March 2002

A Busy Five Years

In August 1996 the Diocesan Convention for the Diocese of Southeast Florida created the Episcopal AIDS Ministry. The board that was named—which included new NEAC board member Alfredo Macaya—invited the Rev. Jerry Anderson to come from Washington, D.C., to be the first Director and Chaplain.

The Ministry began simply with weekly healing services and Eucharist on Tuesdays—with the homily usually given by a visiting leader from the interdenominational network Father Anderson was instrumental in establishing — followed by a family-style dinner provided by volunteers. Next came a system of care teams, thanks to the dedicated efforts of Gary Snyder; teams are now in place in many churches in the Diocese and in other denominations.

The third element put in place by the Diocesan AIDS ministry was a series of ecumenical retreats, held twice a year for both leaders and clients, for participants to think deeply about the spiritual and holistic aspects of care and healing.

Meanwhile, director, board members, and volunteers were out and about, educating and raising the money needed to keep the program operating.

When Father Anderson chose to return to parish ministry in California at the end of 2001, the board reached out in a new direction. His successor as director of the Episcopal AIDS Ministry in Southeast Florida is a priest of the AME Church, the Rev. Marilyn Hardy, who brings great experience of educational and pastoral work within the African-American and the Latino communities in Miami—both of which have been experiencing high rates of growth of HIV infection (as in the nation as a whole). Father Anderson’s successor as chaplain is the Rev. Mark Sims, who leads the weekly healing services and works with the Rev. Hardy in other aspects of the ministry. A fourth element has just been added to that ministry: a day care center run by the Children’s Home Society that serves pre-school children in foster care who have been born HIV positive.

“Both the Cathedral and the Diocese support and in turn are greatly enriched by this ministry,” Alfredo said, “even though the majority of the clients served are neither members of the Cathedral or Episcopalians. They are just children of God!”