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United Congregational Church of Southern Africa
The United Congregational Church of Southern Africa (UCCSA) has a strong established partnership with Global Ministries. Formally established in 1967, UCCSA has a rich history that began more than 200 years ago. Today, UCCSA is comprised of some 300,000 members, and nearly 300 congregations in the five southern African countries of Namibia, South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique.
The reality of the HIV/AIDS pandemic now permeates every facet of southern Africa’s existence. It is estimated that over 19 million Africans have already died of the disease. One adult in five is living with the virus and two million more women than men carry HIV. It has been calculated that as many as 13 million children have lost one or both parents to the pandemic. Often, relatives take in the orphaned children but many adolescents raise their siblings and care for the parent dying of HIV/AIDS.
In February 2003, the Central Region of the United Congregational Church of Southern Africa mandated an all out effort to fight HIV/AIDS. They were determined to face the challenges and work to restore human dignity and hope to those who are suffering from HIV/AIDS and poverty. UCCSA developed programs, projects, and resource centers to minister and serve persons infected with and affected by this crippling pandemic.
Now, in an effort to build upon the success of the 2003 HIV and AIDS awareness and treatment initiative, UCCSA – South Africa Synod has launched an HIV and AIDS Desk in the kwaZulu-Natal Region. This program recognizes and publicizes the good works being done by member churches. The collective vision of the HIV and AIDS Desk is – “…to strive to enable local faith communities to be spiritual, psychological, and physical havens for a society impacted by the HIV and AIDS pandemic thus enabling all individuals and communities to live to their fullest God-given potential”.
The means by which the Desk intends on enabling local churches to be havens are as follows:
- Implement a recognition program that awards certificates for service to HIV/AIDS specific ministries
- Publish a bi-monthly kwaZULU-Natal Regional HIV/AIDS Desk newsletter to be distributed via mail and electronically (e-mail) to unit coordinators and member subscribers
- Copy and distribute the monthly Diakonia Council of Churches “AIDS Update”
- Visit each participating church to encourage their HIV and AIDS ministry
Today UCCSA is being called to respond to the needs of the southern African people in new ways. A proven way is to foster the sustained participation in the UCCSA KZN Regional HIV and AIDS ministries. Global Ministries’ missionary, Scott Couper, is working actively with this initiative.
