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CENTERVILLE - Standing in the church lobby, Ivan Adams wasn't sure what to expect. The 75-year-old Brigham City resident knew all about Episcopal Church services; his wife is a deacon, after all. But U2 and Bono? The relevance of those names, silly names he wasn't sure how to pronounce, meant nothing to this fellow.

"The last singer he knows the name of is Bing Crosby," his wife, Deanna Sue, whispered.

Adams was in for an education on a recent Saturday evening, when he strolled into Utah's first U2 Eucharist, or "U2charist," service at The Episcopal Church of the Resurrection in Centerville. The special event, part of a worldwide movement, would combine the music and lyrical messages of the Irish rock band with church liturgy - all in an effort to raise awareness about and meet the needs of the world's poorest.

U2's lead singer, Bono, is a longtime activist and humanitarian. His songs, in turn, have offered spiritual inspiration to diehard fans. His ONE Campaign is a push to rid the world of poverty.

"He's a man who walks his talk," the Rev. Michael Milligan said in his opening address. "If the music makes you want to move, move. . . . Please have a good time."

And with that, U2's "Pride (In the Name of Love)" filled the sanctuary, as psychedelic images pulsated on a large screen. Most people, including Adams, stood still initially, staring at the foreign lyrics in his program: "Early morning, April 4, shot rings out in the Memphis sky. Free at last, they took your life, they could not take your pride."

At least some, however, immediately felt the music. U2 followers, some from as far away as St. George, sang along, their programs closed. Three-year-old Skye Petersen, purple dress held high, twirled madly in front of the altar.

For the next hour, substituting U2 songs for traditional hymns, a group of about 50 was taken through an Episcopal Eucharist service. Blasts of music were interspersed with Scripture. And before Milligan gave his sermon, a videotaped Bono appeared on the large screen to give his own.

He spoke of his world being "turned upside-down" 20 years ago when he first saw images of malnourished children in Ethiopia. "Someone dies every three seconds," he intoned, as images of the hungry and poor flashed on the screen. "It's an emergency. . . . If you leave here with anything tonight, I hope you leave with a deeper conviction that we are all one."

At the Centerville service, all offerings (which totaled about $1,300) went to the Episcopal Relief and Development's international program to provide clean water systems in places such as Tanzania, Nicaragua and El Salvador. By raising money to help reach the UN's eight Millennium Development Goals, humanitarian efforts supported by Bono, churches are able to use U2 music free-of-charge, service organizers explained.

U2 songs with titles including "Yahweh" and "40" - the latter a direct reference to Psalm 40 - have long been tapped for spiritual purposes. But starting in July 2005, the Rev. Paige Michele Blair of St. George's Episcopal Church in York Harbor, Maine, and her congregants began the U2charist movement. It was an effort to blend "the spiritual gifts" of church and U2, the 36-year-old pastor explained by phone.

Since that first service, Blair said she's consulted with some 500 worldwide churches - not only Episcopal churches - that have expressed interest in U2charists of their own. The U2-inspired programs have cropped up in places as diverse as Hong Kong, South Africa and Walla Walla, Wash. Close to 13,000 people have attended services, and together they've raised close to $100,000 to help the world's neediest.

Organizers of Utah's inaugural U2charist hope theirs will be the first of many more to come.

"Elevation," "Beautiful Day" and "Peace on Earth" played as the congregants chatted, danced and eventually filed out of the Centerville sanctuary and into the social hall.

Ivan Adams stood around, as his wife mingled, and reflected on the experience.

"It certainly was different," he said. "I'd never heard of U2. I may have to send off for his record."

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* JESSICA RAVITZ can be reached at jravitz@sltrib.com or 801-257-8776. Send comments to religioneditor@sltrib.com.

For more information

* To learn more about the ONE Campaign, visit http://www.one.org.

* To learn more about the Episcopal Church's involvement with the ONE Campaign, visit http://www.episcopalchurch.org/ONE.

* To learn more about Episcopalians for Global Reconciliation, with a link to information about the U2charist movement, visit http://www.e4gr.org.

The eight MDGs, if followed worldwide, can help meet the needs of the world's poorest by 2015. The humanitarian goals, endorsed in 2000, include efforts to:

* Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger.

* Achieve universal primary education.

* Promote gender equality and empower women.

* Reduce child mortality.

* Improve maternal health.

* Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases.

* Ensure environmental sustainability.

* Develop a global partnership for development.

To learn more, visit http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals.