In Charlotte, a city known for its events and nightlife, a new venue is set to make its grand entrance onto the scene. ALTARED, founded by four friends with a shared passion for creating an unforgettable experience for Christians, will hold its grand opening on Friday, March 15. The upcoming nightclub promises to elevate the city’s nightlife for Christians looking for a place to have fellowship and fun. The significance of this new addition to the nightlife landscape cannot be overstated. With a team of passionate individuals at the helm, this establishment is poised to offer something truly unique, setting itself apart from existing venues and providing a unique. experience.
PositivelyGospel.com spoke with Stephan Richardson, one of the founding members of ALTARED. Here’s what he said during the interview.
PG: Tell me how the idea of creating a Christian nightclub came about.
SR: I’ve been to different states, such as Memphis, Tennessee, where there are Christian nightclubs. I’ve experienced them in the past. I believe they started about three years ago. I’m a real estate broker, and I honestly had no idea where it all came from, but I always wondered why there wasn’t one here; why there wasn’t some type of Christian nightlife, you know, just something for Christians where they go dance and have a good time. So I prayed about it. I believe God gave me this idea for a reason. A month later, the idea just kept coming back to me, so I for sure knew that it was from God. I prayed about it, fasted, and brought the idea to a good friend of mine, who was also a church leader, JB. He liked the idea and told me he would pray about it and get back to me. He got back to me a month later, basically telling me he loved the idea and wanted to move forward. He thought it would be great for the city. So yeah, the idea of this kind of, I guess this came from seeing it happen in other states and cities around the US and seeing the people that’s changed, and people giving their life to Christ. So, I just thought it would be a great idea for Charlotte.
PG: I heard you say that going to these Christian nightclubs has changed people’s lives. What about that Christian nightclub experience do you think is going to really touch people’s hearts?
SR: Well, I think that the idea, first of all, to do something like this is inspired by God, who also brought the idea to JB (Jay McBynum). He brought on two other people, DJ Panda and Ashley. Crazy enough, they were thinking the same idea, but they just hadn’t shared. It’s almost like we all had the same idea, and we just kind of came together with it. So we all prayed and fasted about guidance from God until we really knew. I feel like this is inspired by God. So, with that being said, we know that God is in control, and bringing people in this setting to ALTARED where we all can fellowship, gather, worship, and praise is a beautiful thing. When the Holy Spirit is in the place, there’s just no telling what can happen. You know, the Christian nightclub, we actually don’t even call it a nightclub anymore. We use “nightlife.” We use nightlife, but that’s just the beginning.
PG: You said that this is just the beginning. So, do you see this as something you will do monthly or quarterly? What are your plans?
SR: The plan right now is to get through the Grand Opening, of course. We honestly haven’t figured that out yet. We’re praying about the events and themes we’ll have in the future. There are four of us: Jonathan McBynum, Brandon Parry (DJ Panda), and Ashley Denise. We all work together, pray individually, bring different ideas, and explore those ideas. So yeah, we’re just getting started.
PG: Tell me a little bit about the venue where it will be held.
It will be held at the Carole Hoefner Center. We have a pretty good relationship with the owner, so we chose that venue. It is a big, nice space, and we actually have church service there. It is a big Community Center. We’ve been having church in the same building for about a year and a half now, and we figured that it would be a great idea to start ALTARed in that same space.
PG: What would you say for the older crowd, and how may coming to ALTARED be a blessing for them?
SR: We’re gonna do different things, different activities, all types of things for certain age groups. As far as the adults for our grand opening, we did not put an age limit. We kind of welcome everyone, as far as I’m concerned. We don’t have anyone under 16 or 18 who has paid and plans on coming, but going forward, we will. As I said, we will have different events and different things where the ages and the age groups are separated, so it’s not an awkward situation. On Friday, this event basically introduces the community to what ALTARED is all about. There’s gonna be praise, and there’s gonna be worship.
PG: Will any artists from the Charlotte area be playing or singing at this event?
SR: We have been speaking to a couple of artists and a couple of bands, but I haven’t received confirmation that they will be attending. We have received an overwhelming amount of support, and it’s been crazy. It’s been unbelievable, but I have not yet received confirmation. There are going to be so many things that night: different karaoke lines, open mic night, just so many different things. This is going to be a great event.
PG: What else do you want readers to know about Friday night?
SR: Well, we want everyone to come out. We welcome everyone in the entire city. This is something totally new. It’s never been done before in this city, so I’m really excited, and I’m very obedient to God’s call in my life. So, in everything I do, I pray and fast, and I make sure that I am walking this step of God’s calling and his will for my life. Everyone can expect a great time of praise and worship. Like I said, this is all the beginning. We have a lot of things coming up in the future. My business is real estate, so the nightclub thing and the entertainment business are totally new for me. I’ve got a lot of good people on board, so I think we’re gonna make this happen.
ALTARED takes place this Friday at the Carole Hoefner Center, 615 E 6th St., Charlotte, NC 28202. Tickets are $15. To learn more about ALTARED, click here.
