Christian band goes backwards down under_41904

Posted: 4/16/04

Christian band goes backwards down under

By Jonathan Petty

Wayland Baptist University

PLAINVIEW–A conversation with an Australian pastor helped Clinton Staj understand he and the other members of his musical group were planning to do things backwards down under.

Christian bands in Australia often play in pubs to reach non-Christians. And like their secular counterparts, they want a “paying gig” so they can earn enough money to go to the United States, the pastor explained.

“You are coming to Australia to make no money, to play to school children and teenagers before they ever get to the pub. You guys are doing it exactly backwards,” he said.

Greg Howle of Zuigia

But taking the gospel to Australian schoolchildren through music is the mission Staj and the other members of Zuigia believe God has given them.

And doing things differently is nothing new for the band. Since Staj and a couple of other students formed the group in a Wayland dorm room, Zuigia has reached across barriers with an alternative folk style and message that attracts listeners of all ages.

Now, after months of praying and planning, the three Wayland graduates–Staj of New Mexico, Greg Howle from Hawaii and Salem Posey of Brownfield–hope to reach a new audience in Australia.

The band took the name Zuigia (Zoo-ee-zha) from a song Staj wrote describing a place where nobody is judged by appearances and everyone can experience God's love.

Band members planned on a limited run as graduation and careers began to pull them apart. “We did what we thought would be our last concert in May of 2001, after Salem graduated,” Staj said. “We said the band was over unless God wanted it together, and we couldn't see how that would happen.”

But as the summer passed, the group began to feel called toward a musical mission field. The desire became so strong that they decided to reform Zuigia.

The band rehearsed, performed and worked on a CD while trying to determine where their call was leading them.

“We asked God, 'Do you want us here, or do you want us somewhere else?' We just started praying, and God started opening doors toward Australia,” Posey said.

Staj already had a trip to Australia scheduled. While he was there, he stayed with pastors and missionaries who began to outline a plan for Zuigia's missions work.

“They could see why God was leading us there,” Staj said.

Australian public schools teach religious education classes, opening a world of opportunity to a group geared toward ministering to youth, he noted. The state contracts the class out to a group called Scripture Union, which Staj compared to the Gideons.

Clinton Staj and a couple of other former Wayland Baptist University students will take their unusual brand of alternative folk music to Australia as a mission outreach.(Esther Gonzalez Photo)

“They said what they need is a band that can go around to schools,” Staj said. “We can go into the public schools and tell them anything we want. We can tell them the plan of salvation, our testimonies, how to become a Christian. We can pray with them and lead them to the Lord.”

Staj said what astounded him was the fact that of the hundreds of children they will reach each day, fewer than 5 percent have had any contact with a church.

“The first time they hear the words 'Jesus Christ' will be from our lips on stage. To me that is extremely humbling.”

Zuigia's plans seem to have been mapped out, except for finances. The group is working in cooperation with Scripture Union and has received help from the Texas Partnerships Resource Center at the Baptist General Convention of Texas. But there is no organizational funding for the band's living expenses on the mission field.

But once again, band members say they have seen God's hand at work.

Zuigia released its first CD in February. It was two years in the making, but the band borrowed no money and incurred no debt to finance it.

All proceeds from the sales of the CD will help fund the trip overseas. The band hopes to move in August 2004.

Also, pastors in West Texas voted to use money from the Gordon Benson Memorial Fund to purchase the band's plane tickets to Australia at a cost of roughly $7,500.

The fund was set up in memory of Benson, pastor of First Baptist Church in Halfway, who was killed in an automobile accident last year. Zuigia also has received donations and love offerings from churches where they have performed.

“God is providing for us to get there in really humbling ways,” Posey said.

“Doors that we didn't even knock on have been opened.”

But the band still needs money to ship its sound equipment and to secure medical insurance and transportation in Australia.

The group will have religious worker visas, meaning they are not allowed to hold jobs in Australia. Therefore, they will be living off funds raised and donated in the States.

Zuigia has been registered with the IRS as a non-profit organization with tax-exempt status. Donations may be sent to Zuigia International, c/o David Howle, 105 SW 9th St., Plainview 79072. For information on booking Zuigia for a concert, visit the band's website at www.zuigia.com.