Approach to ministry

Working through local churches

Churches are rooted in their local communities and they retain respect, a potent combination in the fight against HIV and Aids currently sweeping urban and remote communities across Africa and beyond. When churches work together on a big enough scale they can impact its spread.

Teams of Grace & Light volunteers visit churches at the invitation of the minister and leaders. In a first meeting they explain the gospel of God’s grace and love and challenge congregations to faith in Christ. Testing and counselling happen in a second meeting. All those who choose to do so become members of Grace & Light and those who are HIV-negative provide financial and practical support for members who test positive.

Power of radical openness

In many parts of Africa immorality and stigmatization are fuelling the spread of HIV. These, coupled with low awareness and little prevention work, mean people do not change their behaviour. Most people who test positive go under cover and do not emerge even when dying. Medication care and support are rarely provided until people have full-blown Aids.

Only through Grace & Light are testing, prevention, home-based care, education and attitude change, fully integrated. This is possible because group members do not hide after testing positive - radical openness is the crucial link holding the chain together.

Grace & Light offers testing and counselling to everyone who wants to know their status. Individuals choose whether to keep their status confidential, or join a local Grace & Light group and share their status - initially with other group members and with family, friends and others they think should know.

Need for accountability

Radical openness works when there is a supportive community. In every church where Grace & Light test for HIV, life-sharing groups are set up. These groups meet weekly to share problems, struggles and hopes in a supportive environment; they care for and encourage each other. At the heart of these groups is recognition that Christ’s death wipes out the consequences of sin.