HOUSTON CHRONICLE ARCHIVES 

Paper: Houston Chronicle
Date: SAT 06/17/00
Section: A
Page: 41
Edition: 3 STAR

Black religious leaders join forces to battle AIDS/Group demonstrates ease of new HIV oral specimen test

By PATRINA A. BOSTIC
Staff

It looked like lollipops were hanging out of the mouths of seven distinguished black men and one woman.

But there is nothing sweet about blacks comprising 61 percent of HIV infection cases reported here from January 1999 to March 2000.

That was the message of the Urban AID Ministry Task Force which rallied Friday to stop the disease.

To demonstrate the need for early HIV detection and the simplicity of the test, eight religious leaders took an oral specimen test as 150 people looked on. The test extracts antibodies from the blood vessels in the mucous membranes in the mouth.

"Today we offer our bodies to be tested," said the Rev. Rudy Rasmus of St. John's United Methodist Church.

The Urban AIDS Ministry Task Force, a coalition of Houston-area faith leaders, hosted the Black Church Lights the Way campaign.

The group works with the city Department of Health and Human Services to promote safe-sex awareness and ministers to and provides services to HIV victims.

"I'm asking all pastors, leaders and priests to come before your people because they are following you," said the Rev. Melvin Lewis of New Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Church, who also was tested.

Earlier in a praise and worship ceremony at St. John's United Church, Lewis told the audience: "I love sex. Sex was given to us by our God. I don't know of a black preacher who doesn't like sex.

"You have your views (about sex). I have mine. But no matter what our views - we still have to practice safe sex."

Mayor Lee Brown declared an HIV/AIDS state of emergency to raise public awareness about AIDS in the African-American community last year.

City statistics show that 27 percent of the 1999 HIV infection cases were black men, 24 percent were black women and 34 percent of black HIV cases were caused by heterosexual transmission.

"Our babies, wives, sons and daughters are dying," said City Councilman Jew Don Boney, who also serves on the Mayor's HIV/AIDS State of Emergency Task Force. "We can't tolerate people dying for lack of knowledge when this disease is preventable."

Houston religious leaders are trying to change those grim statistics.

The Black Church HIV Testing Campaign is a national program organized by the Balm in Gilead, a national, nonprofit organization designed to get black churches involved in addressing the AIDS epidemic as well as educating and encouraging blacks to get tested.

Rasmus told the audience, "When we began to pass out condoms and offer HIV testing after (church) service, people begin to say `man, those folks down there are crazy.' No, we're not crazy; we just care, deeply.

"We are missionaries; We (simply) pose as a church."

Rasmus said he would share his test results with his members, and that he encourages them to be equally open.

"Why hide something that can help the community either way?" he said.

The Rev. Louie Alexander and his wife, Mary, a Christian counselor, agreed.

The couple went up to get tested when Lewis invited all leaders to come forward.

"We've been married for a long time and we never thought about being tested, said Mary Alexander, 54. "Yes. We would tell if the results were positive."

Her husband added: "There's no need to be secret."

The Alexanders said they have six children, 28 to 37, and want to be an example to them as well as the community.

Four people stood up in the morning service and said they are HIV positive.

And the message was that life is not over after being diagnosed with HIV, the virus that leads to AIDS.

Those wanting information about HIV can call the Department of Health and Human Services at 713-794-2908.

Muslim minister Robert Muhammad of the Nation of Islam was among the initial group who committed to the test.

He told the audience they might ask that since the task force is for black churches, "Why are you here? You're a part of that black power movement.

"Well, we can't have black power if there are no black people left."