Higher level nightclub
Religion-themed nightclub offers a Christian alternative
Church transforms on the first Friday of each month into a different kind of religious experience.
On the first Friday of the month, God Encounter Church transforms to become a whole different type of religious experience.
The lighting dims. Lounge tables pop up. Singers and poets gather near the microphone. The
church, located at 12423 Cutten, shifts gears and essentially becomes a nightclub.
Unlike other clubs, however, Shift Christian Lounge centers on faith and fellowship.
“We need to be able to create different avenues so people can serve God, have fun and be themselves,” founder and pastor Tony Ervin said. “This
is an environment where you can come in and relax — and be out at night.”
The idea for a religionthemed nightclub came from his time in Orlando, Fla., Ervin explained.
“Christian lounges are big there,” he said. “When I came here, I thought, maybe we should give it a try and see how people respond.”
Marcus Sullivan, a deejay and radio host of a morning Christian hip-hop show on
91.7 FM, was one of the first people tapped to become a part of the event.
Ervin called and recruited him as host and emcee for the night.
At first, when he heard about the new venue, he couldn’t totally envision it. “Once I pulled up, I could feel the energy of the lounge,” he said. “And there’s entertainment that’s really good, professional singers, poets.”
Just like at a regular club, Sullivan ended up staying until 1 a.m. “And I had an amazing time,” he said. “I’m sold on it.”
Houston needed a space like this, he added. He can imagine the list of performers growing as they discover the opportunity. He does not know of any other platforms dedicated to Christian artists.
“It’s just not being done,” Sullivan said. “We had Christian hip-hop artists headlining, spoken word and even a mime. We had everything. It brought out faith. It brought out friends. It brought out fun.”
He said having a safe space for faith, open at night, was popular with his friends and listeners.
“Christians do exactly the same thing that secular people do,” he said. “Christians go to the Texans game. They go to concerts. They go to clubs.”
Younger Christians are looking for a new way to connect with new friends around their faith, Ervin said. “When you come to God, you shouldn’t lose your identity,” he said. “You just change worlds.”
Shift Christian Lounge seeks to fill that void. The grand opening, the first Friday in June, was well attended.
“Slowly, it’s building a buzz,” Ervin said.
When people saw Sullivan’s social-media posts about the June event, they wanted to go to the following occasion.
“The morning after, I woke up to dozens of comments,” he recalled. “People were saying, ‘This is fresh. This is dope. This looks awesome.’ ”
From his experience, Sullivan is certain that the concept will catch on. “People will fall in love with it,” he said. “I think that it’s going to be huge.”
And he believes the idea came right in time. “The name says everything,” he said. “A shift in culture needs to happen. We can’t do the same old thing and get the same results.”
That’s what Ervin wanted to do — to help pull younger generations back to the church.
“It came about because I wanted to create an atmosphere for millennials,” he said. “We have a lot of millennials walking away from the church. The elders are preaching the same thing, to come to where we are. We need to go and meet them where they are. That’s what Jesus did. He met us where we’re at.”
Tickets for each event are available online and at the door. Proceeds go to the performing artists and to keep the lounge in business.
Ervin said if the demand rises for more frequent gatherings, he’ll head back to the drawing board.
Sullivan has a hunch that this is the beginning of something that can gain greater momentum in Houston. “It’s a night out,” he said. “It’s a date night. It’s a social event. It’s a networking event.”