The onset and rapid spread of the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Sub-Saharan Africa has challenged and continues to challenge the church in its doctrine as well as its practical ministries. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia has been no exception. The disease challenges the theological and pastoral disciplines, especially in the area of contextuality. This thesis is developed at the very site of the struggle to care for the infected and affected individuals and families in the ten Evangelical Lutheran Church parishes in the Oshana Region, Namibia. Healing and caring for the sick is the primary mission of this church. Therefore, the quest of this study is to investigate how ELCIN through pastoral care and counselling helps HIV/AIDS infected and affected family members cope with their situation. The study concentrated mainly on ten ELCIN parishes in the Oshana Region, Namibia. Chapter one is an introduction to the whole thesis. Included is the statement of the problem, the methodology used to collect data and the literature review. Chapter two deals with pastoral care and counselling of HIV/AIDS infected and affected families. The African understanding of heath and illness is also considered as well. Chapter three is about the Church and HIV/AIDS in the Oshana Region, Namibia. This chapter investigates the responses of ELCIN's pastors towards HIV/AIDS affected families in the Oshana Region, and how they understand HIV/AIDS biblically. Chapter four deals with the impact of HIV/AIDS on affected families in Oshana Region, Namibia. This chapter discusses how HIV/AIDS affects the family members, nurses, and community ministers and how pastoral care and counselling help the widowers, widows, orphans, caregivers of orphans and nurses to take care of orphans. This is the main chapter of this thesis. Chapter five is about data analysis, recommendations and research findings using the Christian theoretical framework of Mwaura, van Dyk, Msomi, Snidle and Welsh, and Dube. Chapter six is the conclusion of the whole thesis. / Thesis (M.Th.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2005.

Healing has long been considered part of the Church's pastoral and diaconal calling. For Christians the ministry of healing is grounded in the Word, sacraments and prayer. Based on this understanding some of the Pentecostal churches in Namibia proclaim that HIV and AIDS can be cured through divine healing. It was revealed through interviews with both the practitioners of healing and recipients of healing that the claims of healing HIV and AIDS are not conclusive. It has been established through this study that the implications of a failed healing for the recipients include; lost of faith, hatred towards the practitioners, church, substance abuse and attempts at suicide. A close study of the available literature substantiates the fact that healing of HIV and AIDS in Namibia remains only a claim. The logical conclusion derived was that people confuse healing of HIV and AIDS with spiritual and psychological strength and tranquility that they receive from Pentecostal churches through their healing services. This study recognises the importance of "healing" and "coping" and the need for appropriate theological and psycho-social support for the recipients of divine healing. This study also reveals that HIV and AIDS has forced some Pentecostal churches to revisit their approach of healing. Thus, some of the Pentecostal churches have embarked upon Home Based Care, feeding schemes and material support for PLWHA. The interviews could barely establish a definite case of a successful outcome of healing of someone who was HIV and AIDS positive and was healed through divine intervention. Thus, with the help of interviews, observant participation, and literature review, it was established that the implications for the ministry of healing in some Pentecostal churches in Namibia is real. / Thesis (M.Th.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2007.