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PIC: BAND MEMBERS CLOCKWISE FROM THE TOP: MARK, IAN, PAT AND BEN.
by JOE WESTBURY
PHOTOS by UNHINDERED
As the worship service comes to a close and individuals make a public commitment to follow Christ, the four members of the band watch and wonder in silent amazement. The guys in the band Unhindered have made themselves available once again to help bring their peers to faith in Christ.
But they take no credit for the evenings spiritual impact, and remain awed by what God is able to do by using their vessels of clay.
THe Beginning
We didnt start out to tour and do concerts, says keyboardist Ben Smith of suburban Atlanta. We just wanted to get together and provide praise and worship music for our schools FCA [Fellowship of Christian Athletes] group.
From that simple beginning, providing a musical backdrop for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes gathering at Shiloh High School, the bands popularity has grown and has developed a following throughout Georgia and adjoining states.
It just sort of exploded from there, explains Patrick Barrett, who plays the guitar for the four-member band. Were not even athletes or anything, but we attended FCA because it provided a great place for believers to get together and worship God. And thats what we enjoy doing.
The four high school seniorsBen Smith, Patrick Barrett, Mark Cole and Ian Allenall attend the same Atlanta-area high school. They agree that their low-key beginning is as amazing as their newfound popularity. It all began in the fall of 2001 when about 60 students began getting together at a girls house for FCA worship services.
We just felt like we needed something more in the way of music than what we hadwhich was one guy who would show up with a guitar and sing. That got the four of us to thinking that maybe we would just start our own praise band, says Smith.
Before long the word spread and attendance began to explode.
It really turned into something awesome, and now we get invitations to play for weekend retreats and youth revivals all over the state, and even as far away as Flint, Michigan, for a True Love Waits rally, he adds.
The Next Step
To continue their ministry the group recorded its first CD, All That I Bring, with intentions of giving copies away to anyone who asked. They have ended up selling them for $10 to cover their production costs, which they say is almost like giving the CDs away. The hour-long recording, released last November, contains 11 original songs and is selling even better than they expected.
People said we would probably sell a hundred copies. At last count, 2,300 had been purchased. And people want more, Allen said.
Cole, the bass player, describes the most rewarding part of being in the band: The biggest compliment we get is not when someone tells us they like our music, but when someone tells us how much the music has helped them deal with a spiritual situation they were struggling with.
The band is on the road most weekends. But when theyre home, they play praise and worship music at a twice-monthly Saturday evening worship service called Hungry? The student-led service originally attracted 25 teenagers, but now packs as many as 150 (standing room only) into a small room at a local church.
This just started because four guys wanted to get together and worship. I would love to do nothing for the rest of my life but to have a guitar and sing songs to the Lord, Barrett says.
Allen, who plays percussion for Unhindered, has a simple testimony that he shares whenever anyone wants to listen. Its amazing what can happen, he says, when you make yourself available to God.
That conviction is what holds the band together.
We are just four 18-year-old guys who are making themselves available to God to lead us wherever He wants us to go, Cole adds.
What the Future Holds
The tight-knit groups unity will face some pressure in the coming months as band members head off to different colleges. Barrett and Smith have been accepted at the University of Georgia, and Cole and Allen are considering going to Columbus State, nearly four hours away.
Graduation may cause the band to break up, but we hope to continue playing if at all possible, says Barrett. I dont think we could turn down an opportunity to play anywhere.
That decision may just become more difficult. Their CD recently was picked up by national distributor Grassroots Music and soon will be available on the Internet and at most Christian bookstores around the country.
But as Cole says, Unhindered isnt necessarily about finding success in the music business. The band is a gift that has been given to us and we use it to bring glory to God. Music is our passion and we want to use it to honor Him.
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