Special Recognition
Christian Life Centre
Name and location: Christian Life Centre, Chatsworth, South Africa
Denomination: International Assemblies of God
Pastor: Rev. Siva Moodley
Date Founded: 1994
Total Church Membership: 281
Outstanding Involvement and Effectiveness in the Fight Against AIDS:
For 14 years, Christian Life Centre has been serving orphans of the AIDS pandemic in one of the highest HIV-prevalent communities in South Africa. Because of the stigma that persists, many HIV-positive people have been forced to leave their homes and live in shack settlements with no sanitation, no water, no electricity.
The church’s ministry seeks to serve all aspects of the orphans’ needs, including education, psych-social care, and placement in loving homes. All aspects of the ministry include Christian education. The result has been the “graduation” of nearly 700 children, placement in nearly 100 homes, and a reduction in sexually transmitted diseases among youth.
In addition, Christian Life Centre also has created a home-based care program for a dozen people dying of AIDS, delivering them food, care, and counseling.
Impact on the Congregation:
This church, located in a poor community amidst people stigmatized by AIDS and whose congregants have been “discarded as worthless,” has about 10 percent of its members volunteering their services. Moreover, another 15 people are paid staff earning $65 (US) per month. “Suffering,” the pastor says, “is part of their daily bread, ... and their enthusiasm and zeal [are] fuelled by the Holy Spirit.”
Pastor’s Quote: “The AIDS pandemic has provided the church with an opportunity to preach the Gospel ... We are able to advocate for Christ... the advocates of darkness and their structures are crumbling daily...”
Comments from the Judges: “The battle with HIV in service to broken communities and their citizens is often borne by those deemed too small to deal with so great an enemy. Christian Life Centre is just such a church. With 271 members and the grace of God, this fellowship is powerfully shining a light of hope in Kwa-Zulu and what is reported to have one of the highest rates of HIV infection in the world. Cultural sensitivity to the plight of orphans makes this church body a global champion by any measure.”
