More than a decade after the word "AIDS'' sent a shiver through the collective hearts of just about every country in the world, stigma and discrimination still prevail, say those who work in the field. This, despite millions being spent on education.

This is why the Rev. David Chisling, a member of Bermuda's World AIDS Day Committee, is particularly happy that this year's theme, chosen by the World Health Organisation (WHO), is "A Community Commitment''.

"The buzz word is `commitment'. And the whole community just has to get involved,'' he says.

He is excited by the fact that Sandys Rotary Club has decided to establish an AIDS Education Fund for its special fund-raising drive this year and as a member of its community services committee, he is helping to organise its gala opera concert on December 1, World AIDS Day.

"The whole meaning behind Rotary is helping others, which is the great thing about this project. We saw the need and the group members agreed that this was something we could do. We are now joining in the great work that is being done in the fight against AIDS by Rotary clubs overseas. Our district governor, in New York, feels this is a really worthwhile project for us to undertake, so I'm proud that Sandys is taking the local initiative,'' he says.

On Sunday, November 29, at 8 p.m., Rev. Chisling will be preaching at the ecumenical World AIDS Day service at the Anglican Cathedral.

"It will be a beautiful service, with wonderful music and a candle-lighting liturgy to honour all those who have died,'' he says.

The congregation will be given red ribbons, the now universal symbol of compassion and support for the fight against AIDS.

And as part of World AIDS Day programme, the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital, the Women's Auxiliary and Sandys Rotary Club are sponsoring a seminar on pastoral care for people living with AIDS on Saturday, November 28 at the Bermuda Cathedral Hall from 10 a.m. to 12 noon, conducted by the Revs.

Smythe and Joudrey from the Royal Victoria Hospital in Montreal. The public is encouraged to attend the seminar, which will cost $10, including lunch.

"Working with families and being with men and women who have died from AIDS has made me very much aware that there is still a stigma attached. It's world-wide and, unfortunately, Bermuda is part of that stigma. Make no mistake, the onslaught of AIDS is pervasive. It does affect the entire community. We still have to accept that AIDS affects every strata of society, regardless of race, religion, sexual preference or economic standing. The sad part for me, as a minister, is that people with HIV or AIDS are still being shunned by the very community they live in. The title of my sermon will be `What have they done to my name?' Society -- not just Bermuda -- has taken the names from these people. Because of prejudice and stigma, many of these people have become anonymous. That is wrong,'' says Rev. Chisling.

When, a year ago, he became involved as a chaplain to Agape House, he says that as he "watched with awe'' the nurses and care-givers dealing with the misery and grief that the spectre of AIDS has brought to the community, he was also inspired by the spirituality attained by people who were close to death.

"But just imagine a child having to cope with the death of a father or mother, or sometimes both. And, sadly, it's very difficult for a parent to admit that someone in their family has AIDS, or has tested positive for HIV.

When I spoke to a group of school counsellors recently, it was felt that it would be very helpful for them to hear from counsellors overseas who have dealt with children in a classroom setting. There are all sorts of people working directly, or indirectly with AIDS who need assistance, so I'm hoping that the Sandys Rotary Education Fund will help to fill this kind of vital need.'' Rev. Chisling says that Bermuda is very fortunate to have a hospice here, the STAR organisation and the chaplaincy group, but it is felt that, out of this, an AIDS coalition group is needed so that everyone understands what the community's needs are.

He has just spent a week with the AIDS Committee of Toronto, in its library and at a hospice, "just looking and asking questions''.

He was impressed with the amount of literature, geared to both professional and lay people, in dealing with the practical and spiritual issues that arise when a person is diagnosed with HIV or AIDS.

As a parent whose own child was born with a physical deformity, he is well aware of the impact of being told devastating news, recalling the initial sense of overwhelming panic and despair. And although he acknowledges that Bermuda provides a very high standard of help, he feels that, of necessity the educational programme here has been geared to the general community. Now, he says, there is a wider community that needs to be reached, noting that in the Toronto library, there is, for instance, explicit advice for homosexuals and other lifestyles.

"What we have to avoid is being judgemental. All over the world, the church is being called on to play a supportive and non-judgemental role and that's what excites me about my work here!'' Rev. Chisling admits that he has little time for such controversies as the condom issue: "That seems to send people into a head-spin and obviously, there are clergymen and denominations who think that condoms should not be encouraged. But there are also people who think otherwise, and personally, I don't think one side has the right to criticise the other. And what practical use is there in pounding young people on the head about abstinence? As a parent, I'm horrified that children of 13 or 14 are engaging in sex and we must all do our best to teach them that this is irresponsible behaviour. We should ask them, `who says you have to do it?' -- and then teach according to their answers!'' In the meantime, he believes, the community has to live with life's realities and for those who have not been reached through education and now find themselves infected with HIV or AIDS, the priority is to love and care for them.

He admits to being disappointed that some segments of society present the problem of AIDS as a moral issue.

AIDS day From Page 21 "By the time someone gets AIDS it's certainly not a moral issue. It's a health issue that affects all of us.'' Unfortunately, he says, there are people who will say hurtful, judgemental things -- at the very time when a person desperately needs to be cherished as a human being and he confesses he finds this attitude very hard to understand. He enlarges on this, asking, "Doesn't the Bible teach compassion and universal love?'' and cites the parable of the prodigal son.

"And doesn't the church teach `Do unto others...', `Love your enemies' and, above all, the concept of forgiveness?'' Rev. Chisling points out that the whole problem of AIDS is a universal problem, but emphasises that Bermuda, with 174 deaths from AIDS so far officially recorded, is very much a part of that problem: "We have to show that we care. That's why I liked Elizabeth Taylor saying `Just show up!'.I think she also said, `All we want is your money and your conscience'. So I'm hoping that people will just show up at the seminar, the Cathedral service and the concert. Government is doing a very good job, but we all have to do our part in this.'' REV. CHISLING: `The buszzword is commitment.' R. Nisbett-Severin Franz Wohlmuth Beverly Hay Gwedolyn Lytle Peter Nash Nancy Chisling.