Pastor tested HIV+ soon after marriage
Jun 20, 2004
HE woke up to go and preach at the Reformed Baptist Church in Mbale on a Sunday in 2003, armed with what he thought was a powerful message.
By Joan Mugenzi
HE woke up to go and preach at the Reformed Baptist Church in Mbale on a Sunday in 2003, armed with what he thought was a powerful message. The sermon as presented on the church programme was to preach on the ability of the power of the Word.
To him, there was no better opportunity to share his HIV sero status to a congregation that had no idea that their shepherd was HIV positive. He said “the power of scripture†prompted him to share with others about his life.
No sooner had he mentioned to the congregation that he was living with HIV, than people began whispering amongst themselves. The sermon was not to come to an end. The elders of the church could not stand Wasagami’s ‘unpopular’ sermon. He was dismissed without remorse.
“You have been with us all these years when you are a sinful man,†Pastor David Wasagami shared his story with a World Vision staff during the organisation’s daily devotions recently. “You have been serving at the holy table, baptising us while living in sin. From today, we have dismissed you. You can no longer stand at the pulpit,†he narrated in a comical manner to a rather anxious staff. Wasagami’s dismissal was followed with letters to the theological college which trained him and to Baptist missionaries across the US saying “Wasagami is a dead man and anytime he was due for burial.â€
Wasagami is not dead, and he has decided to pick up the mantle and fight for the openness of religious leaders living with HIV/AIDS. “It is the only way we will break the silence,†he says. “Let us fight stigma and discrimination.†The only problem with his talk is that it is a bit controversial and it might raise eyebrows among different denominations. Save for condom use, he focuses less on issues of positive living, which are key to people infected or affected by HIV/AIDS.
Wasagami and his wife tested HIV positive in March 2000, a few weeks after their marriage. at the time, his wife was pregnant and she had many complaints, which is why they went to the Aids information centre, Kampala, for a test.
I asked myself: “God, how can this happen to me if you called me to be your servant? Are you punishing me? How can you put me to shame?†he recalls what he considers the hardest trial of his life. “It looked like God had turned my good works into shame. I was disturbed.†The barrage of questions was followed by a week of locking up himself in the house. “Inside that room, I had my Bible,†Wasagami says. “I read several scriptures where God is calling on people who have burdens. That brought me some relief.â€
One the evening of Tuesday, May 2000, Wasagami tuned to the 8:00pm news on Uganda Television. Beatrice Okello was reading the news and there was a footage of Reverend Gideon Byamugisha who is said to be the first priest to openly declare his HIV status. Wasagama waited for the 10:00pm news as well, mainly to admire a man who was to later change his life. “I asked my wife if she knew where we could find this man because it was only the two of us and God in our midst. Next was our trial, which was now the footage of Byamugisha. But the question still was with us; Byamugisha is an Anglican, would he help the Baptists?†asked Wasagami. He looked for Byamugisha from Namirembe Cathedral to Kanjokya Street in Kampala, until someone told him that Byamugisha works with World Vision. “What surprised me about Byamugisha was his humility,†Wasagami says. “He warmly welcomed me and was ready to help me. I did not tell him then, that I was HIV positive. Instead, I told him that I wanted him to help us because there were pastors in my congregation who were HIV positive and they needed help.†There was an exclusive retreat for religious leaders living with or affected by HIV/AIDS, which was to take place in Mukono in November 2003. Wasagami was asked to identify religious leaders to attend the retreat. He told Rev. Byamugisha, that he would first attend, get to understand the context and later involve other religious leaders. This meeting provided a turning point for Wasagami. Many religious leaders from different African countries as well as Wasagami testified that they were HIV positive. From then, he has always shared his story. Robby Muhumuza, the World Vision national director, says they invite people living with HIV/AIDS to talk to their employees as a way of enhancing the workplace HIV/AIDS policy, and that is how they invited Wasagami.
“We encourage our staff to get HIV/AIDS information,†says Muhumuza. “We organise various fora at the workplace to enable the staff hear more about HIV/AIDS.†“Apart from the general information, we are also dealing with issues of denial and stigma because some of the World Vision may be HIV positive and may be living in hiding or denial. When we get HIV/AIDS role models, who are also Christians and they are speak out, our staff may be encouraged to reveal their HIV status as wellout,†Muhumuza says. He adds that World Vision does not discriminate against staff who are HIV positive. Wasagami, who urged World Vision staff to test their HIV status, is also a member of the African network of Religious Leaders Living with or individually affected by HIV/AIDS (ANARELLA). ANARELLA was formed at the Mukono retreat, where Wasagami first declared his HIV positive status.
The goal of ANARELLA is to find a highly effective network that links people living with HIV/AIDS or affected religious leaders, for fellowship, mutual support and empowerment in order to break the silence, end stigma and discrimination, and advocate for enhanced prevention and care. Kenya has already formed its version of KENARELLA and on June 25, Uganda religious leaders will form the Uganda Network of Religious Leaders Living with or affected by HIV/AIDS (UNARRELLA). Wasagami is the chairperson of the organising committee that will see the launch of UNARELLA in Kabale. Looking back, Wasagami says he is glad he opened up. “If I continued hiding, I would be a dead man, dying of fear. Because of my testimony, 10 religious leaders have so far joined me. Two of them are speaking to their congregations while the eight are still asking for more information. They fear being rejected,†concludes the 37-year-old pastor, whose openness has taken him to Ethiopia, Rwanda, Kenya and South Africa to talk to religious leaders about HIV/AIDS.
