HIV is Not Over!

DECEMBER 1, 2025

HIV is Not Over — And the Church Has Work to Do

The HIV epidemic didn’t end with the ’90s. It’s still here, reshaping families, challenging systems of care, and calling faith communities to respond with courage, knowledge, and compassion. This year, McCormick’s Center for African American Ministries & Black Church Studies invites clergy, lay leaders, chaplains, seminarians, and community partners to the 2025 HIV/AIDS Clergy & Lay Leadership Summit — a practical, hope-filled gathering designed to equip leaders with up-to-date education and best practices for ministry.

LEGACY & PURPOSE
For more than two decades, this summit has been a trusted training ground for the Church. Initiated in 2004 by Sylvia Jo Oglesby, a dedicated public advocate, in partnership with McCormick Theological Seminary, the summit was created to reduce HIV/AIDS infections and related behaviors by equipping local church ministries and faith-based outreach workers with current education, tools, and networks. That founding vision still drives us today: informed, faithful leaders can transform community health and eliminate stigma.

THEME: A Call to Action for Faith Communities
“HIV is not over!” is more than a theme; it’s a pastoral reality. Churches remain trusted centers of healing, accompaniment, and advocacy. This summit will help you lead with integrity — grounded in theology, informed by science, and connected to resources that serve your congregation and neighborhood.

AN ONGOING NEED
Faith leaders are on the front lines of care — often the first call when someone receives a diagnosis, needs support navigating services, or carries the weight of stigma. You’ll leave with:

• Current facts that cut through myths and misinformation

• A ministry toolkit for preaching, teaching, and pastoral care

• Concrete steps to foster stigma-free, trauma-aware church cultures

• Connections to local partners and resources for ongoing collaboration

WHO SHOULD ATTEND
Pastors, deacons, elders, ministry leaders, congregational health ministers, chaplains, seminary students, and anyone committed to justice-rooted, community-centered care.

JOIN US
McCormick Theological Seminary
5416 S. Cornell, Room 339, Chicago, IL 60615
& via Zoom (provided with registration)

Join us as we learn, lament, organize, and act — so our communities experience the compassion of Christ and the power of informed, stigma-free ministry.