Life Church opens tattoo parlor inside its doors

Deberg_1990 · 01-05-2012, 01:10 PM

http://www.mlive.com/news/flint/inde...01/tattoo.html

FLINT TWP., Michigan -- A church that wears its non-traditional outlook on its sleeve is making its mark on the arms, legs and backs of parishioners and others who ask for it.

The Bridge, an upstart church built on the belief that mainstream religion has become ineffective and irrelevant to most people, has opened a Genesee County-licensed tattoo parlor — Serenity Tattoo — inside its doors.

Just down the hall from the Rev. Steve Bentley's office and around the corner from the galvanized watering trough used for baptisms, tattoo artists Ryan Brown and Drew Blaisdell are plying their trade by appointment or from noon until 8 p.m., Monday-Saturday.

"I was running my own studio. I was just working. There wasn't much purpose in it," said Brown, 32, a recovering alcoholic who said the atmosphere inside the church building has helped to keep him focused and on the right path.

"I was struggling with whether I could keep my studio" and stay sober, he said. "I prayed a lot and decided the best thing was to close it and come to the church. I figured I could have a lot more positive impact" here.

Bentley said he's doing everything he can, tatto parlor included, to open The Bridge to people who have never felt comfortable at a traditional house of worship.

The church owns 30,000 square feet inside Carman Plaza shopping center, located just northeast of Corunna Road and I-75.

"The tattoo is a really prominent art form in our culture today," said Bentley, who has two tattoos himself, one of which was done in church. "I don't think it should be owned by a culture of drug abuse and pornography."

Bentley said he has heard whispers of criticism from outside the church about the mixing of tattooing with a place of worship, but the pastor said he considers it a "morally neutral" practice — no different than pierced ears.

"We are about doing church in a different way and being relevant to people," he said. "You can get a tattoo in a clean environment. You can do it while still sticking to your moral code."

Bentley opened The Bridge in 2008 at its current location and it has survived and grown since even though large pieces of the real estate remain undeveloped.

It offers a "celebrate recovery" service from 6-9 p.m. Saturdays as well as 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. services on Sundays.

Blaisdell, 46, of Clayton Township, found The Bridge was the kind of fellowship he needed after he reunited with Brown after having not seen him for 10 years.

"I was at an AA meeting in Flushing. I was at the end of my rope," Blaisdell said, when he heard Brown was also in recovery and had begun tattooing inside The Bridge.

A few months later, Blaisdell was working with Brown and was baptized in the church where he now works.

"It was almost like a miracle," Blaisdell said of his situation. "I was an atheist ... who just didn't care about anything. The appealing thing to me is, I'm dealing with so many people who are recovery based. It's kind of brought us all together."

That's the kind of match Bentley is building his ministry on.

Born in Flint and raised in Linden, the pastor was a high school dropout who went on to put himself through college by working as an auto mechanic.

He graduated with a bachelor's degree in theology from Olivet Nazarene University in Illinois and ordained in 1999. He earned a master's degree in 2006 from American Intercontinental University.

Bentley said he isn't concerned that other churches wouldn't consider supporting many of the activities he has by allowing the use of the church building, including tattooing, cage fighting, wrestling and auto repair.

The church is also used for meetings of Narcotics Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous.

"We don't want a million-dollar building that's only used a few times a week," he said. "That's such a waste of what God has given us. We really try to serve the community."

Brown said the tattoo business is traditionally associated with a "negative environment," including drug use, and he sees the chance to provide the same service in "a safe, positive environment."

He and Blaisdell said they won’t fill requests for tattoos that glorify drugs, gangs or the Devil. They can be reached at 810-620-5609.

"I used to be a non-believer," Brown said. "I hit bottom and I grabbed onto the church."

crazycoffey · 01-05-2012, 01:13 PM

**bevischief** · 01-05-2012, 01:18 PM

One way to pay the rent.

Nickel D · 01-05-2012, 01:19 PM

I hear somebody went there and got a Denver Bronco emblem tattoo done on his biceps. But, when viewed upside-down, the image appears to be that of Tebow.

**Slainte** · 01-05-2012, 01:23 PM

...Kurt Cobain has *something* to aspire to..?...

01-05-2012, 01:34 PM

Don't know why this would be controversial to anybody but the staunchest of Christian prudes. The worship pastor at my church and most of the band are covered in ink.

