Unforgettable Fire

In today's Maine Sunday Telegram (the paper called The Portland Press Herald Monday thru Saturday), Washington correspondent, Bart Jansen reports on Bono's visit to Capital Hill to lobby for a $1 billion boost to AIDS and tuberculosis funding:

An unusual aspect of Bono's visit was his refusal to publicize it. Senators weren't supposed to talk about it beforehand. They could have snapshots taken with him, but they were not to distribute the pictures or post them on their Web sites.

Maine Senator Susan B. Collins was one of nine Republican Senators who met with Bono--but she isn't a fan of U2's music. Rod Stewart is her kind of guy musically, but she has great respect for Bono's commitment and the knowledgeable way he has approached his lobbying efforts.

If you'd like to help Bono's efforts, One.org will help you send a letter to W.

For the Rev. Martin Luther King: Sing!

St. George's Episcopal Church will celebrate its next U2charist on Saturday January 20 at 5 pm.
This Saturday's service will honor the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr and is open to all including (at least this time), the BBC.

The Reverend Dr. Paige Blair, wasn't the first pastor to use U2's music or Christian message in a church service, but St. George's did originate the U2charist. St. George's holds a U2charist every three or four months (the last coincided with the "Stand Up to End Poverty" Day organized by the One Campaign) and changes the service each time in accordance to the liturgical season.

The U2charist movement is now international with services in places like New Zealand, South Africa, Atlanta, and Hong Kong.

The BBC will be filming this service as part of a documentary that they're making, but also so that it can be used as a model for a U2charist performance at St. Swithin's Church in London. That performance will bre broadcast nationally in the UK on Good Friday.

Dr. Blair will start this U2charist with "Pride (in the Name of Love)" and end the service with "MLK".

More background on U2's message can be found here and here. The Official U2charist page is here.
For a lot of background on the spritual journey of U2, I recommend the book Walk On by Steve Stockman.

"One man caught on a barbed wire fence
One man he resist
One man washed on an empty beach
One man betrayed with a kiss
In the name of love.
What more in the name of love?"

UPDATE: Correction. As a commenter so kindly pointed out, the first U2charist was not held at St. George's but rather at St. Mary's Outreach Center (SMOC) in Baltimore, Maryland in April of 2004. Sorry about the misinformation.

Just Don't Call Him Sir

Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth has awarded Paul Hewitt an honorary knighthood. You can still just call him Bono.
(He will not be awarded with the title of "Sir" because he is not a British national--he's Irish).

Bono was recognized for his service to the music industry and his humanitarian work. Tony Blair congratulated and thanked him:

"I want personally to thank you for the invaluable role you played in the run-up to the Gleneagles G8 summit. Without your personal contribution, we could not have achieved the results we did.

"So thank you and I look forward to continuing to work together to maintain momentum on Africa, and ensure leaders around the world meet the promises they have made."

Bono's the guy who really knows What Jesus Would Do--he's not wasting time trying to discriminate. He's not getting caught up legislating morality. He's bringing aid and comfort to the poorest and most destitute on our earth and he refuses to allow the Christianists to paint him into a box.

I have this hunger in me--everywhere I look, I see evidence of a Creator. But I don't see it in religion, which has cut my people in two. I don't see Jesus Christ as being part of a religion. Religion to me is almost like when God leaves and people devise a set of rules to fill the space.
--Bono

He's not only a knight, he's my idea of a Saint