LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — A red and white striped tent, parked next to a massive sign reading “Jesus is Lord,” is hard to miss.
Nestled between a gas station and a private residence, near the intersection of Russell Road and Mountain Vista Street, the pin-striped tent holds the Resurrection Life Fellowship Ministry.
The property’s owner and member of the ministry, Harold Erbacher, says the setup is designed to catch drivers’ attention.
“It’s like a fishing net. It’s to catch them,” Erbacher says. “We’ve got to be creative, in this age we have to get into people’s faces. We have to get in the devil’s face.”
The tent is equipped with a pulpit, a bathtub for baptisms, swamp coolers, and plenty of signage.
Erbacher says, he originally planned to use the property for a used car lot. Then, he was led to Jesus.
“If anybody told me two, two and a half years ago, we would be using the property like this, I would have said ‘no way,’” Erbacher says.
The land is zoned for Mixed-use. Erbacher says they’ve applied for a Special Use Permit with Clark County to operate the ministry, and for security to stay in an RV on property.
As for neighbors, he says they’ve heard no direct complaints.
While in the area, FOX5 met John Parenti, who shared a video of trash in his backyard that he says was blown over from Erbacher’s property.
Parenti says he’s had a problem with trash since the church popped up in March.
“Unfortunately the wind always seems to blow it in my direction, ends up in the trees, ends up on the other side of the property. It is just a big mess,” Parenti says.
Erbacher says they always pick up after their sermons, and are happy to speak with neighbors about their concerns.
He says they have no plans to build a structure on the property, the open-faced tent is designed to be welcoming to the community.
“It’s unique, it’s creative,” the ministry’s pastor, Ray Cordova, says. “These men that are here today, they would not darken the door of a church, but they felt comfortable. It was non-threatening for them to come here.”
They hold sermons Friday, Saturday, and Sundays. Sundays, their busiest days, can have up to 50 people in attendance.
FOX5 asked Clark County if the property’s owner is allowed to operate a church on the land, and allow somebody to live in an RV on property. The county is closed on Fridays, FOX5 will update this story when we hear back.
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