Hey, Church Lady, come over here! Tell me somethin’; preach me a sermon!” A sarcastic voice called out from the end of the bar.
“Oh brother,” I thought. “What does this joker want?” I lead a ministry called Light in Darkness and I form teams of Christian women to do ministry in strip clubs. We had just entered a bar when I heard his call. I walked over to him without much love in my heart. Beginning with John 3:16, I proceeded to give him a mini-sermon on the plan of salvation. He would occasionally interrupt with, “Yep, I’ve heard that.”
Then my teammate, Charlene, came over and begin to share a testimony of something
God had brought her through. As she spoke, I saw his demeanor begin to change. He began to look serious and to put his head down. Soon he was confessing that he had been a deacon for seven years, and remorse filled his voice as he confessed that he had walked far away from God.
After more conversation, we asked if he would like to pray and come back to t
he Lord. To our surprise, he called out loudly to the bartender, “Hey, we’re gonna have a prayer in here! Turn that music down!” To our amazement, she did it! She turned the music completely off!
Then he yelled to all the people in the bar, “Listen up! We’re gonna have a prayer in here and I want every head bowed and every eye closed! “
My mouth dropped open as I watched everyone in the bar put their drinks down, stop talking, and bow their heads! I have never seen a moment like that in 18 years of ministry in strip clubs. Charlene prayed a beautiful prayer over the crowd; that everyone would seek the lord and receive the gift of salvation provided through Jesus. Not a sound could be heard for the duration of her prayer. It was actually a reverent moment and God was working!!
"…Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." II Cor. 3:17 Prayer Team Coordinator,
Dr. Carolyn Knight