2007 Runner Up
Rockland Community Church
Name and location: Rockland Community Church, Golden, Colorado
Denomination: United Church of Christ (Evangelical side)
Pastor: Dr. Ken Williams
Date Founded: 1960
Total Church Membership: 1,000
Website: www.rocklandcc.org
Outstanding Involvement and Effectiveness in the Fight Against AIDS:
The congregation of Rockland Community Church has helped support a community in Tanzania. People of that community, Arusha, and the members of Ngaramtoni Church, Rockland's sister church there, have benefited significantly from Rockland's financial contributions to create an AIDS orphans center, where more than 150 children whose parents have died from AIDS are cared for, along with their extended family members. Medical exams, immunizations, and counseling are provided on-site. In addition, Rockland has supported a girls' school established by Ngaramtoni. There now are plans to establish similar centers for orphans in neighboring communities.
Impact on the Congregation:
Members of the church have been involved with outreach in support of a hospital in Tanzania for more than 20 years and, since 2000, when the church established its partnership with Ngaramtoni Church, nearly 100 have visited to work and minister to those affected by AIDS. One Rockland member has even established a separate non-profit organization, AfricAid, raising nearly a half million dollars for the education of girls. While separate from the church, AfricAid has been a blessing to Rockland's outreach efforts by the sharing of experiences and providing matching grants for recent projects.
Pastor's Quote: "'Uzima' is a Swahili word meaning 'wholeness,' but the meaning is broader than our word for 'wholeness.' 'Uzima' includes physical health, spiritual health and relational health. ... It has a sense that most of us in the West are not familiar with-segmenting our lives between work, home, and church. As the mission trip progressed, (we) began to realize the importance of the tremendous potential that comes from having the church, hospitals, and schools working together for the benefit of their people."
Comment from the Judges: "The level of your commitment and the design of your ministry strategy inspired the Courageous Leadership Review Council. Seeking to allow your indigenous partners the task of leadership, while providing appropriate financial and practical assistance, you have created a relationship that delivers aid where it is needed most."
