On Saturday, January 6, we had our 4th gathering of Smokestacks and the Sunrise. It was awesome. There were a lot of new people there, a lot of good conversations and connections, and we had a great, stimulating theme for the night. First we watched a video about Make Poverty History by Jared Robinson that was very powerful. Then, a little while later, we watched 20-30 minutes of an interview with Bono about poverty, the AIDS epidemic, why the Christian church has been slow to respond and why we, as Christians, MUST respond to the situation in Africa. It turns out that, aside from being an all-round great musician, Bono is also a very articulate, influential speaker. One important point Bono brought up was that the command "Love your neighbour", takes on a new dynamic today, with the world being so globally connected. The children dying of hunger and AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa are our neighbours, and Jesus says we have to help them. For more on how to help, visit
www.makepovertyhistory.ca To continually remind us of the inequality in the world, and the fact that God calls us to fight against that inequality and love all of our neighbours, Ben bought a bunch of Make Poverty History bracelets and gave them to everyone who came. He even made sure to get two sizes, so some of us wouldn't have ones that were much too big. Thanks Ben!
