Adam Burruss, rapping Don't Be Afraid, a song he wrote, at the the Connection during an artist showcase. The Connection is a Christian night club hosted by the Empowerment Church, its purpose is reach out to young people and provide them with a fun, clean and safe environment where they can enjoy themselves. (Photo by Haylee Bazil/Staff Photographer)

When Stephen I. Crow was a child, he found church to be incredibly boring.

“If Jesus is anything like these people, I don’t want anything to do with him,” Crow said of his thoughts at the time.

At that point, he made a decision to never go to church again and, for about a decade, he didn’t.

“I didn’t realize that you could be a Christian and still have fun and still live a life that’s pleasing to God,” he said.

Once he realized that, it’s no coincidence that God put it on his heart to start a Christian nightclub, he said.

Crow, 27, of Tyler, is director of The Connection, a ministry of Empowerment Church that is aimed at giving young adults or those who are young at heart the opportunity to dance, sing or rap without the presence of drugs, alcohol or weapons.

“This is a place for young people to express themselves for the Lord, dance for the Lord in their own way without being judged,” he said.

On a recent Friday night, performing artists from around East Texas took center stage in the sanctuary of the church building at 325 S. Broadway Ave. The building serves as the home for Empowerment Church and Una Nueva Creación (A New Creation Church).

For the most part, the lyrics the rappers and singers shared featured words of praise to God, Biblical messages and positive thoughts.

For example, when BJ “Luke Nyne” Flippo of Palestine performed “No Other Name,” he sang about his belief that there is no other name above God’s name.

He said God gave him the song while he was reading the Bible and came across a verse that talked about every knee will bow and tongue confess that Jesus is Lord.

“I was like God, there’s no other name … above your name and that’s where it came from,” Flippo, 27, a barber, said.

Gerard “Big G” Shine, 30, of Tyler performed “I Am Blessed,” a song that included lyrics such as “I feel good from my head to my shoes/I feel great from hearing the Good News.”

“What I like about (The) Connection is that we get young people together to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and … anybody that (feels) like they’re alone for sharing their gift of the Gospel … (through) rap and hip-hop, you know they’re not alone,” said Shine, who works for UPS. “So this feels like fellowship … all in one place. So, it’s a beautiful thing.”

Flippo and Shine performed on Jan. 23 during The Connection’s Artist Showcase, where contestants paid $20 to perform in front of three judges and the audience. One winner received a demo package in a recording studio and radio play on three local stations. Their entrance fee went toward paying for that prize, Crow said.

The event is an example of what Crow is trying to do with the club.

“Really, my goal is just to share what God has done for me and share Jesus, the Gospel, with this world because I know in my heart that’s the solution to many (of) the (problems) that our nation faces,” he said.

 

A hard life

When Crow walked away from the church, he didn’t walk into good things.

“I started doing drugs,” he said. “I started selling drugs, stealing and just being rebellious.”

His actions led to several arrests and even a few convictions for drug possession.

“Basically, I realized that hey, that lifestyle isn’t as fun as I thought it would be,” he said. “There’s a lot of sorrow that comes from doing drugs, a lot of pain that comes from that lifestyle.”

Crow said during that time of challenge, he cried out to God, began a relationship with Him and asked for His help.

He said a man showed up on his doorstep shortly after that and invited him to his church. Crow went and found an environment completely different from the one he experienced as a child. It was fun. He said if anybody should be having fun, it should be Christians.

“We have a joy that our circumstances can’t take from us,” he said adding that a Christian’s hope is not in their bank account or their abilities. “We should be celebrating. Christians don’t have a perfect lifestyle, but we do have a reason to be celebrating. … We don’t have alcohol or drugs to get high. We can get in the presence of God and experience love.”

 

A ministry is born

About the time Crow’s life was changing, he met Stanley Cofer, pastor of Empowerment Church. Cofer invited him to his church to minister and encouraged him to be used by God.

“It’s a church that is nontraditional, multicultural and doing a lot for the young people,” Crow said. “We’re really called to young adults at the Empowerment.”

In 2012, when the church was located on DC Drive, south of Loop 323, they launched The Connection. It ran once a week for a while, but that became a challenge, so after the church moved downtown in 2013, they switched The Connection to once a month, every fourth Friday.

“It’s not a just our church thing,” Crow said. “All the churches are welcome.”

The idea is to unite young adults from across denominations. He said people can expect a safe atmosphere where they can have fun, celebrate and enjoy themselves.

The cover charge is typically about $2, which can be used to help support the church, purchase food and/or advertising for The Connection’s events and pay the visiting performing artists. Crow said he is not trying to make a profit, but allow the nightclub to fund itself.

Music genres will vary and include hip-hop, contemporary and rock. Much of the music will be Christian, but even what isn’t will be “clean,” he said.

Church elders and others provide a form of security for the evening events. Although some people might consider the idea of a Christian nightclub to be an oxymoron, Crow said people just have to experience it.

“Jesus called us to be fishers of men,” he said. “In order to catch certain fish, you’ve got to use a certain type of bait. So that’s what we’re doing.”