Mercer Island Church Receives National Award

The announced today that it will be awarded the 2012 Presbyterian AIDS Network (PAN) Faith in Action Award.

According to the Presbyterian Church's General Assembly Mission Council, the Faith in Action Award recognizes a PC (USA) congregation that, through its prayerful actions and through its ministry, calls its faith into action by walking alongside sisters and brothers who are infected or affected by HIV/AIDS.

The MIPC's HIV/AIDS awareness ministry works to dispell the stigma of HIV/AIDS testing by taking part every year in the Seattle AIDS Walk and encourages church members and community residents to find out if they are infected. In addition, worship services pastor Paul Barrett has lived with HIV for a number of years, and recently won a $43,000 grant to pursue local and internation mission projects and reach out to others who were affected by HIV/AIDS, according to the .

Rev. Eliana Maxim of the Seattle Presbytery shared MIPC's story with PAN and relayed the faith-based network's gratitude for the Mercer Island church's life-giving ministry to people infected and affected with HIV and AIDS.

"Your truly prophetic work and witness shows God's unconditional love for all people, and we are most pleased to lift up your story at General Assembly this year."

This award will be presented to a delegate from our church on July 2 in Pittsburgh, PA at the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA).