Former strip club is converted to worship centre

Written by Admin 2 18 Jun 2015
Former strip club is converted to worship centre

After giving his life to Jesus, strip club owner Aaron Bekkela felt compelled to sell the property to a church. He approached Dary Northrop, senior pastor of Timberline Church in Colorado. Bekkela and Northrop had established a friendship after Bekkela learned that the mother of one of the dancers and her prayer group at the church had been praying for him for years. Upon divesting himself of interests in the strip club, Bekkela visited the church and met Northrop to share his commitment to the Lord. Inspired by Bekkela's desire to move away from the industry, Northrop said he saw it as a great opportunity to plant a church in one of the most underserved areas of town. Bekkela invited Northrop and Timberline Pastor Rob Cowles to tour the club before it opened. When they entered a dressing room, Cowles was overcome with emotion upon seeing pictures of children of dancers on lockers. ‘It just broke me,’ Cowles said. ‘Before I even knew what I was saying, I said “we really need to plant a church here and I need to lead it”.’ The 7,200-square-foot building is now home to a 200-seat worship centre.