The VCD was produced by the staff of St. John's Cathedral HIV Education Centre.  The Centre is the only faith-based institution in Hong Kong working in the HIV/AIDS area, and is a leader in this field in Asia. The VCD uses the resources of The Anglican Communion, including those from the Province of Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui, the Province of South Africa, the Mothers' Union, the Anglican Board of Mission Australia and USPG London.

The Primate of Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui, the Most Reverend Peter Kwong, introduces the programme, and is followed by an interview with the Reverend Canon John Peterson, the Secretary General of the Anglican Communion.  From there it takes us on a journey around the globe showing how the Anglican Church is addressing the AIDS pandemic.

At the recent International AIDS Conference in Bangkok, Thailand, the Anglican Church was very much a visible presence in telling the story of how we as a communion are responding to the AIDS pandemic.  A booth was set up at the Conference displaying resources either produced by the HIV Education Centre, or provided by our partners all over the world. 

Four people from St. John's Cathedral HIV Education Centre went to the Conference to staff the booth and to present several workshops at the Conference over the course of six days.  More than 13,000 people came to the display booth to either ask questions, receive a copy of the VCD or the excellent teaching kit produced by the Mothers' Union Living Positively, or look at the very moving time walk display Jesus Has Aids produced by USPG London.  The St. John's Cathedral team was grateful for the assistance of Richard Trigwell living in Bangkok, but formerly from The Diocese of the Northern Territory Australia and The Northern Territory AIDS Council, who manned the display whilst other members of the team were presenting workshops or attending skills building programmes.

Ms. Elijah Fung, the Manager of the St John's HIV/AIDS Education Centre and the Centre's Project Development Officer, Ms Debby Lai, presented two workshops entitled A Celebration of Life.  They used parts of a VCD of the same name which showed how the HIV Education Centre utilized drama, songs, and dance amongst migrant workers in Hong Kong in the education of safe sex and HIV/AIDS.  Kevin She, a Board Member of the HIV/AIDS Centre, and Fr. Desmond Cox, Chair of the Board, presented similar workshops using materials from the Mothers' Union.  They also gave a presentation about the stigma and discrimination of Hong Kong clergy when faced with the issue of talking about HIV/AIDS.  The presentation was based on the findings of a recent survey conducted amongst faith communities in Hong Kong.

Not only was the Anglican Communion's presence seen from the display booth and workshops, there were two other focal points.  One was in the Global Village Spiritual Zone where religious communities came together for worship and to exchange ideas, the other was the Inter-Faith Corner again a place where people could come, meet, discuss and receive resources from faith communities around the globe.

This is the first International AIDS Conference that has given a prominence to faith communities and religious leaders working to combat the AIDS pandemic.  It was also the first time that the Anglican Communion has had such a presence at the Conference.  Through workshops, networking and open discussion some of the barriers have come down, and those who in the past have criticized the Church for doing nothing have been able to see, hear, and listen to how we are working with others to combat the AIDS pandemic.  The presence of the Church at this important meeting is certainly a beginning, but it is just the start of a long journey.

Anglican Provincial Secretaries' Conference

The Provincial Secretaries of the Anglican Communion met in Johannesburg from 26 August to 2 September 2004. This was the fifth conference in a series started in the 1980s and the first to be held in Africa. The conference, like those before it, was an informal meeting designed to assist Provincial Secretaries - the chief administrators for each province - in their professional development, to increase knowledge and experience of the challenges facing provinces and to strengthen bonds within the Anglican Communion. 

Attendance exceeded that achieved at the previous conference at Toronto in 2000. Representatives came from 32 provinces, together with representatives of the Churches of Cuba and Sri Lanka, the Anglican Communion Office and the Council of Anglican Provinces in Africa (CAPA). 

A session of the conference was devoted to discussing current issues of division in the Anglican Communion and the particular role which Provincial Secretaries have to play in promoting dialogue and manifesting a bias towards unity for the sake of the Church's mission to the world. There was a shared recognition of the importance at this present time of seeking to find ways to maintain unity within the Communion.

The conference spent time focusing on the enormous and growing threat which the HIV and AIDS epidemic poses to the fabric of society in sub-Saharan Africa. Provincial Secretaries learned with sorrow that South Africa, with all the other challenges it faces, is thought to have the largest umber of people living with HIV (5.4 million) of any nation in the world, and by 2010 faces a drop in life
expectancy to 43 (17 years less than it would have been before the epidemic). Provincial Secretaries committed themselves to promoting within their provinces the continuing, vital importance of effective, well resourced HIV and AIDS programmes.

All who attended were greatly encouraged and supported in their own Christian discipleship through the times of worship, fellowship, frank discussion and the gift of unity experienced. There was unanimous endorsement of the value of these meetings and agreement that planning should be put in hand for the next in the series in 2007.