A Tennessee swingers club was turned into a church in a matter of weeks after citizens in the city of Madison protested their original plans for the building.
The group, called The Social Club, tried to open a venue for swingers next to a Christian school, but faced opposition.
In response to the club's attempt to open their doors at 520 Lentz Drive, lawmakers passed legislation prohibiting swingers clubs from operating within 1,000 feet of Tennessee schools, churches, daycares, or parks. The Lentz address is adjacent to Goodpasture Christian School.
Instead of abandoning their plans, The Social Club's owners, Freedom 4 All, Inc., changed their business model.
The company now insists that it will operate a legitimate church on Lentz Drive, and that it has abandoned all plans for an adult club, NY Daily News reports.
"It's going to be a place where people can meet and enjoy fellowship. There is no sexual activity that will go on there," the group's attorney, Larry Roberts, said.
"I assume if someone meets there and wants to do something of a sexual nature, they'll go to a hotel or a motel or go home."
The group's proposal for the church was accepted by the city, and work permits were recently issued. Not everyone was convinced that Freedom 4 All had changed its ways, however.
"It's very suspect," Nashville Council Member KarenBennett told WTVF. "Even their floor plan has not changed from their original plan for the property. They've just changed the names, essentially."
The names of the rooms have been updated to reflect the organisation's new vision. According to the New York Daily News, The Social Club's dungeon will become the choir and handbell room, and the game room is now the church's fellowship hall.
"We all have the FREEDOM to worship as we see fit," the church's website read.
