World AIDS Day Worship
December 1 is World AIDS Day, when people around the world focus their attention on the AIDS epidemic, remembering the people whom we have lost, marking the tremendous progress that we have made, and re-committing to ending the epidemic. We know that ending the epidemic by 2030 is possible, but we also know that it will require sustained effort to do so.
Local religious communities are a vital part of this sustained effort. They provide support to people living with HIV, educate and empower young people to prevent HIV infection, and fight stigma and discrimination, always motivated by a conviction that all human beings must be treated with dignity and respect, and a by responsibility to reach out to the marginalized and to protect the vulnerable.
World AIDS Day worship services can focus on HIV and AIDS in a variety of ways, including prayers, songs, sermons or homilies, testimonies of people living with HIV, candlelight memorial ceremonies, and distribution of awareness and education materials.
This year, local religious communities can join with other religious communities from a variety of religious traditions around the world by including a responsive reading Common Voice Pledge. The Common Voice Pledge was developed in 2018, in collaboration with the World Council of Churches - Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance, as part of an interreligious initiative for advocacy and action to end AIDS. Materials for the Common Voice responsive reading are available at www.CommonVoiceAIDS.org/use-the-pledge. The text of the responsive reading is available in multiple languages. A responsive reading video is available in English.
Other World AIDS Day worship resources are available from a variety of sources, including: