The Waterbury church was the first in the country to use Affirming Persons-Saving Lives , the new curriculum for AIDS education and prevention published by the United Church Board for Homeland Ministries. But the Waterbury experience proves that a church can be a place of education, healing and support for people with AIDS and for teenagers and adults whose lives are threatened by the epidemic. But it also gives high school students and adults information on the proper use of condoms. One handout teaches teenagers 20 ways to say 'no' effectively to unwanted sexual intercourse. It shows how people who love each other can be intimate without being sexually active.
Every class opens with prayer and a Bible reading.
The curriculum united the congregation, Jane says. We were all in it together. Only one family chose not to participate. Nearly 100 members were actively involved in the three-month process, which included a weekend retreat as part of the youth series. The church decided to use the entire curriculum, including sessions for young children, teenagers and adults.