WV · 01-05-2012, 01:49 PM

Hmmm...I don't necessarily believe if you have a tattoo your going to hell, but opening a tattoo parlor inside the church blantantly goes against the bible and it's teachings?

Leviticus 19:28 (Amplified) which says, "Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print or tattoo any marks upon you: I am the Lord."

01-05-2012, 01:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WVChiefFan

Hmmm...I don't necessarily believe if you have a tattoo your going to hell, but opening a tattoo parlor inside the church blantantly goes against the bible and it's teachings?

Leviticus 19:28 (Amplified) which says, "Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print or tattoo any marks upon you: I am the Lord."

Straight cut and paste from another source on the matter:

Quote:

It's important, however, to look at the verse in context. This passage in Leviticus, including the surrounding text, is specifically dealing with the pagan religious rituals of the people living around the Israelites. God’s desire is to set his people apart from other cultures. The focus here is prohibiting worldly, heathen worship and witchcraft. God forbids his holy people to engage in idolatrous, pagan worship and sorcery which imitates the heathens. He does this out of protection, because he knows this will lead them away from the one true God.

It's interesting to observe verse 26, "Do not eat meat that has not been drained of its blood," and verse 27, "Do not trim off the hair on your temples or trim your beards." Well, certainly many Christians today eat non-kosher meats and get haircuts without participating in the forbidden worship of pagans. Back then these customs were associated with pagan rites and rituals. Today they are not.

Radar Chief · 01-05-2012, 01:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CrazyCoffey

so

A needle pulling thread.

WV · 01-05-2012, 01:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phobia

Straight cut and paste from another source on the matter:

Very true, but would you wear meat pants to a tiger convention...

Just seems like they're asking for it.

Radar Chief · 01-05-2012, 01:58 PM

Pompadour skull tattoo on his arm
But Jimbo never did nobody no harm. /Jim Heath

Deberg_1990 · 01-05-2012, 02:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phobia

Don't know why this would be controversial to anybody but the staunchest of Christian prudes. The worship pastor at my church and most of the band are covered in ink.

I see it as more of a generation gap type of thing. If your 45-40 and under you probably dont have a problem with tats....churchgoer or not.

01-05-2012, 02:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WVChiefFan

Very true, but would you wear meat pants to a tiger convention...

Just seems like they're asking for it.

I'm not interested in legalism at any church I attend. I've had my fill of that crap. The moment they start nitpicking garbage that doesn't matter is when I start searching for another church. My current church wants to be known for what they believe rather than what they don't believe in. I think that's a pretty cool change from traditional congregations.

Brock · 01-05-2012, 02:09 PM

Interesting how some parts of Leviticus matter and others don't.

**bevischief** · 01-05-2012, 02:10 PM

This isn't a main stream church.

