UFMCC Resource Kit for
World AIDS Day (Dec. 1, 2000)

We would like to thank those who contributed to the development of this resource kit:

It is our prayer that this resource kit will be of help to you in any way that you might find it useful.

Blessings,
Rev. Robert Griffin, UFMCC HIV/AIDS Program Manager

#1
CALL TO WORSHIP:
One: Holy God of Creation:
ALL: WE INVITE YOU TO BE WITH US.
One: Holy God of Salvation:
ALL: WE INVITE YOU TO BE WITH US.
One: Holy God of Presence:
ALL: WE INVITE YOU TO BE WITH US.
One: Holy God who calls us to be fully in our life, our be-ing, our bodies and spirits,
ALL: MAY YOUR PRESENCE OF LOVE, GRACE AND PEACE MOVE AMONG US AND WITHIN US AS WE WORSHIP, HEAR AND EXPERIENCE. AMEN.

OPENING PRAYER:
We come before you this day, O Loving God,
mindful of your promise of abundant life,
yet aware that there is HIV and AIDS in your family.
We pray this day that You will awaken within us
the awareness that abundant life is not just about wholeness of bodies,
financial resources or having our needs met,
but that the life abundant comes from celebrating the life within us,
no matter what comes our way in this life.
Help us to celebrate the gift of life itself.
Help us to band together in action, in prayer,
in support and in care for our brothers and sisters
who live with HIV and AIDS.
Help us to make the radical statement of love,
and to build bridges of support and care,
this day and always.  Amen.

CANDLE LIGHTING PRAYER:
In the Name of all that is Holy:

We light this candle to honor the lives which have been taken by AIDS;
Let us name in our hearts or aloud, those we have known and loved.

We light this candle to honor the lives of those we know who are living with HIV and AIDS;
Let us name in our hearts or aloud, those who are living with HIV and AIDS.

We light this candle to honor the lives of those throughout the world who live with HIV and AIDS;
Let us hold our sisters and brothers, whose names we do not know, in our hearts before God, as we pray for God's presence in the lives of all who have known the effects of HIV and AIDS.   AMEN.

#2
CALL TO WORSHIP:
One: In the name of Life, which we cherish,
All: We come to worship.
One: In the name of those who struggle,
All: We continue to hope.
One: In the name of those who lost their fight and who now rest in eternal peace,
All: We lovingly remember.
One: In the name of God, we work and we wait for a cure.
All: May God bless our on-going efforts. Amen.

OPENING PRAYER:
One: Life-giving Spirit, we give thanks for treatments
that have extended and improved the quality of many lives.
We are grateful for the benefits of nutrition and complementary therapies,
and, of course, for the power of love.
We rejoice at the ever increasing number of long term survivors,
and we continue to remember those who now dwell beyond this physical plane.
We pray for on-going healing in our lives,
and we pray that the day may soon come
when there will be a cure for AIDS.
Holy One, in whom we live and move and have our being,
fill us with a zest for living and let our hope be constantly renewed.
All: Amen.

 CANDLE LIGHTING PRAYER:
All: To signify the Spirit's presence within and among us;
to represent the hope that burns in our hearts;
to recall that loved ones now dwell in perpetual light;
to light the way for a cure to be found,
we light this candle, O God,
and we ask for your continual blessing. Amen.

#3
CALL TO WORSHIP:
One: Let us worship the God who gives comfort and strength.
All: We praise the giver of Life.
One: Let us renew our hope and our belief in healing.
All: We praise the God who is with us in life, in death, and in life beyond death. Amen.

 OPENING PRAYER:
One: God is with you.
All: And also with you.
One: Let us pray. For new treatments that will help people with HIV and AIDS live vibrant, long and quality lives, we pray to our God.
All: God, hear our prayer.
One: For those who live with HIV, for those who care for People With AIDS, and for those who work to bring hope and healing into the lives of all people affected by HIV and AIDS, that they may have their strength renewed and their optimism rewarded, we pray to our God.
All: God, hear our prayer.
One: And that a cure for AIDS will one day soon be discovered, we pray to our God.
All: God, hear our prayer.
One: Loving God, hear the prayers of your people and let your blessings flow freely upon us during this service and in the hours, days, weeks, months and years to come.
All: Amen.

