Brave New Beginnings: San Francisco

In 1987, a group of Nazarenes from the Oak Street House ministry in San Francisco attended an interfaith symposium on AIDS. There, participants were challenged to respond to the AIDS crisis. Michael Christensen responded: "We want to help. What can we do?" Over the course of the next year, after intense prayer, discussion, and theological struggle, the Golden Gate Community AIDS Mission Group formed a philosophy of ministry and a plan of action. Their ministry purpose for that first year was: "We are committed to a ministry of peace and reconciliation between persons with AIDS and the Christ who loves them, homosexual persons and the church that needs them, and community members with one another. Toward this aim, we will seek unity among ourselves, pray for persons with AIDS, withhold judgment from those who suffer, listen to those who struggle with faith, open our hearts to those who share, adopt those God gives us, encourage those whom God is drawing, and guide people toward a redeemed life in Jesus Christ. Specifically, we are called to support those in our own church and mission family who fear or experience AIDS. We will also extend ourselves in God's love to other individuals and families touched by AIDS outside our immediate community who by divine providence cross our path." The ministry took on the following tasks:

• To pray with and for people with AIDS.
• To sponsor spiritual healing services.
• To visit AIDS patients at home or in the hospital.
• To provide practical help.
• To support caregivers and families of persons with AIDS.
• To learn the language of compassion.

This ministry of Golden Gate Community broke through denominational inhibitions and has, over the last two decades, offered inspiration and insight to our other ministries worldwide. The story of the ministry is documented in Christensen's book, City Streets, City People: A Call to Compassion, published by Abingdon Press.

 

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