Articles

Affirming a Future with Hope: HIV and Substance Abuse Prevention for African American Communities of Faith

Faith And The City E-Letter, Vol. 1 Issue 1
April 5, 2002

For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. -- Jeremiah 29:11 (NRSV)

"God has a plan for your life" is a popular expression derived from this verse. Faith leaders often use it to remind individuals that God loves them and has a plan for their lives that transcends the human imagination, a divine plan that reflects God's best for them--a future with hope. Faith leaders also use this foundational passage to encourage persons to make positive, life-affirming decisions consistent with the goal of "a future with hope," decisions in their daily lives that support health and wholeness in mind, body, and spirit. In this present age of HIV/AIDS and its ravaging effects on African Americans, such decisions are more important than ever.

Responding to the call for theologically grounded, culturally appropriate prevention materials, an interseminary curriculum team has developed a new resource for African American communities of faith: an HIV and substance abuse (HIV/SA) prevention curriculum. It is a comprehensive instructional program that stresses a personal relationship with God and addresses HIV prevention through the use of biblical narratives, spiritual principles, and individual experience. Entitled "Affirming A Future With Hope," the curriculum blends concern for the health of African Americans with Christian education, popular culture, and pedagogical creativity. Directed toward youth and adults, the overall intent is to promote, first and foremost, a personal relationship with God as the "sure foundation" for HIV prevention. It challenges persons to adopt lifestyles that support health and wholeness. It contains provocative narratives and innovative study guides for examining the attitudes and behavior that contribute to the spread of HIV infection, while confronting the tough issues that have kept AIDS on the back burner of the African American Church.

This prevention curriculum is a comprehensive teaching resource for faith leaders, congregations, and outreach ministries. It is explicit, affirming, and positive, and is intended to promote the holistic well-being of God's people. It is grounded in the tenets of Christian faith, yet is designed to be adaptable across faith traditions. The critical factor in its effectiveness is not the faith tradition to which one ascribes, but the extent to which one lives out a faith that integrates her or his personal relationship with God into the struggles and triumphs of everyday life.

Affirming a Future with Hope was developed by the Health Education Leadership Program (HELP) at the Interdenominational Theological Center in cooperation with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

For more information on the HELP initiative, contact Dr. Monifa A. Jumanne, Executive Director, at 404-614-6362 or mjumanne@itc.edu.

For more information on ITC, visit http://www.itc.edu.