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| photography by Dan Sellers |
Welcome to Hope Fellowship, a self-proclaimed “biker-friendly church.” It’s housed in an 80-year-old banquet hall called the Pigeon Hole, in the decaying heart of Irving. The congregation was started for bikers, by bikers, on January 1, 2006, but word of mouth has brought people from all walks of life through the door. The congregation is about 150 strong and is believed to be the only one of its kind in Texas. PASTOR DENNIS KING often looks menacing: in full-on biker regalia, he bears a striking resemblance to Anton LaVey, the author of The Satanic Bible. The trick is to get outcasts, those who have spent the better part of their lives rebelling against the rules of man, to yield to the rule of God, King says. He says the key is not to cast stones. “I’ve got an open door for any biker, or any person for that matter,” he says. “Here, you come as you are, and nobody passes judgment. I know a lot of bikers who were turned away from churches. Not here. And other people like how accepting we are. They come to be a part of the spirit.”
