51

Yesterday morning, back when I was 50, I decided that I was tired of waking up to NPR. Not that I actually listened to the news as I struggled awake--I was just tired of waking up to chatter (although waking up to NPR's chatter is admittedly far less annoying than waking up to those "funny" DJs). Anyway, I twirled the dial until I found one of the local "classic hits" stations, 102.7. This morning, I woke up to the following sequence:

• at 6:oo, the radio came on with one of my favorite bands of the '80s, Big Country (from Scotland) and its first MTV hit, "In a Big Country"; a beat or two after the music came on, the first snippet of lyric I heard was "stay alive"
• next came one of my all-time favorite bands/songs: The Doobie Brothers/"China Grove"
• next, one of my favorite New Wave grooves of the '80s: The Fixx's "One Thing Leads to Another"
• Blue Oyster Cult's "Don't Fear the Reaper," a nice thought for my 51st
• and the set closed with one of my favorite grooves from the '70s: Edgar Winter's "Frankenstein"

I'm not expecting to grow flowers in the desert

But I can live and breathe and see the sun in wintertime . . .

In a big country dreams stay with you

Like a lover's voice fires the mountainside

Stay alive

U2charist: Phase One Complete

The U2charist was a tremendous experience. As involved as I was with the planning and the execution of it, I believe I was as moved by it as anybody present. The band played well, and my voice held up throughout all the chasing of Bono's melodies. Sam did a great job putting together the visuals--lyric slides for the big screen, a slideshow backdrop for the band. Michelle led the Communion service wonderfully.

We had 153 people (or thereabouts), which is roughly double the usual attendance of the 9:00 service. And $783.89 was donated to Nothing But Nets, a project to provide mosquito netting to Africa in an effort to reduce the spread of malaria.

The next event--extended by a handful of songs--will take place at 7:30 on Saturday, 30 January, at Nelson's Art Gallery downtown. More on this later.

U2charist @ Cherokee Tomorrow

Since its 1980 album Boy, the Irish rock band U2 has played a vibrant role in popular culture, their music and image evolving to fit changing times and tastes. But through the years and the changes, two things have remained constant with U2: first, the same four individuals who formed the band so long ago are the same on tour around the world in 2009 and 2010; second, and more importantly for this morning's service at Cherokee, the band's recordings and live performances remain infused with distinct and challenging Christian imagery and spirituality. This longevity of character and belief is evident in the music you'll hear today: "40" is from U2's third album War (1983); "Magnificent" is from the thirteenth album No Line on the Horizon (2009); other songs come from the range of albums in between.

The U2charist combines the music of U2 with the celebration of the Eucharist to create a service that has been described as "meaningful and fun." The first U2charist was held in 2004, and since then variations on the service have been held around the world and across denominations. U2 is aware of these services and allows its music to be used without licensing cost. The band asks in return that the event be a worship service, not a concert, and that a donation be collected to support the United Nations' Millennium Development Goals, among which are the end of poverty and hunger, the promotion of universal education, of child and maternal health, gender equality and global partnership.

The organizers of the first U2charist at Cherokee United Methodist Church have chosen to donate today's special offering to a program called Nothing But Nets, an approved project of the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries. The pennies and dollars donated this morning—100% of them—will go to purchase and distribute protective mosquito netting to help prevent the spread of malaria in Africa, where a child dies of this preventable disease every 30 seconds and a million children and adults die of it every year.

Welcome to the U2charist! Sing along! Dance! Worship!

U2charist @ Cherokee

Songlist for the U2charist coming up on 15 November at Cherokee United Methodist Church:

"Beautiful Day"
"Pride (In the Name of Love)"
"Yahweh"
"Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own"
"I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For"
"Magnificent"
"One"
"40"
"Where the Streets Have No Name"