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BY AMY FLOWERS UMBLE

In a dark, smoky Fredericksburg bar, a heavy metal band climbed up on a rundown stage.

The drummer pounded out a booming beat on his monster drum kit. The bassist amped out a tempo. And the lead singer leaned into the microphone and belted out one of the group's original songs:

The drunken crowd remained silent at first.

But when Brandishing Steel finished its most blatantly worshipful song, the audience cheered. Later, many came up and thanked the band members for the courage to share such a Christian message in such an unlikely place.

The rundown dance floor, the thick air and the drunks are exactly what lead singer and guitarist Kevin Conner pictured when he gave up his gig as worship leader at Evergreen Church in Fredericksburg more than a year ago.

He loved the church, enjoyed serving the members through his music. But something was missing.

"Jesus says, 'Go out,'" Conner said. "But the church seems to say, 'Come here.'"

He wants to touch those who don't show up Sundays, to meet people where they are, at KC's Music Alley or Culpeper Rock Academy, to accept them and to tell them they are OK and loved. That message seems important.

And he knows how to package it. Conner himself found Jesus at a rock 'n' roll concert when he was 14.

Now 39, with dark, shaggy hair, a soul patch, and black leather and silver jewelry, Conner comes across as a walking advertisement for one message he preaches: That Christianity doesn't have to be uncool.

"Just because you believe in Jesus doesn't mean you have to give up fun. Man, that isn't what Jesus wanted for us anyway," Conner said. "But a lot of people think it's ties, khakis, penny loafers, music that puts you to sleep, and speakers who sound like Charlie Brown's teachers."

Conner searched for fellow musicians who would share his message and he found them in bassist Mark Simpkins and drummer David MacKinnon. It took more than two years to get the right combination, Simpkins said.

Simpkins is a recent college grad who wanted to combine his Christian faith with his passion for rock. He met Conner at Evergreen Church, but it took more than a year to find a third rocker.