Official People Who Care service a 'high church' affair

ROYAL OAK – His official title is the Rt. Rev. V. Gene Robinson, IX Bishop of New Hampshire, but don't be fooled by the religious ostentation. Robinson, the first openly-gay bishop in the history of the Episcopal church and Advocate magazine's 2003 Person of the Year, is definitely a man of the people.
His sincere smile and simple sermon at the 20th annual People Who Care About People With AIDS service, which took place Friday, Dec. 10 at St. John's in Royal Oak, stood in stark contrast to the rest of the evening's sacred presentation. Organizers planned a high church service to honor the visiting bishop, but Robinson seemed almost uncomfortable with the holy hoopla and during his portion of the service quickly set out to put the non-Anglicans at ease.
"I want you to know you're welcome … those of you who are not Episcopalians, I hope you'll put up with us and the funny way we do things," he said, before gesturing toward his colorful vestment. "I want you to know not all of us dress like this. I only did it for all of the gay people who are with us."
Yes, jokes were not out of line during Robinson's brief moments in the pulpit, but he also had a powerful message to share with the crowd of 300.
"I am so honored to be here with those of you who are living with HIV and AIDS," he said. "I have wanted to come to this service for many years and it just never worked out."
Robinson had earlier in the day visited with AIDS patients at Wellness House, and the experience was obviously still on his mind as he spoke.
"One of the greatest blessings of working with people who care about AIDS is that you get to meet the nicest people, because they're doing the things that Jesus would do," he said. "[And] one of the great gifts that people with HIV and AIDS have given me is to be able to look at my own death and live in spite of it."
Robinson spoke not only of the AIDS epidemic in this country, but also of the global crisis.
"There are 40 million people with AIDS all over the world, there are 100 million orphans … you and I are living in a holocaust," he said, before mentioning the critical conditions in sub-Saharan Africa. "Do you think we'd be responding to it differently if it were happening in Europe? You bet we would."
In closing his message, Robinson put out a call for action.
"We may not be able to stop this virus, but we can stop the loneliness, the despair, the stigma," he said. "You and I can cure that just as well as Jesus can."
Later in the service, which lasted nearly two hours, organizers Harry Cook and Linda Northcraft – or principal celebrants as they were called for the night – introduced the service's founder, Rev. Rodney Reinhart, who shared remembrances with the crowd.
"Twenty years ago I went to one of the AIDS organizations and I asked them what can I do? What can the church do to make life better for you?" Reinhart recalled. "We brought everybody together to say, 'God loves you, God cares about you, and God wants to heal you.'"
Robinson spoke once more prior to the service's close, at which time he graciously thanked everyone for their support of his installment as bishop, which opponents say has created a fissure within the Episcopal church.
"I'm doing what I'm doing not only for God, but for all of us," he said.