catapult magazine

Asterisk Award for Individual 2004

by The *cino Community

Asterisk Award for Individual in 2004: Paul & Ali Hewson

Unless you?re a fanatic, you may not recognize our pair of winners for this year?s Asterisk Award for person, but if we put a pair of oversized sunglasses on Paul and a microphone in his hand, you may recognize Bono, the lead singer of the band, U2. And while Bono plays the role of compassionate rock star of the universe, we simply could not award him this honor without acknowledging Ali?s work, as well.

The Hewson pair are not only raising four children and maintaining a marriage under extreme circumstances, but also actively using their financial and cultural status to change the world. They model the marriage partnership as it was created to be.

Bono?s high-profile work with DATA has drawn global attention to the AIDS crisis in Africa. While some might see his efforts with AIDS as the ?real? work made possible by his incidental career in rock music, we?d also like to lift up his artistry as equally necessary and important in the work of the Kingdom. While it?s hard to discern fact from fiction in regards to his personal life, Bono?s public endeavors are certainly noteworthy and positively influential. As one of our members notes, Bono is ?an authentic Christian in the face of a celebrity life that seems to have unlimited power to mess up one’s perceptions. He does good work for the world.?

As a partner in family and cultural engagement, Ali has done substantial, pioneering work as well. Taking seriously her responsibility as a person with wealth, she volunteers full-time to better the world her children (and everyone?s children) will inherit. She?s done notable work with Greenpeace in Belarus in the past, but what stands out especially to us is recent news that she?s initiating a fair trade clothing line called Edin that compares in style and quality to designer clothing, but ultimately benefits workers in the developing world. We?re very excited to see whether the realization of her vision will spark a global movement. At the very least, she?ll be making a significant difference in the lives of the disadvantaged workers who will benefit from Edin?s profits.

So congratulations to Paul and Ali Hewson, our 2004 Asterisk Award winners as individuals who are doing Kingdom work. If you see them around, let them know, will you?

Other nominees:

C.N.: Alice Hattendorf. She always has been an incredible woman, but between managing her changing family, full-time work as a Christian school librarian, living through a few hurricanes and caring for a friend with cancer, I miss her strength and love more than anything else from my three years in Florida.

A.S.: Bill Clinton. I mean that with all sincerity. I read his autobiography and was surprised by how real and humble his faith is.

W.B.: Rob and Kirstin Vander Giessen-Reitsma have consistently sacrificed their time, effort, and personal comfort to work toward realizing their dream of making *cino a vital link between different groups of Christians. Of all the amazing people I come into contact with, they are the most dedicated and most honest about truly living a Christian life.

Bono of U2 is an authentic Christian in the face of a celebrity life that seems to have unlimited power to mess up one’s perceptions. He does good work for the world.

J.V.: Rupert Neve?while being one of the most ingenious technical engineers of our day, and setting the standard for modern recording technique, he still spares no opportunity in sharing his faith and giving credit for his remarkable ablitities to God.

K.V.: Nick Leep [last year?s winner nominated again]?A man who God grabbed by the heart and said, ?Help these people.? He has been answering that call for years now in mobilizing efforts to help the poorest community in Illinois in Hopkins Park.

Jerry Panozzo?A man who is more excited about giving away the grace of Jesus Christ than he is selling insurance. No client leaves Jerry?s sales pitch without knowing how much he is thankful for the grace of God. He is my hero.

K.M.V.: Henry & Sarah Bakker?they?re going out of their way to live a life less ordinary and I can?t wait to see how they grow and learn as they start a family and participate in and cultivate a new intentional living community with other believers.

R.R.: Joe Leichty is currently a professor in the Peace, Justice and Conflict Studies department at Goshen College in Goshen, Indiana, where he engages students in important conversations about what it means to be disciples of Christ. Joe worked in Northern Ireland for nearly 25 years before coming to Goshen and his humble personality allowed him to become a well-respected and admired peace practitioner in the conflict there. He brings his experiences into the classroom, challenging students to go beyond romantic notions of pacifism to realistic hopes for reconciliation.

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Discussion: Individual 2004

What would you add to the members? responses? Who stands out to you as doing excellent Kingdom work in 2004?