In the past 20 years, St. Andrew’s Food for Life Ministry has provided more than one million meals to persons living with HIV/AIDS, as well as feeding their neighbors in Tuscon with meals prepared in St. Andrew’s kitchen. Following the presentations by the Jubilee Ministries, more than 60 guests were served a gourmet meal, prepared by Deacon Jefferson Bailey, the Feeding Ministry coordinator.

For the 21st year, Province IV Network of AIDS Ministries offers a spiritual, inclusive, open-hearted retreat experience for persons infected and affected by HIV/AIDS. Sponsors include Province IV of the Episcopal Church and the National Episcopal AIDS Coalition. Held at the Kanuga Conference Center in Hendersonville, North Carolina June 8 - 10, 2012, this year we are invited to come together to contemplate “Living in Love,” and talk about living the life of God’s beloved.

What do Mission and Outreach really look like? How tall are they? Male or female? And when does "putting faith into action" mean reaching out far beyond our wallet or comfortable lifestyle? In I Am That Child, Elizabeth Geitz helps answer these questions as she fleshes out the human faces of AIDS, poverty and sexism as experienced first-hand in an orphanage in Cameroon, West Africa.

The Rev. Eyleen Farmer reflects on her experience with her first AIDS Healing Service at Calvary Episcopal Church in Memphis, TN.

“When he got here he was very disappointed that there were no services at all and he had a dream to change that,” said Butch McKay, who now, 20 years later, directs an organization that fulfills that dream — the Okaloosa AIDS Support and Information Service (OASIS) center in Fort Walton Beach. The center received its nonprofit status Oct. 3, 1991, after a small band of volunteers, including Neal’s mother Carmelita, started meeting regularly. “The first office was Carmelita’s trunk, then it moved to the kitchen,” McKay said. St. Simon’s on the Sound Episcopal Church later let the group move into its first real office space.

Saint Mark's Cathedral on Capitol Hill will host the Seattle AIDS Memorial on Saturday, September 24, 2011, at 7:00 p.m. Subtitled "30 Years of Sorrow, Comfort and Hope," the memorial commemorates the 30th anniversary of the first HIV/AIDS diagnosis as well as the 25th anniversary of the first AIDS Walk in Seattle. The event, which is free and open to all, offers a multi-faith observance through readings and song.

The Rev. Scott Seefeldt wants to make a difference, but this time it won’t be from the pulpit. Seefeldt will be on the seat of his Trek in his second Wisconsin AIDS ride. Seefeldt, 36 of Baraboo, who has been spinning his wheels for nearly a decade, is the pastor at Trinity Episcopal Church, 111 6th St. in Baraboo. He said the Act 9 Wisconsin AIDS bike ride will allow him an opportunity for thought and prayer while he pedals across the state. "It’s really a win-win," he said. "The church allows me a certain number days for retreat and what better way to use that time than for a good cause?"

St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Lakewood, OH celebrated 40 years of service provided by The Free Clinic. This important organization provides HIV services, medical, dental, substance abuse treatment, and mental health services to the medically underserved.

"Mostly what happened is there were people in the congregation who said their friends were sick and asked if I would go visit them," he said. "The hospitals would also call to say there was a gay man here who is Lutheran and very sick. That got me involved."

A great example of how Episcopal churches can include HIV testing in their events: “FAMILIA, SALUD Y VIDA” HEALTH AND WELLNESS FESTIVAL St. Anna’s Episcopal Church and Oportunidades NOLA would like to invite the community to join us for our second annual bi-lingual “Familia, Salud y Vida” Health and Wellness Festival, to be held on Sunday, June 5, from 12:30 to 4:00 p.m. Our Festival will promote healthy lifestyle choices and celebrate the culture and diversity of our city. Free services include blood pressure and diabetes screenings, HIV testing, acupuncture and massage, hurricane preparation, food stamps and Medicaid information and much much more!

While AIDS continues to infect and kill people -- the U.S. Centers for Disease Control report that more than 18,000 people with AIDS die annually in the United States and an estimated 56,300 Americans become infected with HIV each year -- perceptions, treatment and the demographics of the disease have changed since the 1980s. The church's awareness of and response to AIDS have changed along with them, with some Episcopal ministries growing and evolving, others dwindling. Yet the need remains, advocates say.

Province IV Network of AIDS Ministries of the Episcopal Church exists to work collaboratively among member diocese to build opportunities for people with HIV/AIDS, their families, friends, caregivers, and people involved in AIDS ministries to come together for spiritual and emotional renewal, expressed within the traditions of the Episcopal Church. This manifests itself through the annual HIV/AIDS Retreat, held at the Kanuga Conference Center annually since 1992. The Network also builds bridges so that people involved in AIDS ministries can share information and support across diocesan lines, foster dialogue and share information that impacts the Church on the issues of HIV/AIDS.

While most adoptions present challenges, there's a distinctive set of them facing parents who decide to adopt children living with HIV. A twice-daily medication regimen, lingering prejudice and fear, uncertainty about the child's longevity and marriage prospects.

Yet the number of U.S. parents undertaking HIV adoptions, or seriously considering them, is surging — from a trickle five years ago to at least several hundred. Most involve orphans from foreign countries where they faced stigma, neglect and the risk of early death.

Father Andrew Green is stepping down from the Desert AIDS Project board of directors after 18 years of service.

The pastor of St. Paul in the Desert Episcopal Church in Palm Springs has participated in almost every AIDS Walk since its start in 1988. He joined the nonprofit organization’s board in 1993 and chaired the governance and client committees.

For Corinne Denegre, AIDS is more than a disease that touches faceless, nameless people. Denegre, chairman of the Community Service Committee at St. Stephens Episcopal Church in Billings, has had two family members diagnosed with it.

...That's why she turned to her parish, St. Stephens, to encourage people of the faith community to reach out to people with HIV or AIDS. With the blessing of the church's rector, the Rev. Jacob Knee, the church is putting on a community dinner and discussion on Sunday to help members of the faith community learn how to get involved.

Inspiration House was one of four homes showcased during the 40th annual Cathedral Antiques Show & Tour of Homes from the Episcopal Church Women of the Cathedral of St. Philip. The show also included lectures and an antiques show. Money raised from the show was donated to H.E.R.O. for Children, an organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for children infected with and affected by HIV-AIDS.

The Rt. Rev. Mark Beckwith of the Episcopal Diocese of Newark shares a reflection on World AIDS Day.

When the Episcopal Diocese of L.A. first offered the service in 1985, the names of many claimed by the disease were recited. Today the focus is less on grieving the dead and more on helping the living.

The World AIDS Day liturgy at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Richmond, Indiana (Diocese of Indianapolis).