It didn't get publicised in Cross Rhythms, or anywhere else but Australia's veteran hard rockers ROSANNA'S RAIDERS played England and Wales in October. Andrew Long spoke to two of the band.

(Rosanna) "Well it has changed a lot over the years. When we first became Christians we did continue to play in pubs and clubs but we gradually progressed to rallies, schools and prisons. We also do full concert tours, particularly with visiting overseas artists."

Could you tell us about the work that you do in your home church?

(Dave) "We started to reach a lot of kids with the band and we realised that there weren't really a lot of churches that they could relate to and get into. We felt that maybe God was speaking to us about starting a kind of church that kids who get saved off the streets or someone like that could come into and feel a part of and feel at home and relate to the music to the way everyone dresses. So we started our first church in Melbourne's red light district where there is prostitution and a lot of drug dealing. It's not the only part of Melbourne that's like that but it is one of the main areas. We started that church in 1988 and it is reaching the kind of people that we set out to reach. Since then we've started another two churches in other suburbs off Melbourne. One of them is reaching a lot of teenagers and the other is reaching into a very down and out area."

This is the first time that you've ever been to Britain - what have you been doing?

(Rosanna) "Well when we first arrived we went to Derby and did some concerts there. We played in a lot of schools at morning assemblies, in class time and at lunchtime concerts, and then we did a series of four concerts in the evenings and they were fantastic. We saw over two hundred kids give their lives to God and it was a fantastic thing to be involved in. It was a project called Dragonslayer!' and it was a combination of churches really working and pulling together. They did a fantastic job and we were privileged to be a part of what they were doing."

While you've been in Britain you've told us that you've seen many young people making a commitment to Christ for the first time. Do you find that this is a common experience in the work that you do?

(Dave) "It sure is part of the work that we do. It's great to see young people making that first step to becoming a Christian and following Jesus. But as I said before we established a church because we realised that though the first step is a great step, there're a lot more steps to follow and unless we provide some kind of way for people to go on from there then that first step becomes meaningless really. So yes, it definitely it's part of what we do but it is a small part."

Finally then, what would you say is your vision for the future?

(Rosanna) "As a musician I guess I want to continue to express what I feel God is saying. It's important to me, being a songwriter, to let people know that we can relate to where they're at, we can understand what they're going through and what they're feeling and there is an answer. Also to bring them what God is saying at the time and to let them know that God really does love them and care about them.