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U2charist in Dearborn, Michigan

For those of you in the area, here's the press release with details of the U2charist in Michigan this coming Saturday. It'd be great to see you there!

Journey of Faith Church to host “U2Charist” service with music of the Irish band U2
Theologian Sarah Dylan Breuer of Cambridge, Mass. will preach.

DEARBORN, Mich. (May 21, 2007) – The walls of Christ Episcopal Church in Dearborn are expected to reverberate with the music of the Irish band U2 during a special worship service, known as U2Charist, beginning at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 16, 2007. The church is located at 120 N. Military in Dearborn.

Hosting the service is Journey of Faith Church, formerly known as St. David’s in Garden City. Partnering with Journey of Faith will be the Episcopal diocesan office of Youth and Young Adult Ministries along with Christ Church of Dearborn and St. John’s of Plymouth.

“By Episcopal church standards, our services are highly informal in dress and style,” said Journey of Faith Pastor Mark Jenkins. “We’re trying to reach those who find less traditional approaches to worship more appealing. Hosting a diocesan U2Charist seems like a natural for us.”

Delivering the message for the U2Charist will be Sarah Dylan Breuer of Cambridge, Mass., who developed the idea of the U2Charist service in 2004. Since then the U2Charists have grown beyond their origin in the Episcopal Church to become a worldwide phenomenon.

The U2Charist service focuses on the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDG), which have been endorsed by every nation in the world and many religious denominations, including the Episcopal Church, to eradicate extreme poverty and global AIDS.

“Our service will follow the pattern of Journey of Faith’s weekly worship service and incorporate multimedia featuring music from U2 including such favorites as “Where the Streets Have No Name,” “Yahweh,” and “One,” added Pastor Jenkins.

The band U2 has given permission to use their music in such services as long as emphasis on the MDG is maintained. Bono, the lead singer of U2, has been very outspoken on issues for social justice and has initiated several programs including the ONE Declaration, www.one.org, an effort to rally people in the fight against poverty and AIDS.

The public is welcome to attend the U2Charist. More information is available by calling the church office at 313-565-5512 or visiting www.JoFChurch.org.

About Journey of Faith

Journey of Faith Church is a small, open group that is highly informal in its dress and worship, which includes a blend of contemporary and ancient forms and prayers. Worship services are led by the Reverend Mark Jenkins and conducted in much the way early Christians worshipped with readings, reflections, prayer and table fellowship. Journey of Faith Church describes itself as being a “journey of faith,” offering a new approach to traditional religion by encouraging each person to experience the spiritual journey in a way that is authentic and honest. Regular services are held every Saturday afternoon at Christ Episcopal Church at 121 N. Military in Dearborn.

# # #

(Photo attached of Sarah Dylan Breuer)

Media Contacts:
The Rev. Mark Jenkins
Journey of Faith Church
313-565-5512
[email protected]

Margaret Blohm, APR
Margaux & Associates, LLC
313-406-3467
[email protected]

June 10, 2007 in Churchiness, ONE campaign/Millennium Development Goals (MGDs), U2charist, Where's Dylan? | Permalink

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Comments

So, is the U2charist considered a pro-Bono service?

Posted by: James David Walley | Jun 11, 2007 5:37:41 AM

OK, so I'm a dope. I didn't realize you invented the U2charist. Disregard my comments at the previous post, as I'm sure you did.

Posted by: Jon | Jun 11, 2007 1:04:43 PM

No worries, Jon. I think a lot of your points are right on target. I never intended the U2charist to replace other services, and I definitely wouldn't recommend it for someone who doesn't like U2! I would hope that the Millennium Development Goals are something we can all get behind; they seem to me to be a solid contemporary articulation of what Jesus advocated in the story of the sheep and the goats in Matthew, but I do have strong feelings that liturgy isn't "performance with sing-along," as you put it. That's probably part of the reason that relatively few people know that I instigated the first U2charist. I didn't put my name in the publicity for it; I get hives at "hey, look at me!" behavior around worship. I would have been pleased to be the anonymous creator of the U2charist, had it not happened that someone else's name got attached to it and I started getting accused of plagiarizing from myself! And I must say that I never anticipated that anyone would want to put on or go to U2charists over and over again. I love U2, but for regular use in worship, I much prefer Iona Community and Taize music and traditional hymnody. But it isn't about me, really. I'm with St. Paul in that I rejoice when "in every way, Christ is preached," and people find inspiration in community to engage Christ's mission of healing, justice, and reconcilation. Heck, I'd support that if it were happening via R2D2charists! :)

Posted by: Sarah Dylan Breuer | Jun 11, 2007 1:37:23 PM

Yes, there are ministries that don't work for me, but that's OK because they're not aimed at me.

I can't get over my ingrained old radical's flinch when I come across Bono's work. It seems as though whenever the rich and powerful unilaterally decide to help the poor, something bad ends up happening to the poor.

Tell you what, I will continue to avoid U2's music, but I'll try and set aside my prejudices and take a closer look at the Millennium Development Goals.

Posted by: Jon | Jun 12, 2007 2:37:40 AM

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