Kat Kempe, a friend from Holden Village, (Holden is ecumenical retreat center in the North Cascades of Washington state which in many ways is like a second home to me), called me several weeks ago. She asked if I’d be interested in playing during an evening of music to raise money on World AIDS Day, December 1.

Hosted by Minneapolis’ Spirit Garage (www.spiritgarage.org), this particular AIDS benefit took place at a teen club on the corner of Lake St. and Grand Ave. in Uptown: Twin Cities Underground (www.tcunderground.com), a quaint store front where teens gather, surf the internet, play games, and listen to live music.

There weren’t many teens there that evening (it was an event slightly more catered to an older crowd), but there were enough folks to raise good money for AIDS work. My favorite part of the event was getting to know members of the Spirit Garage. They’re a group of folks who think outside the box, creating a worshiping community for round pegged people, if you will, who don’t fit well today’s conventional square peg church institutions.