01-05-2012, 01:10 PM
Deberg_1990 In Search of a Life Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: San Antonio Tx. Casino cash: $3654454	Church opens tattoo parlor inside its doors http://www.mlive.com/news/flint/inde...01/tattoo.html FLINT TWP., Michigan -- A church that wears its non-traditional outlook on its sleeve is making its mark on the arms, legs and backs of parishioners and others who ask for it. The Bridge, an upstart church built on the belief that mainstream religion has become ineffective and irrelevant to most people, has opened a Genesee County-licensed tattoo parlor — Serenity Tattoo — inside its doors. Just down the hall from the Rev. Steve Bentley's office and around the corner from the galvanized watering trough used for baptisms, tattoo artists Ryan Brown and Drew Blaisdell are plying their trade by appointment or from noon until 8 p.m., Monday-Saturday. "I was running my own studio. I was just working. There wasn't much purpose in it," said Brown, 32, a recovering alcoholic who said the atmosphere inside the church building has helped to keep him focused and on the right path. "I was struggling with whether I could keep my studio" and stay sober, he said. "I prayed a lot and decided the best thing was to close it and come to the church. I figured I could have a lot more positive impact" here. Bentley said he's doing everything he can, tatto parlor included, to open The Bridge to people who have never felt comfortable at a traditional house of worship. The church owns 30,000 square feet inside Carman Plaza shopping center, located just northeast of Corunna Road and I-75. "The tattoo is a really prominent art form in our culture today," said Bentley, who has two tattoos himself, one of which was done in church. "I don't think it should be owned by a culture of drug abuse and pornography." Bentley said he has heard whispers of criticism from outside the church about the mixing of tattooing with a place of worship, but the pastor said he considers it a "morally neutral" practice — no different than pierced ears. "We are about doing church in a different way and being relevant to people," he said. "You can get a tattoo in a clean environment. You can do it while still sticking to your moral code." Bentley opened The Bridge in 2008 at its current location and it has survived and grown since even though large pieces of the real estate remain undeveloped. It offers a "celebrate recovery" service from 6-9 p.m. Saturdays as well as 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. services on Sundays. Blaisdell, 46, of Clayton Township, found The Bridge was the kind of fellowship he needed after he reunited with Brown after having not seen him for 10 years. "I was at an AA meeting in Flushing. I was at the end of my rope," Blaisdell said, when he heard Brown was also in recovery and had begun tattooing inside The Bridge. A few months later, Blaisdell was working with Brown and was baptized in the church where he now works. "It was almost like a miracle," Blaisdell said of his situation. "I was an atheist ... who just didn't care about anything. The appealing thing to me is, I'm dealing with so many people who are recovery based. It's kind of brought us all together." That's the kind of match Bentley is building his ministry on. Born in Flint and raised in Linden, the pastor was a high school dropout who went on to put himself through college by working as an auto mechanic. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in theology from Olivet Nazarene University in Illinois and ordained in 1999. He earned a master's degree in 2006 from American Intercontinental University. Bentley said he isn't concerned that other churches wouldn't consider supporting many of the activities he has by allowing the use of the church building, including tattooing, cage fighting, wrestling and auto repair. The church is also used for meetings of Narcotics Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous. "We don't want a million-dollar building that's only used a few times a week," he said. "That's such a waste of what God has given us. We really try to serve the community." Brown said the tattoo business is traditionally associated with a "negative environment," including drug use, and he sees the chance to provide the same service in "a safe, positive environment." He and Blaisdell said they won’t fill requests for tattoos that glorify drugs, gangs or the Devil. They can be reached at 810-620-5609. "I used to be a non-believer," Brown said. "I hit bottom and I grabbed onto the church."
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01-05-2012, 01:13 PM	#2
crazycoffey .......... Join Date: Dec 2006 Casino cash: $5097901	so
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01-05-2012, 01:18 PM	#3
bevischief .... Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Somewhere Kansas Casino cash: $8659352 VARSITY	One way to pay the rent.
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01-05-2012, 01:19 PM	#4
Nickel D Veteran Join Date: Mar 2011 Casino cash: $11006781	I hear somebody went there and got a Denver Bronco emblem tattoo done on his biceps. But, when viewed upside-down, the image appears to be that of Tebow.
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01-05-2012, 01:23 PM	#5
Slainte Please speak your mind Join Date: Feb 2006 Casino cash: $10010402	...Kurt Cobain has something to aspire to..?... __________________ And the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations Revelation 22:2
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01-05-2012, 01:34 PM	#6
Phobia Guest Casino cash: $	Don't know why this would be controversial to anybody but the staunchest of Christian prudes. The worship pastor at my church and most of the band are covered in ink.
Posts: n/a

01-05-2012, 01:49 PM	#7
WV Veteran Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: In the Holler Casino cash: $10004950	Hmmm...I don't necessarily believe if you have a tattoo your going to hell, but opening a tattoo parlor inside the church blantantly goes against the bible and it's teachings? Leviticus 19:28 (Amplified) which says, "Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print or tattoo any marks upon you: I am the Lord."
Posts: 4,983

01-05-2012, 01:58 PM	#11
Radar Chief Wearing ballistic dog goggles. Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: In the box. Casino cash: $5021503	Pompadour skull tattoo on his arm But Jimbo never did nobody no harm. /Jim Heath __________________ Like "Cool Hand" Luke I'm busting rocks. __/\|_/[___] \|/ \\_\| ---OllllO _( ))~-( ))-0--))
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01-05-2012, 02:09 PM	#14
Brock Say hello to my little friend Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Larryville Casino cash: $9598422	Interesting how some parts of Leviticus matter and others don't.
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01-05-2012, 02:10 PM	#15
bevischief .... Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Somewhere Kansas Casino cash: $8659352 VARSITY	This isn't a main stream church.
Posts: 27,731