No twerking. Drinking is prohibited. But I lost a party at a Christian nightclub

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – A young crowd at a Nashville nightclub was ready to bop under strobe lights to a pulsing mixture of hip-hop, rap and Latin beats. But first they gathered to wish and praise God.

The rules were announced on the dance floor by an MC with a microphone to the club’s 200-plus patrons shrouded in thick, smoke-producing fog: “Rule No. 1: No twerking. Rule two: no drinking. And the third rule: no smoking. The last unspoken rule seemed obvious even then: no secular music – your complete playlist needed to be Christian.

Welcome to Bay.

This pop-up Christian nightclub for people over 18 was founded last 12 months by seven black Christians of their 20s – amongst them an Ivy League-educated financial analyst, musician and social media expert – who wanted to construct a thriving community and a welcoming space for young Christians in front of homes of prayer. The launch comes amid a post-pandemic decline in church attendance, especially amongst Black Protestants, that research shows is unmatched amongst another major religious group.

“We experienced pain ourselves because we couldn’t find community outside of our church, we didn’t know what to do to have fun without feeling bad, doing things that went against our values,” said Eric Diggs, a 24-year-old specialist at The Cove old CEO.

“There was no room to cultivate it. So we created it ourselves, taking into consideration this pain point – loneliness, anxiety, depression, Covid and long quarantine.

Prove that Christians will be cool, not trivial

Before their first monthly event in November, they set themselves an ambitious goal: to achieve 1,000 followers on social media. “We ended up getting over 10,000 followers before our first event, which was crazy,” said Eric’s brother, Jordan Diggs, 22, who manages the club’s social media presence.

“Christians are considered trivial. And we want to show that Christians can be normal, they can be cool. And they can have fun.”

The second equally popular event took place on the occasion of the New Year. The third one took place in February.

He’s been on his own for weeks Instagram account — under hashtags like #jesuschrist #nightclubs — club organizers asked people to be ready to bop your complete evening of worship and look their best: “When you pull up, we expect to see you at the Most Holy Drop.”

At the mid-February event, many members of the racially and ethnically diverse audience wore a rainbow of vibrant colours – fluorescent turquoise, vivid orange, neon pink – in Nike, Adidas and New Balance sneakers. Or sweatshirts with images of Jesus and college jackets with passages from the Holy Bible.

“Honestly, what surprised me the most was the diversity,” said Aaron Dews, one in every of the club’s founders. “Since we are seven Black people, just seeing the increase in the number of people we can bring in and uniting around one idea has been extremely encouraging.”

Food trucks were waiting for hungry club members. Inside, Benji Shuler was selling vintage clothes hanging on racks with religious messages. A white T-shirt with the long-lasting Pepsi logo with the inscription: “Jesus: the choice of a new generation”, referring to the slogan of the soda company from several a long time ago.

Instead of alcohol, vendors sold sports drinks, bottled water and soda. Organizers were blissful to organize early. They hung Christmas lights on the ceilings, sang a cappella and practiced their best choreographies.

The club becomes a destination for Christians near and much

Before impressing everyone along with his dance moves, 20-year-old Garrett Bland listened to gospel singer Donald Lawrence’s song “Deliver Me” on his phone. “It’s about letting the Lord into your life,” he said, wearing a gold medallion with the words “The Lord’s Prayer” around his neck and a beige hoodie with the words, “God First.”

He applauded the efforts of The Cove’s founders, saying “they want to create a space for believers who want to come to faith and have fun.”

Wearing a blue hoodie with white embroidery depicting “young sons of God,” Eric Diggs asked organizers and volunteers to hitch him in prayer. “Dear God, thank you for this night,” he said. “Amen!” – the group shouted in unison to the gang, like a basketball team before a game – and shouted: “Bay!”

Nia Gant, 18, was at the club for the primary time. She moved from Grand Rapids, Michigan, 4 months ago and said she prayed to make like-minded friends. “I think joy and religion can go together,” said Gant, who was wearing a nose piercing, Air Jordans and ripped jeans. “God,” she said, “is joy.”

Soon there was a line of individuals outside who had purchased tickets prematurely to enter the nightclub. At the door, security guards in bulletproof vests searched club patrons. Inside they were talking, laughing and high-fiving one another.

Word spread quickly that the couple had traveled greater than 9,000 miles from their home in Brisbane, Australia, to a Christian club in Tennessee’s capital often called Music City. It was true: Haynza Posala, 23, and his wife Kim Posala, 24, heard about The Cove through podcast about faith and culture co-hosted by Darin Starks, one in every of the club’s founders.

“We thought it was cool, it glorified God,” Haynza Posala said.

“It’s surreal,” Kim Posala said, looking around as people wearing trucker hats, berets and baseball caps streamed into the club and were handed bracelets of various colours. “It’s community and that’s what church is all about.”

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Microphone in hand, Carlton Batts Jr., a founding musician who was the designated DJ and emcee, asked people on the dance floor questions, dividing them into groups: “If you like listening to music, come here,” he said, pointing to at least one side . “If you prefer podcasts, here.”

“People can be really cliquey in church,” Batts said. “So here we give them cues, so when we start the DJ set, people are really dancing freely.”

The crowd went wild when the DJ played “Alacazam” by rapper Caleb Gordon, who has gained popularity for faith-inspired songs, especially Christian hip-hop. They held their breath and cheered as 21-year-old Dillan Runions, a former competitive dancer, performed a backflip on the dance floor.

The dance party is combined with an emotional worship service

Eventually it changed into a revival of sorts: some cried or knelt with their eyes closed in prayer. Someone within the small group whispered and asked God to “take away the negative suicidal thoughts.”

Many sang a gospel song that everybody appeared to know by heart: “A God like you,” performed by the choir director, rapper and songwriter Kirk Franklin.

The feedback was mostly positive. Club founders have also faced criticism on TikTok from some who say dancing and worship don’t go together — and even see it as a sin. Jordan Diggs says it attracts attention, whether it’s good or bad – “just the words ‘Christian’ and ‘nightclub’ will start a lot of conversations.”

Other generations notice this. At one point, Shem Rivera, 26, worship leader and founder, approached 18-year-old Noah Moon on the dance floor and asked him how he heard about The Cove.

“My mom told me about it — she sent me a video on Instagram,” said Moon, who had moved from Kansas to Nashville the day before. “It’s fire!” Rivera replied smiling.

At the top, everyone prayed in silence. “It sounds oxymoronic – a Christian dance club,” said Nicholas Oldham, who manages the club. At first he was skeptical and even wondered whether it was not a sacrilege.

“Fun is the bait; it’s bait,” he said, adding that what happens on the dance floor is rather more.

“For old fools like me, it means that the young are hungry for the word of God,” said Oldham, in his 40s. “The church is not a building and these young people are catching up.”