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LEXINGTON — A recent wave of sex businesses have closed in North Central Ohio and are falling like dominos. Three sex businesses have closed in the region over the past two years. While the doors of strip clubs are closing, the doors of the church appear to be opening. One women who formerly owned two strip clubs has stepped across that threshold.
“My husband Steve and I both needed a church to go to and we stumbled across Fusion Church in Lexington,” says Donna Holbrook. “We love the atmosphere and the people. Not only that, but the Holy Spirit is there and that is important to us. In April 2019, we gave our lives to the LORD. But while we were transferring and doing all these things, we still owned two gentlemens’ clubs. So when we gave our lives to the LORD, our hearts changed.”
“Prior to going to church, we were reaching out to these girls (dancers) and helping them get back into college; we found them jobs in order to get them out of the clubs. We bought clothing and food for the girls and had a Bible at each of our clubs. These girls (dancers) would be like, ‘What are you doing with a Bible in this kind of place?’ I know this is not normal, but that is what we did. We were not there to make money, we were there to save souls. This was our heart: to be inside the clubs and helping the girls get out.”
Holbrook said she even worked with the human trafficking task force to get a trafficker apprehended when the trafficker came into one of her clubs. It was after this time she and her husband came to Christ.
“I met a few of the dancers and some of her bartenders Donna brought to our Church,” says Lead Pastor of Fusion Church Terry Garrett. “Our congregation treated them just like we would have treated any other first-time guest at Fusion. The last thing they needed, was to think they had a scarlet letter over their head. Our goal is to create a space for them to grow in their relationship with Christ and to let the Holy Spirit bring conviction.
“I still have the girls coming to me-they are managers of stores and restaurants and they thank me for loving them and showing them what Jesus is about. Some of them have even given their lives to Jesus.”
Donna Holbrook
“Sometimes good leadership challenges people to step away from something separating them from God. There was a moment when I asked Steve and Donna if it was getting hard to manage two gentlemens’ clubs as they were growing closer to the Lord. They told me it was more difficult and that they had been feeling like it was time to sell their two clubs. One of the ways a person knows if they are growing in Christ is if things that were formerly acceptable that are outside the boundaries of Scripture are no longer acceptable; that is the essence of sanctification.”
Donna explains, “Eventually my husband and I realized the winds were changing for us. GOD was beginning to shift us. The doors did shut for both places, and my husband passed away from an illness. I did a career change over to a realtor. It was all GOD.”
Holbrook closed the doors of Country Time Gentlemen’s Club that she started in 2014 and sold the property at 10498 OH-231 on May of 2020. Today the business is a Mexican Restaurant called “La Fragua.” The following year she closed Showtime Gentlemen’s Club located at 2921 Crider Road near Mansfield and sold the property. Today the property is owned by Ronks’ Towing Company.
“I still have the girls coming to me-they are managers of stores and restaurants and they thank me for loving them and showing them what Jesus is about. Some of them have even given their lives to Jesus,” says Holbrook.
Pastor Garrett comments, “One of the biggest things our congregation did for those who knew what was going on was they did not talk to her about her background, they just kept loving Donna and her husband, and supporting them in their spiritual walk. We felt like in the LORD’s timing, GOD would lay it on their heart that a change needed to happen.
“I told my leadership team about it the minute I found out they owned the two strip clubs. We recognized GOD was already working in their lives. We did not need to put our hands on it-we just need to continue to love the Holbrooks, and to model the Scriptures to them. The Holy Spirit did the work. I do not know that many of our congregants even knew about their (Holbrooks) background until after they shut down the clubs. Donna is now a new creation in Christ. “
If you have information on a sex trafficking situation, call the National Human Trafficking Hotline toll-free at 1-888-373-7888. You can also text the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 233733.
The Bottom Line:
The Bible says in Isaiah Chapter Sixty-Two, “The LORD has anointed me to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion-to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.”
View the slideshow below of Donna Holbrook’s spiritual transformation from sex club owner to disciple of Christ.
Donna Holbrook with her newlywed husband Steve in 2005. (Photo courtesy of Donna Holbrook) 
Donna Holbrook with her husband Steve. (Photo courtesy of Donna Holbrook) 
Donna Holbrook getting baptized in 2019 with Lexington Fusion Church staff behind her. (Photo courtesy of Donna Holbrook) 
Donna Holbrook closed the first of her two exotic dance clubs located at Nevada, along the Crawford & Wyandot County lines on May of 2020. (Photo courtesy of Donna Holbrook) 
Donna Holbrook closed the last of her exotic dance clubs near Mansfield in Richland County, Ohio on May of 2021. (Photo courtesy of Donna Holbrook)
View the video testimony of Donna Holbrook below. (Length 2:52 min.)
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