Today we’d like to introduce you to Stephen Gibbs.
Stephen, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Back in 2004, God gave me a vision to create a Christian night club. The purpose would be to present the Gospel to people that would never set foot in a church but would go to a nightclub. Being that I was never exposed to anything like this before, I didn’t agree with the concept, I felt that it was a compromise to my faith and basically a mockery to God. Even though I felt the way I did about it, the vision, the ideas, down to the name kept pressing on me, So I finally surrendered and I said to God, ” Ok I will do it! But if I’m gonna do this, I am gonna need a Christian Dj that spins Christian music”. Within A few days, I noticed the front page of a newspaper and the headline read ” Christian Dj spins Christian hip hop for the youth.”
I was super excited, so I contacted the newspaper and they put me in touch with the DJ which was DJ KnockOut, a well-known DJ in Atlanta We hit it off immediately and I shared my vision with him and he introduced me to several Christian hip hop artists around the city. Nightclubs are expensive and I didn’t know the first thing about running, owning, or operating a nightclub and the very concept of a Christian nightclub was unheard of, I decided save up my money and rent out different facilities around Atlanta to host events as sort of a preview to what we were about and to build up clientele and raise funds to eventually buy our own building. I got the vision Dec of 2004, I began to pursue the vision and prepare for our grand introduction to the world, which finally happened April 13, 2007! We did our first event and I was a success!
We introduced our Christian nightclub to Atlanta! People came all the way from California to experience this event. We brought in DJ Knock Out to DJ or first event and some of the hottest Christian rappers, singers, and poets the city had to offer! Since our kick-off date, we have been established as Atlanta’s hottest Christian nightclub! We have become a platform for Christian artists to showcase their talents, we have become an alternative to typical nightlife, we have become a place to network, more importantly, we have been able to reach more people with the Gospel Of Jesus in a way they can relate to! We’ve seen several people accept the Lord as their personal savior on, our stage, in the club, even in our line!
There aren’t any sermons given, just a really authentic group of people partying together listening to inspirational hip hop from real artists that really pour their hearts out to the crowds at The Saintuary that resonates with a lot of people. I think it’s the authenticity, atmosphere, and the freedom they witness and the way we present Jesus at The Saintuary that makes them want to give Him a try. Today we do not own a building, we still rent out facilities in Atlanta to host our events, this has been to our advantage in allowing to reach multiple parts of the city and bring people from all over Atlanta to experience The Saintuary. Our mission to reach those that don’t go to church is still at forefront of everything we do. We still are looking to one day settle down in our own building, but we are not letting that keep us from continuing to press on and host events around Atl!
Has it been a smooth road?
Not exactly, some of the struggles that we faced were low turnouts to some of the events, lack of support from our peers, some of our original team members leaving to pursue other ventures, losing money, feeling like we were failing, discouragement, finding alternate venues to rent after some venues didn’t work out and so on.
The Saintuary – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
We are a Christian night club. We are here to reach people, that may not ever go to church or simply can’t relate to church. We provide a platform for Christian artists to showcase their talents. We provide an alternative to the typical nightclubs. The Saintuary isn’t a church, we are a certified nightclub with a different message, you won’t hear any sermons, but you will see a DJ spinning great music, you will see people socializing, networking, dancing, eating good food, drinking our custom drinks and very talented artist performing their hottest songs.
I believe we are most known for our standards as in only letting the hottest artists perform at our shows and being consistent in putting on high-quality events. We are most proud of the impact we have made in this world, we took a four-year hiatus, and while we were gone, the phone calls and emails came in, asking for our next event. Then in other conversations, more and more stories of how we impacted someone or inspired, or how someone got right with God because of their experience at The Saintuary. What sets us apart from the rest is simply our motive, Our motive has never been about money, or accolades, it has always been about reaching people right where they are with the Gospel of Jesus and presenting in an authentic and relatable way.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
I see the industry growing in the next 5-10 years because I think people want more substance in their music and inspiration, there are so much drama and things to stress people, I think people want to be inspired they want to be uplifted. I think the concept of a Christian nightclub is strange to some. Some may see it as a contradiction, but I do believe as we continue to grow and other Christian clubs continue to rise, it will be more accepted and supported.
Contact Info:
- Website: thesaintuaryclub.com
- Phone: 678-489-6494
- Email: thesaintuaryclub@gmail.com
- Instagram: thesaintuary
- Facebook: The Saintuary
Image Credit:
Photos By: Gobal Flo
Suggest a story: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
