Area Christian band Ransom -- comprised of guitarist and front man Rob Black of Ridgeway, bass guitarist Bryan Mitchell of Orangeburg and drummer Paul Reynolds of Columbia -- is busy spreading the Gospel to the troops, recently playing three venues at Fort Hood in Killeen, Texas.

"I got a tip from somebody within Cadence International (an international Christian ministry that serves military personnel and their families) who knew of them from Fort Jackson," said 69th Air Defense Artillery Brigade Chaplain Ron Leininger, who invited Ransom to play at the Texas base July 8-10. "It sounded like they were right up our alley. They are relevant, contemporary and passionate about a clear Christian message about life and hope.

"I could not have asked for a better production. Their form and content, the logistics and their interaction with the audience were all very user-friendly. Coming from the South, they were exactly what I expected them to be: low-key, courteous and extremely easy to work with."

Mitchell, operations manager at Shandon Baptist Church in Columbia, said Ransom has regularly played at Fort Jackson's Fortress Christian Coffeehouse for years.

"We play once a month for the new recruits at Fort Jackson. That's how we got hooked up with Fort Hood," he said. "We were exposed to people in different stages of their life at Fort Hood. Fort Jackson is just a basic (training) and AIT (Advanced Individual Training) base. At Fort Hood, the soldiers are either being deployed or coming back from deployment. It was just a whole different atmosphere.

"At Fort Jackson, the soldier's schedule is very structured and tight. At Fort Hood, they were not under the gun and could relax for that time period that we played. They really responded well to us, and we got to share a message with them and talk to them afterward."

Mitchell said Ransom's concert venues at Fort Hood included the 69th ADA Brigade Prayer Luncheon, the 13th SCE Chapel Luncheon and the Spiritual Fitness Center.

"We had a really good time out there," he said. "We would talk to the soldiers after our sets and let the kids come up and play with us to give them a feel of being on stage and playing on a big sound system. We hope that was ministering to the families."

Black said the band's whole experience at Fort Hood was uplifting.

"It was great. The audiences were very encouraging, and we had two instances to share the Gospel," Black said. "We met a lot of families at Hood while we were there. It was much more intimate because the crowds were smaller in some cases than at Fort Jackson. We got to know more of the audience after sharing some words with them."

Leininger said he is planning on inviting Ransom back to the Lone Star State.

"I want to have them back for a bigger, broader tour next year to include civilian and perhaps more military venues," he said. "Fort Hood routinely brings in the biggest names in entertainment, and why should chaplains section do any less? They may not be big now, but I liked what I heard. Who knows where they could go from here?

"They related well to our younger soldiers, had meaningful lyrics, and I liked the rock sound. They were loud and powerful."

T&D Staff Writer Phil Sarata can be reached by e-mail at psarata@timesanddemocrat.com or by telephone at 803-533-5540. Discuss this and other stories online at TheTandD.com.

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