There is a group of wild and crazy musicians who call 121 their home church, and their band “Covered Dish.” They have a dream of taking the Gospel to people through music and relationships, in both secular and Christian settings, and they had another chance to do just that recently…

“Where in the world did you get the name ‘Covered Dish'?” people always ask… which causes Derek Tomlinson, Todd Ware, Lee Keller, Charlie Schneiders, Bobby Padgett and Randy Sawyers to smile. The name came from a combination of 2 things: they play “cover songs,” and most of them grew up in churches where “covered dish” suppers were regular events.

Just west of Grapevine, in a small church in a Hispanic neighborhood close to the Ft. Worth stockyards, there is a group of teenagers who long for direction…who need attention…who desperately need to “feel” the Gospel through real people…and who gathered together through the efforts of a dynamic volunteer youth pastor named Tyrena Webb, to hear Covered Dish play their brand of worship music on Friday night, Feb. 29th.

It is safe to say that they had never heard this kind of music in a church. The reactions were mixed at first… it was loud and it was different but the beat was irresistible and the teenagers couldn't sit still for long. The songs were well-known to an attender of 121, but were new to this crowd. Their eyes were wide and their smiles were big.

The theme of the weekend was “True Love Waits,” and was focused on sexual purity. Charlie Schneiders talked to the kids about what God means when He says “Don't.” He said that “Don't” really means “Don't get hurt!” - it doesn't mean “Don't have fun.” God is all FOR fun, but He cares enough about us to know that some things we think are fun will hurt us. So He says “Don't” for now. Many of the songs Covered Dish played were about the holiness of God, and every song was picked based on its message for these particular teenagers. The band considered this event as important as any mission trip…they knew there would be many lost teenagers there who matter to God.

The response afterwards was amazing. The teens wanted CD's, personal handshakes and hugs and most of all more music! The evening ended much too soon – the teenagers would have stayed all night! But they were inspired by a great start, and returned the next day to hear teaching from adults in their church who love them and desire to see them know Jesus. True Love does Wait. And sometimes it also ROCKS.

::Kathy Padgett