c. 2000 Religion News Service

ST. LOUIS _ The cigarette smoke was thick and two electric tattoo needles buzzed in the background as Randy Windham read from the biblical book of Acts to a group of about 12. The needles were surprisingly loud and the soft-spoken Windham had to make an effort to be heard above them during his regular Bible study at Custom Design Tattoo in St. Louis.

“I’d like to talk about false prophets tonight,” Windham told the attentive group.

The image was a bit incongruous: Windham holding a Bible surrounded by thousands of tattoo designs that covered the walls, floor to ceiling. A few Christian designs like crosses and a laughing Jesus could be seen. But there were many more naked women, skulls, fire-breathing evil creatures, even a Nazi swastika fashioned out of octopus legs.

Windham is the director of education at Cross Keys Baptist Church in nearby Florissant. He has a bachelor’s degree in psychology and sold jewelry for eight years before going to Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary for a master’s degree in counseling.

In addition to a full-time position at his church, Windham visits the tattoo shop about once a week and since 1998 has been conducting a Bible study there once a month. He calls his ministry “Have Bible, Will Travel.”

“This isn’t my background,” Windham said. He doesn’t drink or smoke; he never has. He doesn’t have a tattoo, nor does he plan to get one any time soon. “It seems strange to me that God would call me to do this, but he’s given me a passion for these people,” Windham said. And the smoking, drinking, tattoo-sporting folks seem to have a soft spot for him and a passion for the Bible teaching.

It began with Jim Davis, a biker who has several tattoos, long hair and a patch that covers the eye he lost during an accident while in the Marines. Davis joined Cross Keys Church but felt tremendously let down by its members after his fiancee was murdered four years ago.

Davis held a benefit for her children. All his biking buddies came and helped raise $17,000, but no one from the church showed.

“I told them, `I think all you people are hypocrites. I think you need to go to the biker bars and tattoo parlors with me,”’ Davis said. Windham took the challenge to heart.

They began with a Bible study for a handful of bikers at Davis’ home. That led to a biker rally. To advertise the rally Davis and Windham went to bars, Harley-Davidson dealers and Custom Design Tattoos to pass out fliers.

Just distributing the fliers opened doors. The tattoo shop’s manager had a crisis and called on Windham for help. Windham began visiting the shop weekly and eventually asked if he could lead a Bible study there. The manager was skeptical, but Davis was all for it.

“Anyone can go to a church and try to save people and talk to Christians; that’s easy,” Davis said. “But not everyone can go to a tattoo parlor or a biker bar.”

Windham agreed. “Number one, they won’t step foot in a church,” he said. “And number two, no one’s ever reached out to them on their turf.”

Occasionally Windham gets laughed at while he’s on their turf. Windham always asks the tattoo shop customers if they’d like to join the Bible study. Windham recalled one woman who shrugged and said, “No, I’ve had enough of that shoved down my throat.” Another woman laughed heartily and said, “I’ve never heard of a Bible study at a tattoo shop before.” But she stayed.

Windham has a core group that attends most monthly sessions. Some come when only they want a tattoo. Some, like Vicky Rankin, bring their children.

Rankin’s 8-year-old daughter, Raquel, sat quietly and listened most of the time. “I hope she realizes she needs God and Jesus in her life,” Rankin said. “Otherwise she’s going to have a rough one, like I did.”

Rankin and her husband were married in June after living together for more than 14 years. Together they drank and did drugs. Pat, her husband, was hanging out with Jim Davis. “Jim would say, `I can’t go out, I’ve got to go to Bible study.”’ Vicky and Pat decided to check it out too. They now consider Windham their pastor, and he’s the one who married them.

Windham and Davis have begun setting up a Bible quiz booth at “Strongman” competitions. The competitions generally take place outside bars or casinos and involve competitors challenging one another to feats of strength like pulling an 18,000-pound dump truck.

“He goes with me to the roughest places there are,” Davis said of Windham.

Windham wears bluejeans and T-shirts, but other than dressing casually he doesn’t pretend to be someone he’s not just to fit in. Yet he admits he feels very comfortable with what appears to be a pretty rough crowd.

“I love my position at the church, but these folks are so genuine and real,” he said. “Sometimes people in a church are afraid to let their hair down. For example, you might ask someone at church how they’re doing and they say `fine,’ and later you learn they’re getting a divorce or having financial trouble,” Windham explained. He feels bikers are often more open about their problems.

Windham sees no end to this ministry. In fact, he’d like to expand it so he could reach more bars. He may start Bible studies at two more tattoo shops. The owners are mulling it over.

“Someday I see this turning into a church,” Windham said. “It will be a very untraditional church and much less structured.” He thinks they could meet Sunday mornings at a gym, or even a bar; the tattoo shop is too small.

DEA END WICAI