These days, the church s members are invited to conduct sexual-health workshops and discussions at s

Sitting in his suede upholstered throne, Bruce Davenport preaches about a topic that might be considered florida rental cars too hot to talk about in church. On this particular day, Davenport, pastor of St. John No. 5 Faith Church, is holding forth on the subject of condoms the glow-in-the-dark kind.
Bruce Davenport Sr., aka the "Condom Father," holds up one of several condom florida rental cars dispensers at his ministry center at St. John #5 where he, his staff, and volunteers help test, counsel, and educate people about HIV, STDS, and taking sexual responsibility. He was photographed on Friday, August 3, 2012.
At Davenport s nondenominational church, at 3829 Hamburg St. in Gentilly , members are urged to use condoms to protect themselves from sexually transmitted diseases, HIV infection and unwanted pregnancies. And while the NAACP this summer introduced a manual to help black pastors florida rental cars broach the HIV/AIDS topic in their churches, Davenport has been on the attack for years since the worst of the AIDS epidemic hit the nation in the mid-1990s.
Sporting casual khaki pants, scuffed black Vans and a burnished salt-and-pepper goatee, Davenport is affectionately known as Da Condom Father in his church. A certified HIV counselor, he has waged an aggressive crusade from his pulpit against sexually transmitted diseases.
If I lose one, I lose one too many, Davenport said in a soft-spoken but steely voice, sounding like someone who has found his cause. His daughter, Tamachia Davenport, has helped him shape his campaign, which includes HIV testing at the church and handing out informational pamphlets door-to-door florida rental cars in neighborhoods hard-hit by the disease.
To help spread the safe-sex message, the pastor, his daughter and other members of his congregation in 2009 dressed up like mobsters for a billboard that attracted local notoriety and national attention. In bold red letters, the billboard in downtown New Orleans read HIV...It s Time to Take Control of this GANGSTA. The HIV Prevention Mobsters gang featured da Chlamydia Crusher, da Herpes Hitwoman, da Gonorrhea Breaker, da Trich Terminator and da Syphilis Eliminator.
florida rental cars The church s pioneering campaign kicked off in 1996, supported by various in-kind and church donations. Then, bolstered by additional aid from the Ford Foundation and the state Office of Public Health, St. John No. 5 started adding free HIV testing, condom distribution and sexual health workshops to their social ministry program, Camp ACE. Church members began conducting HIV testing every day of the week, which includes initial diagnostic and followup tests.
Despite its small staff, the church offers testing services Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thousands of people florida rental cars from all over the New Orleans area come every year, and there's an occasional visitor from Kenner or Chalmette. Typically, about 15 people come in to be tested each week, but Davenport said the number can go as high as 30.
These days, the church florida rental cars s members are invited to conduct sexual-health workshops and discussions at schools, colleges and churches as part of an educational push to combat the deep-rooted stigma still haunting people living with HIV/AIDS in the black community.
African-Americans in Louisiana continue to be disproportionately at risk for HIV and AIDS, reflecting a national trend documented by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Although African-Americans make up only 32 percent of Louisiana s overall population, they comprise 73 percent of the newest HIV cases and 76 percent of AIDS cases, florida rental cars according to the latest figures from the state Department of Health and Hospitals.
While 89 percent of the church s first-time testees were African-American, the church serves people of all races and walks of life. And to address the escalating HIV infection rates in the local Hispanic population, the church has begun translating its educational materials into Spanish and recruiting bilingual florida rental cars volunteers.
Every afternoon, the St. John #5 staff, dressed in unmistakable red shirts and khaki pants, go from door to door in neighborhoods afflicted with the worst HIV rates in the city. The group also treks to barber shops, convenience stores, pharmacies, even venturing into bars, clubs and strip joints, often in crime-ridden neighborhoods.
While they have tested subjects ranging in age from 3 to 80, the church recognizes that more teenagers need to be tested. According to Davenport, teenagers are both the most sexually florida rental cars active group and the one that is the most misinformed about HIV.
According to the CDC, HIV primarily spreads through exchanging florida rental cars bodily fluids during unprotected sex or sharing dirty needles and syringes. It can be contracted through various forms of sex, although the risk is highest with anal sex. Having multiple partners or being born to an HIV-positive mother can also result in an HIV diagnosis.
Latanya Killingworth, 36, discovered she was HIV-positive around 1997. She credits St. John No. 5 with helping her rebuild her self-esteem and confidence. I never thought in a million years that I could speak out and tell my story, Killingworth said. I feel that if I can prevent florida rental cars anyone whether young or old my job here on earth is done.
Stephen Finley, professor of African-American religion at LSU, calls St. John No. 5 cutting-edge and courageous in its approach to HIV and sexuality. Although Finley said other churches have engaged in similar advocacy, few can navigate florida rental cars the thorny florida rental cars issues typically associated with HIV in the black community.
Bishop Joyce Turner Keller, founder of the faith-based community service organization Aspirations in Baton Rouge, is a member of Faith In Action. Having lived with HIV since 2001, she said it is her role as a member of the clergy to address the HIV pandemic in the black community when other members of the clergy are not speaking out.
But these outspoken religious authorities are few and far in between. Tamachia Davenport florida rental cars is becoming increasingly frustrated by the lack of coordination, cooperation and consistency among faith-based florida rental cars organizations when it comes to dealing with HIV.