Best of 2003: Best Christian Goths

Sanctuary: The Rock and Roll Refuge
Pastor Dave Hart, tolos@cts.com
www.sanctuarysd.org

"I became one of those 'born-agains' back in 1970, during the Jesus People days," says Pastor Dave Hart. After promoting Christian rock bands like Stryper, he launched Sanctuary, a rock-and-roll youth ministry. He's particularly interested in goth kids, seeing in them a fondness for the iconography and rituals endemic to church tradition (crosses, candles, incantations, etc.). The Sanctuary website is promoted as "a fellowship of Christian misfits." Pastor Dave takes his pulpit wherever goths gather -- Club Xanth (30th Street, North Park), Sin-Klub (inside Club Elements on University Avenue), and Club Luminal (Tuesday nights at Hamburger Mary's). "I try to go wherever there might be interesting subculture experiences. I've been to a Wiccan Handfasting and occasionally get into a confrontation with a Satanist or two."