CAPS celebrates 20 Years of PositiveFaith

The charity Catholics for AIDS Prevention and Support (CAPS) is celebrating 20 years of their HIV peer support ministry, PositiveFaith.

Since 2003 CAPS has been a voice for people living with HIV in the church and a Christian voice in the HIV sector. Over the years an empowered and inclusive community of people living with and affected by HIV, has developed. Across the country, the members of PositiveFaith provide practical, emotional and spiritual support for each other. Of all faiths, sexual orientations, and from diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds, the PositiveFaith members meet in peer support groups, and for residential weekends. PositiveFaith offers a safe space for people to share their experiences, be strengthened in faith and learn from one another.

CAPS trustees and supporters are representative of the diverse backgrounds and theological views of people living with HIV. Beyond mutual support, CAPS empowers the members of PositiveFaith to raise awareness, prevent new HIV infections and challenge the stigma still associated with HIV in our faith communities.

To commemorate '20 Years of PositiveFaith', CAPS is hosting three public events this year:

15th June 2023 - The Power of Peer Support will explore how the meaningful involvement of people with HIV offers solutions to the challenges of HIV in society. Following the example set by the early AIDS Activists, we celebrate the ways in which people with HIV overcome stigma together today. This event will be especially relevant for anyone in the HIV sector and people living with HIV.

9th September 2023 - Making Faith Sense of HIV will examine issues at the intersection of faith and HIV. What theological lessons have we yet to learn? How is the Gospel Good News for people living with HIV? This is event will interest Christian people living with HIV, theologians, clergy and the wider faith community in particular.

3rd December 2023 - Our World AIDS Day Online Service will bring together healthcare professionals, people living with HIV, the Christian community and many friends and supporters to share experiences and thoughts on the ongoing challenges presented by HIV/AIDS. All are welcome and we encourage anyone to join.

Offering a radical welcome, open dialogue and opportunities for reflection and encounter, the PositiveFaith ministry is accepting of any person living with HIV. Uniquely, faith-sensitive support is offered to those who need to understand and navigate their experiences within the context of their Christian faith or religious identity. CAPS remains committed to serving people living with HIV and being bearers of Good News in the church and wider society.

Join CAPS in celebrating this remarkable milestone and experience the power of community and support in the lives of people living with HIV.

Supported by CAPS (Registered Charity Number 1196193)

For more information or to register for the events, please visit the PositiveFaith website's events page: www.positivefaith.org.uk/events

About Catholics for AIDS Prevention and Support (CAPS)

CAPS is a UK-based charity founded in 2003 to be a voice for people living with HIV within the church and society. Including people of every faith tradition and those without faith, any sexual orientation, and every ethnicity, CAPS is dedicated to creating an empowered community of people living with or affected by HIV. Through its peer support ministry, PositiveFaith, CAPS provides a supportive environment where people can share their experiences, foster adult faith development, and engage in HIV education and prevention efforts. Committed to raising awareness, educating the public, and reducing the stigma associated with HIV/AIDS, CAPS works in partnership with secular HIV agencies to promote understanding and provide access to the resources of Christian faith and community. For more information, visit: www.positivefaith.org.uk