The head of the Black Leadership Commission on AIDS of Tampa
Bay, the Rev. W. James Favorite, has called on area clergy to make HIV/AIDS
awareness a central focus of their sermons. And on Sunday, they
responded.
At Beulah Baptist Institutional Church in Tampa, dozens
gathered for a free afternoon gospel concert to support AIDS initiatives. At the
morning service, congregants prayed for boosting prevention efforts. “We need to
stop burying our heads in the sand,” said 77 year old parishioner Mary
Darien.
At the New Faith Free Methodist Church in St. Petersburg, the
Rev. Bessie Mohead called on members to fight AIDS through abstinence,
education, and knowing their HIV status. She challenged them to show compassion
to those living with HIV/AIDS.
