(Black PR Wire) Richmond, VA - The Balm In Gilead, one of the country’s pioneering organizations in leading a multi-faith community in the fight against HIV/AIDS, announces the 30th Annual National Week of Prayer for the Healing of AIDS (originally the Black Church Week of Prayer for the Healing of AIDS) March 3-10, 2019. The Week engages people of all faith to unite in prayer for the eradication of HIV/AIDS. 

What began in 1989 as a pioneer movement to mobilize Black churches to fight HIV/AIDS (The Harlem Week of Prayer for the Healing of AIDS) in the Black community of New York City, exploded into a multi-country, multi-faith movement to stop the AIDS pandemic among African Americans. After twenty years of executing the highly successful Black Church Week of Prayer for the Healing of AIDS and mobilizing thousands of congregations across the United States and the Caribbean to engage in a week of education, service, advocacy and prayer, the Balm In Gilead renamed the Week, The National Week of Prayer for the Healing of AIDS.

Today, The National Week of Prayer for the Healing of AIDS continues to be observed in throughout the United States in large and small congregations in urban and rural areas of the country.

According to the CDC, African Americans account for a higher proportion of new HIV diagnoses and people living with HIV, compared to other races/ethnicities. In 2017, African Americans accounted for 13% of the US population but 43% of the new HIV diagnoses in the United States and dependent areas. Although the urgency of the matter of HIV appears to have gone silent, the leadership of the African American faith community is more critical than ever before.

While The Week engaged thousands of multi-faith leaders and congregations last year as its first year as The National Week of Prayer for the Healing of AIDS, President Barack Obama said in a statement to the Balm In Gilead, “…Although we have made great strides in the fight against HIV/AIDS, our battle is far from over.”

This year, during The National Week of Prayer for the Healing of AIDS March 6-12, The Balm In Gilead is calling on all leaders and people of faith to unite with purpose, compassion and hope to do the following:

• Educate every American about AIDS facts;
• Encourage and support HIV Testing;
• Advocate for the availability of compassionate care and treatment for all those living with the disease in every community in America and
• Love, unconditionally, every person living with and affected by HIV/AIDS.
• Faith leaders are invited to submit a statement of acknowledgement, prayer and education for posting on NWPHA.org.

The National Week of Prayer for the Healing of AIDS is the inclusive, expansion of the highly successful Black Church Week of Prayer for the Healing of AIDS. It was the nation’s FIRST national mobilization campaign that specifically focused on HIV/AIDS. The campaign has provided AIDS information to well-over 5 million African Americans through the engagement of Black congregations of every sector across the United States. Launched in 1989 as the Harlem Week of Prayer for the Healing of AIDS, the week engaged Harlem’s Christian, Muslim, Jewish, and traditional faith communities brought national attention to the critical and urgent need to engage faith communities in addressing HIV/AIDS, especially in the African American community.

For more information

The Balm In Gilead is a 501(c) (3), not-for-profit organization whose mission is to improve the health status of people of the African Diaspora by building the capacity of faith communities to address life- threatening diseases, especially HIV/AIDS in the United States and in Africa. To get more information on the National Week of Prayer for the Healing of AIDS, visit www.NWPHA.org.

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2019 National Week of Prayer for the Healing of AIDS

Noon Day Prayer Call Participant Bios

MONDAY, MARCH 4

PASTOR COREY D. PRATHER

CHATTANOOGA, TN

Pastor Corey D. Prather is the pastor of New Anointing Pure Holiness Church of God in Chattanooga, TN.

TUESDAY, MARCH 5

PASTOR SAN FRANKLIN

MADISON, TN

Pastor San Franklin is the Servant Leader of Kingdom Love Worship Center in Madison, TN "The place where God's love covers, builds and restores." A native of Chicago, IL, Pastor San was anchored in the Baptist church and began her professional singing career at a young age recording with Rev. Clay Evans and the Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church. Her music ministry has afforded her the opportunity to travel internationally with many major gospel recording artist and stage plays. She continues to travel nationally teaching praise and worship fundamentals. Her goal is to continue “EVANGESINGING” (her definition of the two ministries combined) until a difference is made in the lives of all God’s people.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 6

BISHOP ALAN G. PORTER

CHARLOTTE, NC

Bishop Alan Gregory Porter is the Senior Pastor of the Greater Salem Church in Charlotte, NC. He serves as the General Overseer of Harambee Ministers Fellowship, providing covering to pastors and ministries and CEO of A.G. Porter Ministries. He has become known as “A Pastor’s Pastor” because of the flow of knowledge and wisdom concerning leadership, apostolic authority, and Episcopal order. He is unquestionably one of the ministers of this generation God has raised up to be on the cutting edge for this end-time move!

THURSDAY, MARCH 7

BISHOP STACEY LATIMER

NEW YORK, NY

Bishop Stacey S. Latimer is the Founder and Spiritual Leader of Love Alive International Sanctuary of Praise-Worship Center of New York City, a non-denominational ministry of believers; followers of Christ who believe God’s grace and love reaches to the furthest margins of society embracing all without prejudice or discrimination. It is a love-seeking justice for the oppressed, disenfranchised, and marginalized.

Bishop Latimer has been instrumental in the national mobilization of the Black church around issues of HIV and AIDS, and sexuality. He possesses over 17 years of experience working in the field of HIV and AIDS, in various capacities. Nationally he collaborates and partners with churches, health departments, and civic and community organizations to mobilize, educate, encourage and provide HIV testing. As a fearless and tireless advocate for people living with HIV and AIDS, his work has profound influence on individuals and public policy in the United States.

As a minister of The Gospel, Bishop Latimer continues to be an international voice heralding a word of hope and concrete information, as he pursues justice and equality for the oppressed and disenfranchised across populations and denominational lines.

FRIDAY, MARCH 8

REV. REGINALD W. SHARPE, JR.

CHICAGO, IL

Rev. Reginald W. Sharpe, Jr. is one of our nation’s most profound millennial voices. A graduate of Morehouse College, Sharpe has served as the campus pastor of House of Hope in Macon, GA under the leadership of Dr. E. Dewey Smith.

He is the Senior Pastor Elect of the Historic Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church in Chicago, IL where he will be the successor of Pastor Charles Jenkins and Rev. Clay Evans.

He is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated.

Rev. Sharpe is wed in holy matrimony to the former Miss Brianna Sullivan.