Adams provides pastoral care to HIV/AIDS community in New York

Posted: 12/03/07

Adams provides pastoral care to
HIV/AIDS community in New York

By Patricia Heys

Cooperative Baptist Fellowship

NEW YORK—In the mid-1980s, as the growing prevalence of AIDS began to capture the attention of Americans, Ronnie Adams attended an educational session about the disease. The lesson he learned—not from the presenter but from the people seated next to him—changed the course of his ministry.

At the time, Adams served as the minister for singles adults at First Baptist Church of Plano, and he decided it would be important for a minister to learn more about the epidemic. But he wasn’t prepared for the reaction he received when he introduced himself at the training session.

“When I introduced myself as a Baptist minister, the two people beside me actually moved their chairs away from me,” Adams said.

“I realized they feared that I would judge them, so I just said, ‘I’m here today because I feel like if Jesus were walking the earth that he would want people living with AIDS to know that God loves and cares for them.’

“There was a sigh of relief, and people began to have tears in their eyes as they told me how they had been kicked out of their churches because they were infected with AIDS.”

Two decades later, Adams is still carrying the message of God’s love to people living with HIV/AIDS. Since 1995, he has served as one of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s field personnel in New York City, where every 18 minutes someone in the city is infected with the disease.

“My passion and what I love the most is providing pastoral care to that community,” Adams said. “It’s been a difficult journey, but an incredible journey. I’ve ushered many people into the kingdom in their last days.

“So many of the people I work with have had a faith connection, but they’ve been condemned or judge out of it. They come to realize it was not God, but a religion that did that. So, as I begin to share with them God’s love, God’s compassion and God’s mercy, they get reconnected.”

While treatments exist to help ease the effects of AIDS, there is still no cure for the disease. Adams’ ministry also focuses on building awareness and educating people about prevention, treatment and how they can be the presence of Christ to those living with the disease. He is part of the Fellowship’s HIV/AIDS Network, which resources individuals and congregations involved in HIV/AIDS ministries.

Adams partners with several housing communities that serve the HIV/AIDS community, including Housing Works, the nation’s largest provider of housing for people living with HIV/AIDS. Each week he travels to three communities in different neighborhoods of the city, leading Bible studies, building relationships and providing pastoral care.

“The Bible studies give me the opportunity to meet people and develop relationships, and usually that leads to counseling and hospital visitation, educational opportunities and unfortunately memorial services,” said Adams, a Dallas native.

“To me it’s the most open community to the gospel that I work with. They are so open for the love of God. I’ve probably seen more people come to know Christ through that ministry than all the other ones combined. It’s really been incredible.”

Adams has met people like Frank, a resident of Housing Works, who learned in his late 50s he was infected with AIDS. Frank attended a weekly Bible study and rarely spoke, but something changed after he participated in a spiritual retreat and was encouraged to tell his story.

“There was something about that pathos of sharing his story. Frank opened up, and he became this whole new person,” Adams said. “He realized that God was not against him, but that God was for him. And through accepting that belief that God was with him, he became more outgoing.

“It just shows what the love of Christ and other people can do for someone. It radically changed this man. He was still a very humble, quiet man, but he became a leader in the group.”

In September, Adams was at Frank’s bedside at 2 a.m. as his fight with AIDS came to an end.

“I said to him: ‘Frank, you’ve lived great the last year and done well. God loves you and cares for you. You tried hard to beat this, but it’s time to rest. And God is going to be there with you,’” Adams said.

“I prayed for him, prayed with him and kissed him on the forehead. Two minutes later he was gone. It was one of those sweet moments, and I’ll never forget it as long as I live—to watch this man go into eternity, when just a year before he didn’t think he had a chance of being with God.”