CANDLE LIGHTING:
One: We join our hearts together in this sacred moment;
daring to believe that our love and hope can make a difference.
We are united in our desire for people with HIV and AIDS,
to receive healing in their bodies and in their lives.
We are in agreement that no one should ever be victimized
by discrimination because of their sero-status.
We are saddened that so many have lost the fight.
But we are very glad that so many continue to live with HIV and AIDS,
looking forward to a future filled with joy.
And we are committed to helping those who are not infected
with the HIV virus remain HIV negative.
For all these concerns, we prayerfully light this candle,
grateful for the advances that have been made,
and continually wishing for a cure to be found.
All: Amen.

#4
CALL TO WORSHIP:
One: Come! Let us worship God who gives life, and health and strength.
All: It is in God that we live and move and have our being.
One: Come! Let us give thanks for the miracle working love of God.
All: God is our shepherd. Our needs will be met. Hallelujah! Amen.

OPENING PRAYER:
Nurturing God, Mother-Father-Eternal Friend,
we come to you trusting in your goodness,
expressing gratitude for the blessings you so freely bestow upon us.
We thank you for your healing love.
We thank you for the help you give during difficult times.
We thank you for your sustaining Spirit.
We thank you for infinite grace.
As people who have been affected by AIDS,
we have come to place our hope in you --
for ourselves and for our loved ones;
for those still here and for those who worship you now in heavenly places.
We know that you are with us in this life and throughout eternity.
And so we have peace and hope and faith.
Wonderful God, grant healing wherever it is needed
and continue to bless and strengthen us all;
in the name of the Creator, the Christ, and the holy Spirit. Amen.

CANDLE LIGHTING:
One: We light this candle to remember those who lost their battle with AIDS.
We light this candle to honor those who bravely face
the on-going challenges of HIV infection.
We light this candle to bless those who care for
People Living With HIV/AIDS.
We light this candle to express on-going hope for a cure.
We light this candle to remind us all that HIV is still around,
and until it is defeated, we will continue to work and hope and pray.
All: Amen.

#5
CALL TO WORSHIP:
One: This is the day that the Lord has made.
All: Let us rejoice and be glad in it.
One: As we gather this day, we remember all of those gone before us in physical death, especially those who have died as a result of HIV/AIDS.
All: We remember.
One: We remember their faces, we remember their names, and we remember how they touched our lives.
All: We will never forget.
One: We will never forget the joy, the precious moments, their voices, and all that they shared with us while we journeyed together on this place called mother earth.
All: When I want to forget -- let me remember, and if need be shed a tear of joy of knowing that they are no longer in pain.

OPENING PRAYER:
Holy One, as we gather on this Sunday of AIDS Awareness Month,
help us to remember, even though painful,
that there is joy in you.
A joy, that surpasses all of our understanding.
And that even in death may we reclaim joy.
The joy of knowing that one day,
we will be reunited together again
and knowing that this too shall pass.

CANDLE LIGHTING:
Loving God, as we light this candle today,
may it become for us a sign of our renewed hope and trust in you.
A hope and trust in you that will never end
because of the pain that is death.
Even though the marches are fewer,
the funerals are fewer,
medicines still are not working for all --
nor available to all --
we still have hope in you, O Great One,
the source of our life.
May this candle today be a source of light,
that lights a way to our own individual renewed hope in you
for a better now and a better tomorrow.

HYMN SUGGESTIONS:
Nada te Turbe (Nothing Can Trouble)--Taize
At Even, When the Sun Was Set
Thine Arm, O God, in Days of Old
Standing On The Promises Of Christ
We Have Heard The Joyful Sound
I Want Jesus To Walk With Me
Wonderful Words of Life
For The Healing of the Nations
O Love That Wilt Not Let Me Go
Heal Me Hands of Jesus