Bar Hopping With a Twist

Last weekend I had the honor of attending a Women of Faith conference with a group of women who like to refer to themselves as Saloon-a-chics.  They are a diverse and amazing group of women who hail from The Salvation Saloon also known as the Watering Hole Church, in Palm Harbor, Florida, where, as the members like to say, you can meet Jesus in a bar.  This unorthodox church is also affectionately referred to as the biker bar, even though it has expanded into something much bigger.

According to their website, the Salvation Saloon began as an outreach ministry to the biker community and those who didn't seek out God in traditional ways.  It started as a traveling gospel message in various bars.  As demand grew, they found a permanent home and held weekly church services. 

I have only once so far had the privilege of attending a church service at The Salvation Saloon, but that's all it took for me to feel welcomed and accepted there.  And the most unusual thing about this congregation, made up partly of bikers and wholly of people who call themselves Saloon-a-tics, is that anyone who walks in the front door will be taken in unconditionally and treated like a member of the church family.

I sort of felt a bit guilty being an honorary Saloon-a-chic at the Women of Faith conference because the ladies captured so much attention there.  I think it all started when they whooped at the mere mention of a motorcycle by a speaker named Lisa Harper.  And we all whooped for Palm Harbor when the host was calling out names of cities (well, of course I whooped for Tampa, too).  The pastor's wife was also mentioned from the stage as a group leader who had brought almost 100 women to the conference with her!  So at the Women of Faith conference, the Saloon-a-chics were kind of famous. 

When my friend and I were waiting with her wheelchair-riding mother for the elevator at the end of the conference, we were asked to wait for two of the conference speakers to have a turn riding up so they could do book signings.  One of the speakers was Lisa Harper and she grabbed my friend excitedly and hugged her upon sight of her Saloon t-shirt.  So I guess you could say being Saloon-a-chics afforded us a celebrity encounter.  Lisa Harper said she might even visit The Salvation Saloon someday.  But don't check it out for that reason.  Go because you will find a welcoming, accepting congregation and an exciting, joyful unconventional church service full of praise, worship, music, and love.  As its website proclaims, The Salvation Saloon is not just a church . . . it's an experience.

If you are unable to attend in person, you can stream the service live from the website every Sunday morning at 10:00 AM.