South Carolina church turns former nightclub into place of worship
Jan 09, 2025
GREENVILLE COUNTY, S.C. (WSPA) — A place once deemed a public nuisance has gotten a facelift. A strip club in Greenville County has now become a church.
Right off Interstate 385 near Haywood Road, the transformation has been a topic of discussion as Pastor Rich Butler and his team say they have worked hard to turn this former nightclub into a church.
"This has been quite the transformation," the Lead Pastor of Hope Church, Rich Butler said. "What used to serve as a reminder of heartache, really it was a blight and bruise on our community. You would drive down 385 and see the glow of the neon lights."
For two years, construction has been underway at 805 Frontage Road in Greenville. It was once a 20,000-square-foot building known as Platinum Plus, and later, Bucks Racks and Ribs.
With some additions, it's now a 32,000-square-foot building, home to Hope Church.
"Now to see the neon signs draw attention to a church that is going to bring restoration, hope to a community, I would say this is the kind of story our God likes to write," Pastor Butler said.
Previously the Greenville County Sheriff's Office said the site was notorious for police calls, shootings, violations and alleged sex crimes.
It was a place Pastor Rich Butler says saw much despair, and he hopes to turn that all around.
"It has not been easy, but it has been very rewarding every step of the way," Pastor Butler said. "When we purchased this building, it was by faith. We had a great vision, but we walked way out on the limb."
When Hope Church purchased the building in 2022, many ruminants from its previous occupants had been left over. We're told chicken wings were left on the counter and dollar bills were left on the floors.
"You can only imagine the sights, the smells, the feel," Pastor Butler said. "But we had a vision."
A vision that's come to completion.
"We are walking up what we call the monument staircases, kind of the centerpiece of the lobby," Pastor Butler showed us.
Hope church has a worship center that can hold nearly 700 people.
"This used to be the main room of Bucks Racks and Ribs, so we have gutted this room completely and we have stadium seating that goes around, what we call gallery seating," Pastor Butler said.
Kids areas have been built upstairs and downstairs.
"For the entire church it's leading people into the life-giving presence of God, but for kids it's leading kids, for our students it's leading students," Pastor Butler said. "We have a very simple mission that we all follow."
Hope Church also has a chapel, a cafe, and more. Completely renovated, Butler says he hopes to be a place that offers hope.
"One moment in God's presence can radically alter the trajectory of someone's life," Pastor Butler said. "We are hoping once we open these doors that people will find restoration, healing, salvation, they'll find hope. That's our name. Hope is an expectancy of good."
Pastor Butler says he and his church plan to continue serving the community at this location for a long time.
The opening date at the new Greenville location was supposed to be this Sunday, but with severe weather expected that date may be pushed back.
You can check the church website for updates.