Runner Up: Resourcing Church over 1,000
Johnson Ferry Baptist Church
Name and Location: Johnson Ferry Baptist Church; Marietta, Georgia
Denomination: Southern Baptist
Senior Pastor: Bryant Wright
Global Ministries: Ricky Wheeler
Date Founded: 1983
Weekend Attendance: 4,600
Website: www.JohnsonFerry.org
Award: Runner Up - Resourcing Church over 1,000
Overview: Johnson Ferry Baptist Church (JFBC) started their AIDS efforts initially in Botswana, Africa partnering with Open Baptist Church (OBC). They have invested significant resources into OBC so that they, in turn, can lead an effort to mobilize the churches and faith based organizations of the country. With a special emphasis on eradicating new infections, young people, orphans and students are being most significantly impacted by Johnson Ferry's initiatives. JFBC is working closely with the government of Botswana, developing materials and supporting arguments for a change in government policies, moving from nearly total dependence on "condom social marketing" to behavior change and abstinence till marriage. They have had a significant impact on the direction of HIV/AIDS policy and have been invited by the National AIDS council to present their materials to top government officials. Led by Jeff Williams of JFBC, very detailed strategic plans have been developed.
Specific Initiatives:
- Assisting in the training and funding of Face the Nation; a peer mentoring program sending university students into every secondary school in the country with "life skills" version of True Love Waits.
- Created partnerships with 13 other US churches and ministries to enable broader and faster implementation of the long-term strategy.
- Worked with the Botswana government and recruited 2 world-renowned HIV infection experts to develop a strategic plan presented to Botswana's Parliament.
- Created a 13-minute video advocating abstinence before marriage that was shown in every senior secondary school in the country last year (approximately 55,000 students).
- Created ten 30-second TV spots to show how the message of behavior change could be approached in different and interesting ways.
- In the last 2 years, approximately 25,000 senior secondary school students have committed to abstinence until marriage.
Judges' Comments: "Johnson Ferry has been instrumental in releasing huge financial resources to the front lines and is doing outstanding work in the fight against HIV/AIDS. They have pulled together other churches, organizations, world-renown experts, the government of Botswana and, led by Jeff Williams have partnered to put together a long-term strategic plan that is and will have the kind of impact that will leave us all knowing that we have witnessed a miracle."
