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Bono to fit AIDS plea into sermon at St. Paul's church
BY ANNA JO BRATTON / Lincoln Journal Star
Between baptisms and Advent tradition, Bono will speak at 10:30 a.m. today at St. Paul United Methodist Church, 1144 M St.
He won't sing U2 favorites, but the popular rock band's lead singer will talk about the AIDScrisis in Africa and how Christians can respond.
St. Paul's auditorium seats about 1,000, and the service will be fed live to large screens in the Family Life Center, which seats 300, Associate Pastor Steve Griffiths said.
The church expects a full house, especially because tickets ran out for Bono's Lied Center speech at 7 tonight.
At Bono's request, the church didn't publicize the event, Griffiths said, but seats will be open to the public as long as they are available.
Church leaders were contacted just before Nov. 16, when the possibility of a visit was confirmed by the E.N. Thompson board at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Griffiths said.
Bono brings attention to an issue that is crying out for a voice, said Margery Ambrosius, a member of the Nebraska Conference of the United Methodist Church.
"Any time you can get some media attention to the topic, it educates people and you hope it invigorates them and encourages them to do something," said Ambrosius, who attends St. Paul.
The 10:30 a.m. Sunday service is usually traditional, Griffiths said, and such traditions as the lighting of the Advent candle and baptisms are still on schedule.
But African music, prepared and led by the choir, will take the place of hymns, and Bono will speak in place of a sermon.
An African woman infected with HIV also will speak from her experience as a nurse, Griffiths said. The woman travels with Bono, speaking across the country.
The event is planned for church members, but Griffiths expects plenty of newcomers and good outreach to the community, he said.
"There may be people who don't go to any church,"he said.
Bono's schedulers contacted the Nebraska conference to locate a church in Lincoln where Bono could speak.
The Nebraska and Nigeria church conferences formed a partnership in 1999, learning about church work in each country and visiting back and forth.
Economically, the churches in Nigeria struggle to serve their members, with many pastors riding bikes to get to several churches each morning.
But spiritually, the churches are incredibly rich, Ambrosius said.
"We have a lot to learn from them about bringing new members in and founding new churches," she said.
And Bono apparently sees the need for AIDS activism in Africa, she said: "He is willing to use his celebrity to have an impact on the world, instead of just building more mansions, like others might do."
Bono to fit AIDS plea into sermon at St. Paul's church
BY ANNA JO BRATTON / Lincoln Journal Star
Between baptisms and Advent tradition, Bono will speak at 10:30 a.m. today at St. Paul United Methodist Church, 1144 M St.
He won't sing U2 favorites, but the popular rock band's lead singer will talk about the AIDScrisis in Africa and how Christians can respond.
St. Paul's auditorium seats about 1,000, and the service will be fed live to large screens in the Family Life Center, which seats 300, Associate Pastor Steve Griffiths said.
The church expects a full house, especially because tickets ran out for Bono's Lied Center speech at 7 tonight.
At Bono's request, the church didn't publicize the event, Griffiths said, but seats will be open to the public as long as they are available.
Church leaders were contacted just before Nov. 16, when the possibility of a visit was confirmed by the E.N. Thompson board at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Griffiths said.
Bono brings attention to an issue that is crying out for a voice, said Margery Ambrosius, a member of the Nebraska Conference of the United Methodist Church.
"Any time you can get some media attention to the topic, it educates people and you hope it invigorates them and encourages them to do something," said Ambrosius, who attends St. Paul.
The 10:30 a.m. Sunday service is usually traditional, Griffiths said, and such traditions as the lighting of the Advent candle and baptisms are still on schedule.
But African music, prepared and led by the choir, will take the place of hymns, and Bono will speak in place of a sermon.
An African woman infected with HIV also will speak from her experience as a nurse, Griffiths said. The woman travels with Bono, speaking across the country.
The event is planned for church members, but Griffiths expects plenty of newcomers and good outreach to the community, he said.
"There may be people who don't go to any church,"he said.
Bono's schedulers contacted the Nebraska conference to locate a church in Lincoln where Bono could speak.
The Nebraska and Nigeria church conferences formed a partnership in 1999, learning about church work in each country and visiting back and forth.
Economically, the churches in Nigeria struggle to serve their members, with many pastors riding bikes to get to several churches each morning.
But spiritually, the churches are incredibly rich, Ambrosius said.
"We have a lot to learn from them about bringing new members in and founding new churches," she said.
And Bono apparently sees the need for AIDS activism in Africa, she said: "He is willing to use his celebrity to have an impact on the world, instead of just building more mansions, like others might do."
