13% of the United States population, but account for over 50% of all new cases of HIV.
• Almost 70% of all newly diagnosed HIV positive women in the United States are black women.
• AIDS is the leading cause of death for black women ages 25 to 34 and black men ages 35 to 44, according to the Center for Disease Prevention and Control.
Churches are traditionally the most powerful source of political and social activism in black communities in America and Pastor John Mitchell of the Lighthouse Community Church in Delaware County, Pennsylvania is taking full advantage of that fact. Using CHARACTER COUNTS! as a framework for instruction he is educating his congregation and community on the realities of AIDS and HIV infection.
Delaware County ranks third among Pennsylvania’s 67 counties for the number of AIDS cases. “The demographics of our community are African-American and it’s the African American community that is less knowledgeable about what’s going on,” said Mitchell.
A Common Vernacular
He is expanding the church’s after-school CC! program, the Lighthouse Academy, into the church community as one tactic in his fight against AIDS. After attending the CDS training last year, Pastor Mitchell recognized that the vocabulary and ethics of CC! and the Six Pillars was essentially the core of the gospel. “The Six Pillars are aspects we all want whether consciously or unconsciously, even gang-bangers and drug dealers want respect,” Pastor Mitchell said.
• Almost 70% of all newly diagnosed HIV positive women in the United States are black women.
• AIDS is the leading cause of death for black women ages 25 to 34 and black men ages 35 to 44, according to the Center for Disease Prevention and Control.
Churches are traditionally the most powerful source of political and social activism in black communities in America and Pastor John Mitchell of the Lighthouse Community Church in Delaware County, Pennsylvania is taking full advantage of that fact. Using CHARACTER COUNTS! as a framework for instruction he is educating his congregation and community on the realities of AIDS and HIV infection.
Delaware County ranks third among Pennsylvania’s 67 counties for the number of AIDS cases. “The demographics of our community are African-American and it’s the African American community that is less knowledgeable about what’s going on,” said Mitchell.
A Common Vernacular
He is expanding the church’s after-school CC! program, the Lighthouse Academy, into the church community as one tactic in his fight against AIDS. After attending the CDS training last year, Pastor Mitchell recognized that the vocabulary and ethics of CC! and the Six Pillars was essentially the core of the gospel. “The Six Pillars are aspects we all want whether consciously or unconsciously, even gang-bangers and drug dealers want respect,” Pastor Mitchell said.
Using CC! allowed him get buy-in from non-religious sectors of his community -- in particular, youths involved in gangs. “Respect is a buzz-word for kids and helping them to understand what it is using a common vernacular will help set ground rules,” says Mitchell. He has set up a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization, the Family and Life Achievement Center, which is working with Chester Youth Group and the United Way of South East Pennsylvania to set up a CC! Coalition.
Training
The Family Life and Achievement Center coordinated a two-day CC! training. The event was an opportunity for community leaders to learn about the Six Pillars and to enter into a meaningful dialog on how CC! can benefit religious and non-religious sectors of the community.
Mitchell believes that CC! is a great tool for churches to use to speak to congregations as well as being a neutral, universally acceptable framework. With this in mind, Pastor Mitchell hopes to promote CC! in district schools.
There will be a second training this summer in preparation for what Pastor Mitchell hopes will be a school-wide kick-off event in October, coinciding with National CC! Week. The Lighthouse Academy program has employed the maxims from the Foundations for Life program into literacy exercises, a strategy he hopes the school district will emulate. He will be speaking to the school district superintendent this summer.
Hear It! Feel It! See It!
Researchers note that parents and other traditional sources of sex education and values – like schools and the church – are increasingly being displaced by young people’s peers and the media. As a result, they are constantly receiving information and are involved in a dialog about sex and sexual values, but not with people in their house.
Pastor Mitchell invited Wesley Anderson Jr., an HIV/AIDS educator, to his church to present a program on HIV/AIDS in the African-American community. Hearing about how to prevent infection is the first step in reducing the number of new HIV cases. The audience was not surprised to hear that kids in school were having sex, and the reason they attended was to be able to teach their own kids about HIV prevention.
Having adequate and accurate information is key to making informed decisions about sex and sexuality. The risks that accompany sex are high. Children come of age sexually in an environment laden with land mines, while images of nearly naked women and gangster-style men entice them to live dangerously.
Adults can’t control what children are learning from videos or their peers, but they can make sure that the truth about sex is taught, and the values they expect the children in their community to live by. Pastor Mitchell has harnessed the CC! framework and is encouraging everyone to hear about it, feel good about it, and demonstrate the Six Pillars in the community.
Training
The Family Life and Achievement Center coordinated a two-day CC! training. The event was an opportunity for community leaders to learn about the Six Pillars and to enter into a meaningful dialog on how CC! can benefit religious and non-religious sectors of the community.
Mitchell believes that CC! is a great tool for churches to use to speak to congregations as well as being a neutral, universally acceptable framework. With this in mind, Pastor Mitchell hopes to promote CC! in district schools.
There will be a second training this summer in preparation for what Pastor Mitchell hopes will be a school-wide kick-off event in October, coinciding with National CC! Week. The Lighthouse Academy program has employed the maxims from the Foundations for Life program into literacy exercises, a strategy he hopes the school district will emulate. He will be speaking to the school district superintendent this summer.
Hear It! Feel It! See It!
Researchers note that parents and other traditional sources of sex education and values – like schools and the church – are increasingly being displaced by young people’s peers and the media. As a result, they are constantly receiving information and are involved in a dialog about sex and sexual values, but not with people in their house.
Pastor Mitchell invited Wesley Anderson Jr., an HIV/AIDS educator, to his church to present a program on HIV/AIDS in the African-American community. Hearing about how to prevent infection is the first step in reducing the number of new HIV cases. The audience was not surprised to hear that kids in school were having sex, and the reason they attended was to be able to teach their own kids about HIV prevention.
Having adequate and accurate information is key to making informed decisions about sex and sexuality. The risks that accompany sex are high. Children come of age sexually in an environment laden with land mines, while images of nearly naked women and gangster-style men entice them to live dangerously.
Adults can’t control what children are learning from videos or their peers, but they can make sure that the truth about sex is taught, and the values they expect the children in their community to live by. Pastor Mitchell has harnessed the CC! framework and is encouraging everyone to hear about it, feel good about it, and demonstrate the Six Pillars in the community.
