By CLAYTON PARK

When Tom Smith and fellow Luther Memorial Lutheran Church member Dick Chapman invited local singer-songwriter Michelle Molner to come to their church to give a concert, little did Smith guess that it would become a fund-raising benefit on his behalf.

But when Molner learned via the grapevine that Smith is battling cancer and needs to raise $127,000 to pay for a second stem cell transplant operation that his insurance company refuses to cover, she decided she wanted to help. Instead of offering to donate a portion of the money from her upcoming concert at Luther Memorial, she said she wanted to give the entire proceeds from the event to the fund that the church has set up to help pay for Smith's operation. The church is located in the Bitter Lake-Broadview area.

Fittingly, Molner belongs to an artists' cooperative called Music Heals the Soul Productions. The group is run by Rhonda Redden-Cottrell, a former contemporary worship leader at Luther Memorial, who is also a songwriter and musician. Cottrell will sing backing vocals and play percussion and keyboards during Molner's concert at Luther Memorial. Other musicians who will accompany Molner when she performs at the church include her husband Lee Ivan, who plays electric and acoustic guitars and sings backing vocals, Jeff Zionitz, who plays bass, and Brad McCray, who plays drums. In addition to singing lead vocals, Molner also plays guitar and keyboards.

Molner isn't a member of Luther Memorial, but has occasionally subbed for Cottrell in leading contemporary worship sing-alongs there. The music she will perform on Nov. 4 isn't religious per se, but Molner said spirituality does enter into the songs she writes. "I'm 38 years old and have gone through many changes in my life," she said. "I try to speak to those things in my music."

Many of the songs that Molner will perform on Nov. 4 will be from her 1999 album "All I Need," as well as music from an upcoming album. Molner's musical style is described in her press materials as "Neo-Pop, with influences from rock, jazz and contemporary country music."

Molner explains her goals as a songwriter in her press kit: "To write truthfully and live a healthy, well-balanced life are my objectives," she states. "If I can inspire one person to pursue their dream, if I am able to give a voice to someone's deeper emotions, then I know I've done my job as a writer and as a human being."

Molner adds that her songs aren't self-indulgent confessionals. Rather, they are her efforts to express universal truths and experiences. "If they (audiences) can't see an element of their lives in what I do, I'm not doing my job as a (song)writer," she said.

It's a far cry from Molner's early years as a professional musician, when she used to sing in a band that played mostly covers, meaning jazz standards and oldies pop hits. While the money was good, the final straw for Molner was when her band was performing at a country club, where an audience member asked them to play "Beer Barrel Polka."

Molner quit playing music for several years to work as a carpenter. "Remodeling was very therapeutic," she said. "The physical tearing down and building anew were symbolic of what I was doing emotionally."

Molner eventually resumed her music career, but this time on her own terms, which meant no more gigs in bars and no more performances of "Beer Barrel Polka."

She met Cottrell a few years ago at a social function and the two eventually became friends and collaborators on a "rock opera" that is nearing completion.

Cottrell spent the past several years working to bring pop music into the church, serving as contemporary worship leader at five different churches, including Luther Memorial, First Lutheran of Richmond Beach, Bethlehem Lutheran in Marysville, St. Peter By The Sea Lutheran in Edmonds and Emmanuel Lutheran in downtown Seattle. She once led a church congregation in singing along to the Ricky Martin hit tune "Living La Vida Loca," albeit with new lyrics: "Living Your Life With Jesus." "The original lyrics are filthy!" she said, adding that she had to rewrite the entire song. She explained that when she chose the song, she was attracted to its melody and interesting bass line, and didn't pay attention to the lyrics until she actually sat down to try to learn how to sing it. "I changed the lyrics to reflect that having a faith life doesn't mean everything's going to be simple. At times it can cause great discomfort," she said.

Cottrell continues to serve as an occasional contemporary worship leader at various local Lutheran churches, but devotes most of her time these days to working on her many projects. In addition to the rock opera, which she says is about outcasts from society, she is also working on writing music for the Web, and is hard at working writing a book, to list just a couple of her current endeavors.

Molner's Nov. 4 concert at Luther Memorial begins at 7 p.m. There is no admission fee, but guests are invited to give a free will offering at the door. A reception will follow the concert.For more information, contact Cottrell at 206-363-6792.

Donations to help pay for Tom Smith's operation may also be made directly, by sending checks, payable to "Luther Memorial Church" (checks must be clearly marked for the Tom Smith Fund), and sent to the church, which is located at 13047 Greenwood Ave. N, Seattle, WA 98133. (Note: the donations are not tax-deductible.)