Messer brings hope and healing: 20th anniversary of Global AIDS Funds
Reverend Dr. Don Messer is a champion for those people who are dealing with HIV and AIDS. Just before General Conference, Rev. Messer was one of the organizers of the United Methodist Global AIDS Committee facilitated the daylong Breaking Barriers AIDS Conference, an educational event about HIV and AIDS.
“It gives us an opportunity to bring people from around the world as well as the United States together to look at the pandemic that continues to rage in the world. There are almost 40 million people living with HIV and continually 3 million people get infected every year,” said Messer. “In the United States, we think it's all over, but it's not. It's still raging strong and increasing in parts of the world.”
2024 marks the 20th anniversary of the United Methodist Global AIDS Fund. The unique thing about the United Methodist Church is that every United Methodist can write a resolution to be considered by the General Conference.
“In 2003, we prepared a resolution to create a Global AIDS Fund and a committee to do education, prevention, care, and treatment around the world,” said Messer. “I solicited the support of the Rocky Mountain Conference. At the time, it was the Dakota's Conference, or South Dakota Conference, and Kansas. The resolution passed, and the fund was established in 2004. This is the 20th anniversary of the Global AIDS Fund, started by the Dakota's people, along with those from Kansas and Colorado, small but mighty people.”
The United Methodist Global AIDS Committee with Messer’s passion and leadership has raised millions of dollars and held lots of educational programs.
“It is continual struggle. We never have gotten major funding from the church. It has been a grassroots effort,” explains Messer. “We have had conferences in Kenya. I just returned from the Philippines where I spoke. We've held education events and conferences Cote d'Ivoire in Africa. I was talking to somebody in the Congo the other day about having one there. But we keep doing that, plus other programs that have been funded for orphans and for others around the world, thanks to this effort.”
Messer is also the founder and executive director of the Center for Health and Hope and the author of several books. He assists people like Rev. Catherine Motua, presiding bishop, Kagaa Synod, Methodist Church of Kenya.
“I have worked with Don and the team from Center for Health and Hope for many years. They have helped to transform human beings. They have supported more than a thousand children who are HIV vulnerable children whose parents either died of HIV and AIDS,” said Bishop Motua. “We are so grateful to the Center for Health and Hope.”
The Center for Health and Hope’s purpose is to support and advocate for persons infected and affected by HIV and AIDS throughout the world through programs of education, prevention, care, and treatment.
“We have a volunteer board. We have been working nonstop, you might say, on these issues and working with our colleagues and partners in Kenya, Rwanda, India and elsewhere,” shared Messer. “We support 315 AIDS orphans in Bishop Matua’s area. We are doing all kinds of things in Rwanda for human rights and justice. So together, I've really been able to work with wonderful people, many of whom are my either live in the Dakotas or they came from the Dakotas. There's a strong tie in our organization with South Dakota in particular. It takes a village to help the village.”
The United Methodist Global AIDS Committee hosted the Breaking Barriers AIDS Conference at First United Methodist Church in Charlotte, N.C., on April 22, ahead of The United Methodist Church’s General Conference. Participating in the closing service are (from left) Missionary Patrick Abro, Health Operation Manager of the Burundi Annual Conference, Mountain Sky Episcopal Area Bishop Karen Oliveto, the Rev. Sunny Farley, coordinator for the United Methodist Global AIDS Committee, and the Rev. Donald E. Messer, co-chair of the committee. Photo by Christie House, United Methodist Board of Global Ministries.
