U2 Eucharist Energizes Gloucester Congregation;
West Gloucester Trinitarian Congregational Church uses rock music to raise awareness and money
 By Gail McCarthy, Staff writer, Gloucester Daily Times
Reprinted with permission: Gloucester Daily Times, November 17, 2006
Back in 1713, the Puritan founders of the West Gloucester Trinitarian Congregational Church, UCC, could hardly have envisioned a rock band or the sound of its music reverberating off the walls of their sacred house of worship. [But the special U2 Eucharist service featuring the music of the world-renowned rock band drew a full house of worshippers -- from Beverly to Rockport -- to the Cape Ann church.] "More than half of those attending were people I didn't know," Pastor Christopher Ney said.
The candle-lit service was intended to raise awareness and money to combat global poverty and the impact of AIDS by using the lyrics of the internationally known Irish rock band.
Worshippers tapped their feet and sang out loud together to many of U2's hit songs, such as "Yahweh" and "Pride (In the Name of Love)." The Grammy Award-winning song "Vertigo" was played during the offertory while another hit, "Where the Streets Have No Name," was played as the Communion hymn. Members of the Episcopal churches in Beverly Farms and Gloucester attended as well as a curious construction worker who happened to see a sign in front of the church while driving by, the pastor said.
A preliminary count of the offering totaled $755 from the approximately 65 people who attended. The money will be divided between the Gloucester-based North Shore Health Project and Church World Service, an ecumenical relief and development organization.
The small Cape Ann church is among a growing number of religious organizations to present the U2 Eucharist. The West Gloucester church stands among the more than 150 churches in 15 states and seven countries that have hosted the U2 service created by the Rev. Paige Blair of York Harbor, Maine. "I think it was fun and some people had a blast," said Connor Adkins, who noted that one woman even got up to dance at the end of the program, which was accented with a PowerPoint presentation.
"We never really thought much about the lyrics. When you listen to music, you don't always understand the words. But when you can read them on the screen, you realize they're sending a message," said Julie Adkins. "It's a great opportunity to appreciate the music in a new way because it connects with your faith. It talks about how you can help other people, whether they are from your neighborhood or around the world."
Lois Serrin, 75, a deacon at the church, could not have identified one U2 song before the service, although she was familiar with lead singer Bono since he was a dignitary at this year's National Prayer Service in Washington, D.C., and was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.
"When our pastor presented the idea, I thought we should go for it and we can't refuse our good minister," Serrin said. When the worship service ended, her comment was: "I loved it." Ney titled his sermon "Can We Really Change the World?"
"Are you really going to overcome global poverty and AIDS by going to church?" he asked the crowd. "Rock 'n' roll in a church with a slide show and a high-tech computer presentation; do you really think something special is going to happen this evening? This is a Puritan church and you're playing rock 'n' roll music and singing in the pews."
From that opening statement about life in the 21st century, Ney went back in history to talk about the Puritans, who first established themselves in this area nearly 300 years ago.
"Puritans get a bad rap sometimes and I may be going out on a limb, but there's another side to the Puritan story. They were not satisfied with the traditional religion handed down by their parents. They were moved to change the world, to establish a commonwealth where the needs of all were the concerns of all," Ney said. "That's the kind of thing that still attracts people to Christianity today. Is there something we have in common with the folks in 1713 who established this church?" The PowerPoint slide show projected statistics and images about the effect of poverty and AIDS around the globe. It included details about the 1 billion people who live in extreme poverty, meaning they survive on less than $1 a day. Ney also talked about the growing impact of AIDS.
"Bono too was unsatisfied with traditional religion because he felt there was too much finger-pointing and blaming. Then two elderly British gentlemen from the Jubilee campaign approached him to be a spokesman for their efforts to have the wealthiest nations forgive the debts of the poorest nations. He realized he needed to be proactive," Ney continued. "Bono, an Irish rock star with a colossal ego, spoke at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C., attended by our leaders and world leaders. He was a most unlikely figure talking to these folks about these same issues." The congregation listened intently as the pastor spoke without any notes about the need to help others.
"I would suggest that God needs our hands in the world to make it happen," Ney said. "The good news this evening is that it is already happening. The U2 Eucharist is just one way to raise awareness of the Millennium Goals."
Hope is on the move tonight. Love is on the move tonight. The world is changing in small steps and in ways that we aren't even aware of. But it's already happening, we just need to get in line to help." Ney talked about local efforts to help in the eradication of poverty and illness in the region, thanks to the efforts of groups such as the North Shore Health Project, Wellspring House and the Cape Ann Food Pantry.
In the aftermath of the small congregation's experimental service, Ney said he was pleased at the outcome.
"I also didn't know what to expect," Ney said in an interview. "For a long time I resisted the use of multimedia presentation in worship. But I thought this seemed like a good opportunity to do several new things, not just the use of technology, but to talk about global issues in a new way."
Ney said he is considering a springtime U2 Eucharist to accommodate those who told him they were unable to attend the weekday service.
"I am incredibly proud of our congregation for their willingness to take a chance on something totally new and different," he said. "In the couple of weeks leading up to the event, I could just feel the energy in the congregation as they went about spreading the word. [The United Nations' eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) – which range from halving extreme poverty to halting the spread of HIV/AIDS and providing universal primary education, all by the target date of 2015 – form a blueprint agreed to by all the world’s countries and all the world’s leading development institutions. For more information, visit: www.un.org/millenniumgoals/index.html]
[Brackets indicate Spotlight Editor comments/changes.]
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