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Barnabas and

Calvary Chapel South

          In 1999, after I had left North Shore Community Church, Anne-Marie

and I were part of Calvary Chapel South, a small church-plant on the south

side of St. Petersburg. Calvary Chapel had a huge church on the north side.

We were a small group pastored by Mark Copple. His wife, Loretta, was a

gifted singer-songwriter with a solo album recorded in Russia while they were missionaries there. We initially met at Boyd Hill Park, which was almost like having church outside (it was marvelous), later did some time at a hotel, a

longer time in a funeral home, then a Taekwondo dojo, and, finally, (for us

anyway), an elementary school auditorium near the beach. From the get-go,

we had an abundance of fine musicians, and an especially gifted worship

leader in the person of Dave Dodge, who later became a pastor at the big

Calvary Chapel in north St. Pete. He was constantly writing new songs.

And we all marveled.


          Even before this, Dave Dodge and Don Morris had a Christian band

called Barnabas that I became unofficially part of. I mean, I never got a hat

with the band's name on it, but I did get to add some Americana color to the

mix with my dobro and mandolin. Barnabas was described as a folk–rock

group, comprised of the musicians from church, except that Barnabas included Don & Wendy Morris, who had stayed on at Calvary Chapel North. So I got to

be the guitarist at church, and play my minor instruments in Barnabas. My first

gig with them was at a bar in Ybor City. We did many a concert at Florida state prisons, none of which were all that close to us. By that time, Anne-Marie was singing with us too, so it's a blur to me if these outreaches were under the moniker Barnabas or Calvary Chapel South St. Pete Worship Band.


          Don played and sang, and his wife, Wendy, sang and played accordion.

Her instrument was superlative in the mix with guitars and mandolin. As for her

singing, she can break your heart with her voice. Marcia is Dave's wife, and

Lynn their daughter. Lynn married the drummer, Ben Schantz, who passed away recently from cancer. Lynn also has a voice we really love. There were several

bass players over time, including myself. I also played some piano on a record-

ing we did. Oh, and a wedding!

I don't know if this

photo is Barnabas or Calvary Chapel South because I'm playing guitar, and Don and Wendy Morris aren't there. I know by the

tent that this was at

an art show on the

south side. I remember the sound guys playing a Keith Urban CD during break, the first time I'd ever heard of him.

Is this a clue for

determining a date?

     Sometime during these

years, Marcia Dodge hired

me to create a CD from

a stack of cassette tapes

she gave me. They were

recordings from Sunday

worship services as they

came through the mixing

board, so there was no

fancy studio stuff going on.


     I did my best to clean

them up with the primitive

tools I had. Maybe you had

to be there, but I still listen

to these from time to time

and I'm always ministered to.








1. Be Being Filled







2.  By Grace I Am Saved







4. Come, Let Us Sing For Joy








7. A Holy Thing







8. I Will Glorify You









9. House On The Rock







11. You Are God, You Are King







15. The King Is Mighty








16. Could My Eyes Stay Dry







17. O Lord, Our Lord



All songs written by Dave Dodge

and posted with permission