The pastor says, whenever the Christian Women’s Fellowship [CWF] meets, its members should spend at least five minutes talking about HIV/AIDS.” So began the congregation’s HIV/AIDS representative at the weekly CWF meeting. The Presbyterian Church in Cameroon (PCC) has set HIV/AIDS as a top priority for action in ministry. This mandate finds expression from the denomination’s headquarters, the synod office in Buea, to such congregations as Likoko Mimbea where a group of forty women gather for Bible study and prayer.

The women are young and old, rich and poor, literate and illiterate. Every woman’s family has experienced the devastating effects of HIV/AIDS. The room is alive with discussions on abstinence, faithfulness, and condom use. The issues are real and stir emotions. Five minutes easily become fifteen. The women come away with new information about how HIV is spread and prevented.

The pastor of Likoko Mimbea, the Rev. Mary Kinge, initiated the HIV/AIDS committee in her congregation after she attended a workshop on pastoral care and counseling for persons with HIV/AIDS hosted by the PCC. Eighty pastors gathered for two days of intensive training. Two days after the workshop ended, Mary Kinge and other pastors were in the pulpit breaking down stigma and building up hope in the people of God.

PC(USA) People in Mission
World Mission: Jeffrey Boyd, regional liaison, Central Africa, Christi Boyd, companionship facilitator, Joining Hands Against Hunger • Presbyterian Church in Cameroon (PCC): Rev. Shirley Hill, public health worker (HIV/AIDS), Rev. Leisa Wagstaff, teacher/trainer

Partners/Ministries
PCC: Rev. Nyansako-Ni-Nku, moderator, Rev. Dr. Festus Ambe Asana, synod clerk • Eglise Presbyterienne Camerounaise (EPC): Rev. Dr. Dieudonne Massi Gams, general secretary • Presbytery Partnerships: Presbytery of Chicago with Joining Hands Against Hunger; Presbytery of St. Andrew with the EPC and Twin Cities Presbytery

PC(USA) General Assembly Staff
Rev. Ernesto Badillo, BOP
Elder Joey B. Bailey, GAC