10 GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE October 8, 1999

communitygroups

Earl Pike appointed executive director of AIDS Taskforce

Cleveland

The AIDS Taskforce of Greater Cleveland announced September 14 that after a three-month, nationwide search. Find Pike has been appointed to serve as the executive director of the agency

Pike, formerly director of education at the Taskforce, has been serving as interim executive director since former director Chrisse France ́s departure earlier this summer.

"Earl is clearly the strongest candidate for this position,” said David Feldt, president of the board of directors. "Under his leadership the Education Department expanded from three to eight programs in just over two years, and he has implemented professional standards for program design, evaluation, and staff certification. He has been key in developing strategic alliances, such as the Taskforce's partnership with the Antioch Baptist Church Agape program, and is well-respected

He was one of the founding members of numerous agencies and initiatives still active today, such as the Minnesota American Indian AIDS Task Force and the Stillwater Prison Education Project.

In the five years before moving to Cleveland, he was the state AIDS coordinator for

AID S

TASKFORCE

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in the HIV-AIDS and social service communities.

Pike's experience in HIV and AIDS dates back to the mid-1980s, when he helped establish and run Minnesota's first statewide AIDS hotline. In the later half of the 1980s, he developed and delivered training and education for a wide array of diverse audiences, and helped develop service standards for people living with HIV who were homeless, experiencing mental illness and drug addiction, and other highly affected communities.

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the Minnesota Department of Human Services, where he developed policy and training to ensure that every social service in Minnesota provided effective, sensitive services and education to people living with and at risk of HIV infection. He is the author of a book on AIDS in the workplace, We Are All Living With AIDS, and has published numerous articles and monographs on HIV and HIV education.

"This is an enormous challenge," Pike said. "AIDS and its politicaleconomic landscape have changed rapidly in the past decade, and the disease continues to evolve and pose new dilemmas. Agencies such as the Taskforce must continue to involve their traditional constituencies, such as the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender community, while simultaneously doing a better job building alliances with new communities, such as African American and Latino faith-based programs.

"Complacency is up and public financial support is, unfortunately, often down. We need to consciously nurture the new

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parterships that will help us move into the future, keeping the overriding purpose in front of us at all times: every person living with HIV-AIDS should be served sensitively and effectively, and every greater Clevelander deserves the best education possible."

Taskforce board vice-president and search committee chair David Posteraro agrees.

"We have work to do," Posteraro says. But people in greater Cleveland have rallied to the need in the past, and they will again. We can't possibly thank enough the many, many people who have helped in the cause these past 18 years, and those who continue to help in countless ways."

This year, the AIDS Taskforce will serve nearly 1,000 people living with HIV/AIDS

through a variety of programs, and provide prevention education reaching nearly 20,000 greater Clevelanders. The nutrition programs will deliver over 35,000 meals to individuals who would otherwise suffer nutritionallyrelated medical difficulties. Almost 90% of Taskforce clients make an annual income of less than $6,000, and need housing referrals, medication assistance, even rides to a doctor's office.

"The work goes on," concludes Pike, "and we're not seeing any sign of a real abatement of the crisis in the immediate future. We'll be here until the end.”

For information of AIDS Taskforce services or educational programs, call 216621-0766.

25-year celebration will feature Rev. Troy Perry

Cincinnati-New Spirit Metropolitan Community Church is celebrating 25 years of ministry with a gospel evening and a dinner cruise featuring the Rev. Elder Troy D. Perry, founder of the Universal Federation of Metropolitan Community Churches.

The celebration has three main events, beginning with the gospel evening on Friday, October 22 at 7:00 pm at the church, 5500 Hamilton Ave. in Cincinnati. Special guests and area musicians will make this a memorable occasion.

The following evening, Saturday, October 23, is a dinner cruise and dance with Rev. Troy Perry aboard the River Queen, boarding at 6:30 pm.

A worship celebration will commence at 7 pm on Sunday, October 24, at the church. Thirty years ago, Perry saw the need to provide a place of Christian worship where folks who had been marginalized by society, government and churches could go for fellowship in worship. He has worked constantly ever since in the struggle for justice and equality for the GLBT communities.

A year prior to Stonewall, Perry initiated and participated in a chain of events which directly led to his founding of the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches in October of 1968.

After 30 years of continuous growth, UFMCC has become a spiritual leader in 15 countries, with as many as 32 more countries requesting MCC presence. UFMCC is the oldest and largest organization to touch and

affirm the lives of gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgendered persons worldwide.

New Spirit MCC is the oldest Cincinnati organization with outreach to the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and heterosexual communities.

Senior Pastor Rev. Bonnie Daniel and a 14-member pastoral staff see their job as one

Troy D. Perry

of ministry and service to the congregation and the community. The fact that it is okay to be gay and Christian is only part of the message. New Spirit MCC focuses on celebrating God's all-encompassing love by being committed to the under-

standing, living and sharing of the Christ experience, and by encouraging unity in diversity.

Theological diversity is celebrated. Striving to seek an inclusive understanding of God, New Spirit MCC works continuously to create a worship atmosphere where persons from all cultures and faith traditions will be respected and encouraged during a worship service.

New Spirit MCC has worship services Sunday 7:00 pm at 5501 Hamilton Ave. in Cincinnati. Cruise tickets must be purchased in advance; call the church at 513-681-9090 for more information.

New P-FLAG chapter to form in Sandusky

Sandusky-The Huron-Erie chapter of Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays will hold an organizational meet-

The Community Groups columns on pages are published by the Day People's Chronicle free public service. I ritten by members or offic och nonprofit organization, reflecting the their group

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ing at 6 p.m. Oct. 17 at the Frost Center in Sandusky's Osborn Park.

P-FLAG is a support group to promote the health and well-being of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people and their fami-

REPELAG

Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays

lies and friends through discussions of how to cope with an adverse society, public education and awareness of P-FLAG community issues, and advocacy to end discrimination and to secure equal civil rights.

The new organization has financial and moral support from the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Erie County.

For more information call 419-663-9283 in Huron County and 419-627-0380 in Erie County. All telephone messages with a return telephone number will be returned.