Forging Connections: BTAN Melbourne Engages the Faith-Based Community

John Curry and Yolanda Price of BTAN Melbourne

Creating a fruitful partnership between HIV/AIDS advocacy groups and faith-based organizations can be tricky. However, the Melbourne, Fla., chapter of the Black Treatment Advocates Network (BTAN) has worked side by side with Kingdom Life Church of God in Christ to educate the local community about the epidemic and how to prevent and treat HIV/AIDS. In a roundtable discussion, BTAN Melbourne co-chairs John Curry and Yolanda Price and Kingdom Life Church of God in Christ faith-committee leader Pastor Sean Benjamin Brown share their thoughts on why their alliance has worked.

Why do you think there has been hesitancy on the part of some faith-based organizations to talk about HIV/AIDS?

Pastor Sean Benjamin Brown: I think once you start to address HIV/AIDS awareness, immediately the faith-based community begins to think, "Oh boy. Does this mean that we have to condone certain lifestyles, condone certain activities?" I think that's somewhat of the hesitancy that some of the faith-based communities have.

How did you start working together with BTAN?

SBB: Brother John Curry started to attend some of our services and then joined the church. As he began to share his passion for his work with BTAN, it intrigued me because I have a family member that died of AIDS, and I was the person to whom he actually revealed what he was going through first. So after Brother Curry started sharing some of BTAN's forthcoming activities, I wanted to be a part. As Brother Curry shared his passion, I began to trust his passion. I think that's the key to the faith-based connection.

John Curry: At the beginning stages, you have to have a person that is involved with the church. Someone who looks like the church, who has its buy-in. We're thankful that Pastor Brown has helped us, kept us up front.

SBB: The second thing that's important is having a trusted individual. Somebody that everybody has a level of confidence in. So people can say, "This is an issue that I might be uncomfortable with, but because I trust you, let's see how can we do this." Everybody in this community knows John Curry. Everyone knows Yolanda Price. When we come out, no one's saying, "Oh, who's this?" Everybody's very familiar with BTAN.

The other piece is then having a faith leader that will stand up and be a spokesperson and engage with the other pastors to bring them in so that their parishioners will be a part as well.

Why has the work you've done together been so successful?

JC: People seem to relate and get very engaged when a person living with HIV is telling that story. It really connects them, and people think, "Wow, this person looks just like me." That's very key to bridging the community. Our survey results have been phenomenal. Among those who come out and actually sit through the events, we have not seen one negative comment.

Yolanda Price: One thing that has been significant as far as making BTAN successful is the volunteers. The majority of the people in our BTAN, our community, they don't work in HIV/AIDS services. They're not health-care providers. We've got people from the school board, people who work for the city. It's been people volunteering just because they care.

What has been the community's response to the work you've done together?

SBB: You have a good majority that have been very, very supportive. There has been some resistance, but again, I think that goes along with the fact that there's so much more to be done in terms of awareness.

The key to ministry is seeing the need and meeting it. So wherever we can meet the needs, that's where I believe God would have us work most.

Tamara E. Holmes is a Washington, D.C.-based journalist who writes about health, wealth and personal growth.