The black church is the backbone of the African-American community, but it has also reinforced HIV stigma and homophobia. To change that, AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC), with 11 smaller Chicagoland churches, created The HIV/AIDS Toolkit for Black Churches. The seven-chapter book offers a range of topics including HIV 101, fact sheets, resources and tips on dealing with intolerance—chapter 3 teaches how to create an AIDS ministry at your place of worship.

“We’ve tried and tested these methods in the churches and they worked,” says the AFC’s Reverend Doris Green. “This disease [is] killing people in our community.” Preach!

Download the first three chapters at aidschicago.org.