The writer is a fellow with the Makerere University IPH/CDC HIV Fellowship
programme
HE woke up to go and preach at the Reformed Baptist Church in Mbale on a Sunday in 2003, armed with what he thought was a powerful message. The sermon as presented on the church programme was to preach on the ability of the power of the Word.
To him, there was no better opportunity to share his HIV sero status to a congregation that had no idea that their shepherd was HIV positive. He said “the power of scripture†prompted him to share with others about his life.
No sooner had he mentioned to the congregation that he was living with HIV, than people began whispering amongst themselves. The sermon was not to come to an end. The elders of the church could not stand Wasagami’s ‘unpopular’ sermon. He was dismissed without remorse.
“You have been with us all these years when you are a sinful man,†Pastor David Wasagami shared his story with a World Vision staff during the organisation’s daily devotions recently. “You have been serving at the holy table, baptising us while living in sin. From today, we have dismissed you. You can no longer stand at the pulpit,†he narrated in a comical manner to a rather anxious staff. Wasagami’s dismissal was followed with letters to the theological college which trained him and to Baptist missionaries across the US saying “Wasagami is a dead man and anytime he was due for burial.â€
Wasagami is not dead, and he has decided to pick up the mantle and fight for the openness of religious leaders living with HIV/AIDS. “It is the only way we will break the silence,†he says. “Let us fight stigma and discrimination.†The only problem with his talk is that it is a bit controversial and it might raise eyebrows among different denominations. Save for condom use, he focuses less on issues of positive living, which are key to people infected or affected by HIV/AIDS.
Wasagami and his wife tested HIV positive in March 2000, a few weeks after their marriage. at the time, his wife was pregnant and she had many complaints, which is why they went to the Aids information centre, Kampala, for a test.
I asked myself: “God, how can this happen to me if you called me to be your servant? Are you punishing me? How can you put me to shame?†he recalls what he considers the hardest trial of his life. “It looked like God had turned my good works into shame. I was disturbed.†The barrage of questions was followed by a week of locking up himself in the house. “Inside that room, I had my Bible,†Wasagami says. “I read several scriptures where God is calling on people who have burdens. That brought me some relief.â€
One the evening of Tuesday, May 2000, Wasagami tuned to the 8:00pm news on Uganda Television. Beatrice Okello was reading the news and there was a footage of Reverend Gideon Byamugisha who is said to be the first priest to openly declare his HIV status. Wasagama waited for the 10:00pm news as well, mainly to admire a man who was to later change his life. “I asked my wife if she knew where we could find this man because it was only the two of us and God in our midst. Next was our trial, which was now the footage of Byamugisha. But the question still was with us; Byamugisha is an Anglican, would he help the Baptists?†asked Wasagami. He looked for Byamugisha from Namirembe Cathedral to Kanjokya Street in Kampala, until someone told him that Byamugisha works with World Vision. “What surprised me about Byamugisha was his humility,†Wasagami says. “He warmly welcomed me and was ready to help me. I did not tell him then, that I was HIV positive. Instead, I told him that I wanted him to help us because there were pastors in my congregation who were HIV positive and they needed help.†There was an exclusive retreat for religious leaders living with or affected by HIV/AIDS, which was to take place in Mukono in November 2003. Wasagami was asked to identify religious leaders to attend the retreat. He told Rev. Byamugisha, that he would first attend, get to understand the context and later involve other religious leaders. This meeting provided a turning point for Wasagami. Many religious leaders from different African countries as well as Wasagami testified that they were HIV positive. From then, he has always shared his story. Robby Muhumuza, the World Vision national director, says they invite people living with HIV/AIDS to talk to their employees as a way of enhancing the workplace HIV/AIDS policy, and that is how they invited Wasagami.
“We encourage our staff to get HIV/AIDS information,†says Muhumuza. “We organise various fora at the workplace to enable the staff hear more about HIV/AIDS.†“Apart from the general information, we are also dealing with issues of denial and stigma because some of the World Vision may be HIV positive and may be living in hiding or denial. When we get HIV/AIDS role models, who are also Christians and they are speak out, our staff may be encouraged to reveal their HIV status as wellout,†Muhumuza says. He adds that World Vision does not discriminate against staff who are HIV positive. Wasagami, who urged World Vision staff to test their HIV status, is also a member of the African network of Religious Leaders Living with or individually affected by HIV/AIDS (ANARELLA). ANARELLA was formed at the Mukono retreat, where Wasagami first declared his HIV positive status.
The goal of ANARELLA is to find a highly effective network that links people living with HIV/AIDS or affected religious leaders, for fellowship, mutual support and empowerment in order to break the silence, end stigma and discrimination, and advocate for enhanced prevention and care. Kenya has already formed its version of KENARELLA and on June 25, Uganda religious leaders will form the Uganda Network of Religious Leaders Living with or affected by HIV/AIDS (UNARRELLA). Wasagami is the chairperson of the organising committee that will see the launch of UNARELLA in Kabale. Looking back, Wasagami says he is glad he opened up. “If I continued hiding, I would be a dead man, dying of fear. Because of my testimony, 10 religious leaders have so far joined me. Two of them are speaking to their congregations while the eight are still asking for more information. They fear being rejected,†concludes the 37-year-old pastor, whose openness has taken him to Ethiopia, Rwanda, Kenya and South Africa to talk to religious leaders about HIV/AIDS.
The writer is a fellow with the Makerere University IPH/CDC HIV Fellowship
programme