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If You Want Their Music, Ministry's Part of Deal

By Stan Friedman

DES MOINES, WA (April 2, 2005) - The band 3lb. Soul has been offered several contracts by record companies, but has turned them down because "they wanted the music, but not the ministry," says Chelsi Marie, the band's leader and founder. "If we went with them, we couldn't play at the shelters or group homes or a lot of the other places."

Despite whatever "success" they have achieved, ministry lies at the heart of what they do. "I have been particularly encouraged to pray with them over matters where integrity and witness for Christ superseded monetary gain, professional opportunities and who plays with the band," says Dan Dungan, associate and interim pastor of Midway Covenant Church. "I have been blessed to watch them gain fame and have contract offers, but not forget the shelters and kids they love and where they have special ministry."

Chelsi Marie and fellow band member DaLona Foster attend Midway Covenant Church, where the 3lb. Soul also practices. "They're just amazing people," Dungan says, adding that they also hold elected positions in the church. "They minister to people that a lot of us can't." He notes that many have given their lives through altar calls the band gives at all of its concerts.

In addition to bringing their music to places where many others dare not go – including bikers' bars - the band operates a 501-c3 non profit organization under the umbrella of the Christian Bikers Tabernacle. Ministries include self mutilator ministries, Ladies Days, the Give Away Effort and Community Outreach.

Chelsi, was a "cutter" or self mutilator for years and still bears the scars on her arms from where she cut so deep she needed stitches. "I was just disturbed and broken and cutting myself," she says. Although some males engage in self-mutilation, it generally is done by females. Much of the band's ministry has focused on talking one-on-one with people who have been referred to them and with groups of women who share the same issues.

Chelsi's experience with cutting accompanied her bulimia and other self-destructive behavior. Much of her life has been spent bouncing through numerous foster homes and occasional stays in psychiatric facilities. Her life began to change, she says, when she was forced by her final foster mother to attend a youth retreat with Midway Covenant. At the retreat, she says, "they were worshipping and I was overwhelmed by the Spirit." She answered the altar call, but did not experience a dramatic change and went back into the same lifestyles.

But she had a God-haunted conscience that caught up with her while serving drinks in a bar. In a sudden moment, all around her seemed to be moving in slow motion, she recalls, and Chelsi says she looked around and said "I don't want this - I gave my life to the Lord right there in the bar while I was serving drinks." The next day she met DaLona, who also was in the middle of a spiritual transformation, and they became friends and band mates.

Since then, others have joined the band, with each member playing several instruments. They have produced two albums – Dusty Bible and Rags to Wings – that have received airplay on several radio stations across the country. In addition to Chelsi and DaLona, the band consists of Dan Ruiter, Mark Gosney and Corey Knoblich. Musical styles range from the Indigo Girls, which is most prominently featured on Rags to Wings and one of the pioneering bands of Christian music, REZ or Resurrection Band. They have opened for talent such as Brian Duncan. The band also took first place in the Washington state talent competition in the category for youth-oriented bands.

Still, ministry is what drives the band. Ladies Days are given to women in shelters and group homes and involve four to eight hours of ministry that include prayer, worship, humorous skits, "high tea" and times for women to express themselves artistically. The band also gives away donated Bibles and Christian CDs. The band's community outreach is more generalized and may include everything from scheduling Christian speakers to having a skateboard contest in the local park. "We'll do whatever it takes to reach lost people," Chelsi says, but is sure to emphasize, "We always follow biblical principles."

To learn more about the band's nonprofit outreach efforts, visit 3lb. Soul.

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