Pink Pony Strip Club To Be Turned Into A Church

When the Pink Pony strip club gets its next makeover, the dollar bills won't be going in dancers' garter belts but into collection plates. A West Virginia minister plans to turn the house of sin into a house of worship.

Pastor Art Hage is spearheading what he hopes will be the adult entertainment bar's unlikely transformation. "It has such a bad reputation and we feel like we could make it good," Hage told the Charleston Gazette.

In addition to its reputation as one of Cross Lanes' seedier establishments, the Pink Pony is also infamous for being the location where 2003 Powerball lottery winner Jack Whittaker was drugged and robbed of $500,000 in cash. The club lost its liquor license in 2003 and has been vacant since last year.

In addition to serving 200 to 300 families, "it basically will be a rehabilitation center to help people that have been on gambling, dope, drug addiction, all kinds of immorality and our goal is to help them," said Hage, according to WOWKTV.

The reverend says he needs to raise $795,000 to repurpose to the building, WSAZ reports.

Comments

[John Wilburn]

07:11 AM on 12/17/2011

One tax paying business going out. One tax exempt business going in.

[OneSmartGuy]

03:45 PM on 12/15/2011

This will be a Adults only Church... BYOB (Bring your own Bible) type

[Shyla22]

11:49 AM on 12/14/2011

Rock on! Use some available space for a rehab center.. I hope it works out!

[jb6789]

12:01 AM on 12/14/2011

Maybe they confused a pink horse with THE pale one?

[firstamendment3]

04:18 PM on 12/13/2011

Whoring Jesus is no better than whoring women.

[JessWonderin]

04:13 PM on 12/13/2011

Trying to figure out if it is a step down for a strip club or a step up for a church . . . will the collections be stuffed into the preachers belt????

[walter Goolsby]

05:29 PM on 01/10/2013

the collections pay the preachers salary

[JennyLoveButt]

04:07 PM on 12/13/2011

One den of money grubbing sin replaced with another den of money grubbing sin...................

[Coffee4Me]

05:15 PM on 12/13/2011

Same clientele.

[JRTOTT]

03:55 PM on 12/13/2011

Just goes to show you The south is no place to live if you want your rights. Let those who want to carry the bible and judge other people live there. amoung the giant ant hills, alligators and strange people.

[Shyla22]

11:40 AM on 12/14/2011

Hate to say it, but that made no sense.

[TooKrunk]

03:39 PM on 12/15/2011

I don't think it was that hard for you to say.

[walter Goolsby]

05:32 PM on 01/10/2013

how the south is a strong believer in freedom of speech. alligators are in rare places. the strange people are in backwoods palaces not in modern society. we arnt all bible bashers and EVERY BODY JUDGES PEOPLE IF YOU SAY YOU DONT YOU ARE LYING

[Jerachrome]

03:36 PM on 12/13/2011

Which would benefit the community more, in terms of employment opportunities and stimulating the local economy, another church or a better class of strip joint?

[jeviga]

01:49 PM on 12/13/2011

Three hookers, blonde, redhead and a brunette, working at the Pink Pony when it was raided by the police. The manager gave each a burlap sack to hide in while the cops where there.
A cop kicks the redhead's sack and she squeals..MEOW...Cops figures it's a cat. He then kicks the brunette's sack and she sqEuals, ARF....Cop figures it's a dog.
He then kicks the blonde's burlap sack and she yells...POTATOS

[JessWonderin]

04:15 PM on 12/13/2011

. . . the officers then get back into the squad car and head down the street where a suspicious brown man was seen mowing a lawn . . . .

[Palerider1]

01:39 PM on 12/13/2011

Will the rest of you be so smug and hateful while standing in front of God on YOUR judgement day?

Will you make jokes about someone trying to help the addicted, tease the people who really do worship God in his house.

Ohh how I will enjoy being there to watch you scream like litte girls, wet yourself, and cry out,

I DID NOT THINK YOU WERE REAL. THEY TOLD ME YOU WERE A MYTH. NO FAIR, NO FAIR.

[dmoongo]

02:02 PM on 12/13/2011

Snicker. You really think you'll be there? I won't be looking for you.

[JennyLoveButt]

04:06 PM on 12/13/2011

Hatefull little Christian aren't you..........................

[Palerider1]

02:49 PM on 12/18/2011

No, just one that has had enough of anyone who is trying to do something good and decent being attacked by the deviants of this world.

And no, I don't really think I will be there, I KNOW I WILL BE THERE. Because my bible tells me that whosoever will accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior will be there.
Snicker while you can.

And @dug81, you said, “i'll still admit to liking titties... and settle down psycho... “

Yep, just the type of punk that every father who has a daughter watches out for.

[walter Goolsby]

05:48 PM on 01/10/2013

hateful little athiest arent you.........

[wakohnen]

12:35 PM on 12/13/2011

I sincerely wish Pastor Art Hage the best with the transformation from strip club to church. He has some great challenges ahead of him with the drugs and gambling and prostitution he will be exposed to while trying to help these folks. I can only pray that he will not be corrupted before he can get started. Rehab centers are always hurting for funding as well so i pray that God provides. This will definately be a faith tester.

[madmonq]

12:19 PM on 12/13/2011

A waste of a perfectly good strip club.

[Palerider1]

01:34 PM on 12/13/2011

Would you prefer you daughter uses the pole for what it was intended, that way she could earn her drug money the old fashioned way.

[madmonq]

03:51 PM on 12/13/2011

Hey don't get upset with me. Jesus's mother was the one who was pregnant out of wedlock. That's in the Bible. Look it up when you're ignoring the stuff about being a good Christian.

[madmonq]

08:20 AM on 12/16/2011

“Hey don't get upset with me. Jesus's mother was the one who was pregnant out of wedlock. That's in the Bible. Look it up when you're ignoring the stuff about being a good Christian.”

[champagne charlie]

11:49 AM on 12/13/2011

This may or may not be an improvement!

[360Dunk]

11:21 AM on 12/13/2011

Hopefully the priest won't get any perverted ideas from the prior tenants.