By Lisa Crutchfield, Richmond Times-Dispatch, Va.
U2's "Gloria" poured from the speakers. The pews were packed.
And the newly consecrated bishop coadjutor of the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia was pumped.
"This is the way church ought to feel every time it starts," said the Rt. Rev. Shannon S. Johnston.
"You couldn't have kept me away from this."
"Unforgettable Fire: A Eucharist for Social Justice" was held Thursday evening at the Church of the Holy Comforter (Episcopal), on Monument Avenue in Richmond. The service was held in conjunction with St. Stephen's Episcopal Church.
The U2charist blended traditional liturgy with music not usually associated with church.
The customary elements -- Gospel reading, sermon, prayer and Communion -- were there.
But the Rev. Abbott Bailey wore flip-flops and a ONE T-shirt.
In place of hymns and organ music, U2 songs played loud but not begging for earplugs. The message was to wage war against poverty, disease, injustice and preventable suffering, all part of the United Nations' Millennium Development Goals.