h by Mark S etler
EXOTIC SERVICE: THE STRIP CLUB OUTREACH If you’re trying to be a fully devoted follower of Christ, sooner or later you realize you need to find a place to serve. Some people sing in the choir. Others feel gifted to teach children or work in the nursery. And then, there are those that feel led by God to serve at the strip clubs. The Gospel writers record a number of stories of Jesus keeping questionable company; He had friends who were dishonest tax collectors, ate meals with “sinners” and allowed a prostitute to interrupt a dinner party by washing His feet with her tears and drying them with her hair. “I absolutely believe Jesus would go to strip clubs if He were walking the earth today," says Jennie Nagy. “He went into all kinds of places. That might be presumptuous on my part, but I just really see him opening his arms, reaching out and making himself available to the women who work there.” Jennie Nagy, founder of As You Are—an outreach to women working in strip clubs in Northern California, first felt prompted by the Holy Spirit to start the ministry when she and her family moved to the Sacramento area. Driving down a street in Rancho Cordova lined with numerous strip clubs, Jennie felt God was telling her that He wanted her to go inside and share the love of Jesus with the women who worked there. Jennie, who had experience working in such a club when she was 18, began to wrestle with how the Lord wanted to use her past--a life that she had left behind--to make a difference in the lives of women who often feel more judgment from Christians than love. After participating in two global outreach trips to Thailand where she and other women from First Cov reached out in love to women caught in the sex trade, Jennie knew it was time to reach out closer to home. Four years after that initial prompting, As You Are (AYA), an outreach to women working in strip clubs in Northern California, was born. A small group of women from First Cov and other area churches banded together to form a unique, but significant, ministry to women in this industry. AYA makes four visits a year to seven different clubs in Rancho Cordova, Sacramento, Stockton and Marysville. Their visits thus far are relatively short, only around 15 minutes each, but are generally well received. AYA members and volunteers prepare gift bags for the ladies ahead of time. In addition to small items like lip gloss and earrings, the featured items at Christmas were homemade scarves, and Valentine’s bags included bracelets handmade by former sex workers in Thailand. On the night of an outreach, two or three women go into the club, while a couple others stay outside in the car and pray for the conversations taking place inside. Club managers receive a Starbuck’s gift card and some homemade cookies, and then usually grant the AYA representatives some time to give the gift bags to the employees and engage in conversation. Women involved in this ministry range in age from 26 to over 70. Some have never stepped foot in a strip club before and have had little previous knowledge of the industry. Others have more difficult past experiences. Yet all of the women who volunteer with AYA have a desire to communicate to the women in the clubs that they are loved and cherished by God. “Because some of us have a past,” Jennie says, “it helps put everyone at ease. They understand we’re not there to cause trouble.” The philosophy behind the ministry is simple: “It’s not our job to bring them to Jesus. We just bring His love to the women and we let the Holy Spirit do the rest.” For more information on AYA, to read Jennie’s personal testimony or to explore ways you may get involved in this ministry, visit www.ayaoutreach.com. Eight years (and counting!) as pastoral staff, and Mark Shetler is still loving his job as an equipper, encourager and organizer here at First Cov. A fun and lively personality, Mark is most passionate about reaching unreached peoples, experiencing other cultures and, of course, his lovely wife, Melissa. mshetler@firstcov.org
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COMPASS MAGAZINE