Churches opening to realities of AIDS EDITOR S NOTE: For people with AIDS, faith is no less important tium medicine And yet for years, religions institutions turned away from the sick and from their loved ones In the first of a three part series, "AIDS — A Test of Faith." AIDS advocates say the churches have come a long way. HOUSTON (AP) — A giant cross hovers over the front lawn of the sprawling first Baptist Church complex — the howling alley, the restaurants, the sanctuaries nes tled amid hundreds of yards of rod carpet. This is an ultra-ultra-ultra conservative church, "and you can add another ultra to that." says the Rev. Bill Heston. But when a popular choir member work in Washington, D C And ns Easter l‘to:t approaches. some observe remarkable parallels in the reli gious response to AIDS in the United Slates with events 2,000 years ago "That's exactly the storv of Jesus Christ — suffering, misjudged, dying young and coming back from the dead." said the Kev, David (anger, coordinator of AIDS ministry for the Catholic Archdux ese of Seattle No one is saying the process of m i ep tam e has been easy , or complete "I don't care if it's a liberal congregation or a conservative congregation People aren't solely religious." said ethicist Ctrl Shelp "If they only had on their religious hat. they would look at this one way named I roy came down with AIDS, 1 even the "old < oots" had to think twice. Today. First Baptist and its nearly 20,000 members offer six AIDS care teams, helping people with the disease, "When AIDS took on a face at First Bap tist. then it could no lonuer he avoided." It’s touching us where we live. It’s now our brothers, our sisters, our mothers, our fathers, our daughters, our sons.’ — Rev. Winton Hill. pastor of Bethel Church I III! I\»JV . .H UH Alien. the son of for mer Southern Bap tist Convention President limmie Allen, was an ideal istu voting minister at the First Christian Church in Colorado Springs, Colo., when he learned his wife and two chil dren had been infected via a blood Huston said. "It became 11 person that we care about, that we loved, and AIDS is sts - ondary." Slowly, over the last couple of years — as worshipers find the courage to reveal their struggles with tin? great disease of our age — a new awareness is growing in the churches. AIDS advocates say. In the early years of AIDS, many of these same churches had succumbed to apathy, or fear, or disgust, and had turned their backs to the disease anil its sufferers The doctrine of unconditional love did not seem to apply to the homosexuals and drug abusers vviio were most often infected. Hut now. some 1,800 churches have AIDS relief and education programs, mak ing the religious community the second largest provider of services to people with AIDS ouiside of the government, accord ing to the National AIDS Interfaith Net transfusion at her first pregnancy. Devastated. Allen went to his pastor for support and was asked for Ins resignation Bock in their hometown in Dallas. Allen says six churt hes turned the family away before he finally turned his hac k on the church. "What I had seen is the churches reflect society more than the Gospel." he said "I just had to walk away." And many people with AIDS, and their families, still suffer in silence. "My son lived and diet! with AIDS and I didn’t feel I could toll my church." one congregant told the Rev. Howard Warren, a member of the advisory board of the Pres byterian AIDS Network, when he visited a church in Graydon. Ind He hears the same plaint each time he visits a church in the Midwest Warren, who himself waited two years before disclosing lit* had lh«* virus, said the fear extends throughout the chun h "Even people in our system are afraid that if it is found out in our system or in our i hurtJi. they would |ust lie anathema." Warren stud "The silent e of the t hurt h is devastating." Hut slowly the Iwirners of fear and prey udice are breaking down as people with AIDS and their loved ones come forward It's tout hing us where we live," said the Kev. Wintori lidl. pastor of Bethel African Methodist Episcopal (’.hurt h in .111 inner-city neighborhood m Stamford. Conn. "It's now our brothers, our sisters, our mothers, our fathers, our daughters our sons." And 1.hurt hes .ire beginning to respond At the Church of the Intercession in Harlem. Canon Frederick Mdi hell un it etl 45 close colleagues to a professional meeting on AIDS eight years ago II showed up Boday. all ol the heads ol hlai k denominations endorsed the National Blai k Chun h Day ol Healing Braver for People with AIDS March 17 And the Kev Molly McCreevv of S! I.uke in the Fields Fpiscop.il Church 111 New York is no longer "jokingly referred to as the funeral queen of Creenwh h Vil lage" - churches that had refused to bury l»eople with AIDS an1 now relenting In Houston, religious communities of every denomination have become among the most active 111 dealing with AIDS Under the 1 oordination of the Founda tion for inlerhith Keseart fi and Ministrv. more than Ii5 i hurt lies have established care teams that have helped 1.100 men. women and children with the virus The Kev Ray llighfield of Christian Tabernacle Churi h sold Ins house and moved into an apartment aliove a garage next to a residence for homeless people with AIDS started by the Pentecostal church "We (eel this is where Christ would lie involved." the stocky llighfield s.ivs as he takes a break from sawing to finish a hack room "It's hard not to have pride (he raps one hand on wood) to look out and see two pews of HIV people “ Watchdogs scold NPR for content NKVV YORK (AF) National Fub In Radio, long a target of i.onserva 11v*< until ism. is being s< olded In a liberal medio wait hdog grout) for being loo white, loo male anti too r.o/.v with Washington insiders In a rt'|>ort biting issued Monday. Fairness and At t uratv in Reporting, said an analysis of four months of NFK programming found that • Only ~l pert ent of NFR s utnvs sources were women. • All blit one of tilt1 .fT regular t ommentators were white ant) J:f were men • Twenl\ oighl porciMit of donuts ti< •.turn's wort* r»>p<»rt»*t! from Wash ington. .uni f»n |>«*r« « storms huurd. Blues Jam- $1 ■ T1XS0AVS High St.- $2 ■ WIOMCSOAV 3/31 rod piazza ■ HOMY 43 CHRIS HIATT & COLD SHOT (Stevie Ray Vaughn Tribute) ■ SATURDAY 43 New Riders if tie Purple Sage 379 E. 7th • 484-7181 History Month! UNIVERSITY OF OREGON bev emery • sportswear manager Bev began al the bookstore working in the Course Books Department in 19^8 She currently is responsible tor all the sportswear buying and operations lor our mam store aut/en store concessions and Hit.1 Portland store She likes lamily home tishinq gardening biking skiing reading and leading by example q: What was your first job? I worked as a USDA inspector q: What do you like most about your job at the Bookstore? Interacting with our very diverse and exciting staff & studem & faculty community q: As a woman, what do you bring to your work? A lifetime of experience and a good sense of humor q: What would you like most to see happen for women? A time wnen women's rights are the same as the right to breathe-not questioned