Local pastor's tattoo shop offers marks with a message

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Local pastor's tattoo shop offers marks with a message
September 19, 2010
By Kim Kimzey
GoUpstate.com

On Mother's Day 2001, Jamie Bertolini watched as two women evangelized in the streets of Baltimore.

“I said, look at the crazy Christian people, you know, street-preaching to this homeless guy.”

Bertolini decided to give the women a hard time. He approached them while they evangelized a young man in a wheelchair.

“Don't you want to save me today?” Bertolini asked mockingly.

About an hour later, Bertolini fell on his face and cried out to God to forgive him.

“They loved me enough to look beyond my ugliness and told me about the real Jesus, and when they did that, I changed my life,” Bertolini said.

Raised Roman Catholic, Bertolini was baptized, went to Communion and confirmed.

His mother, he said, is a devout Christian.

Bertolini was only 15 years old and still in middle school when he came home with his first tattoo. He took his older brother's driver's license — there was no picture ID on it at the time — and his first paycheck from the steakhouse where he worked.

“I went and got a six-pack of beer, took the city bus down to New Haven, Conn., and got a Grateful Dead skull, and then woke my mother up, like, 2 in the morning to show her my new tattoo,” Bertolini recalled.

“The poor woman cried for about a week. She freaked out because she thought it was fake.”

Today, Bertolini is senior pastor of Greer Mill Church, which he also founded. Since his life-changing moment in the streets of Baltimore, he has turned body art into a ministry opportunity.

Bertolini, 45, has been a member of Bikers for Christ for several years. Around 2004, he said he felt called to reach the biker community through church. He began leading worship services on the showroom floor of a motorcycle shop in Greenville.

Crowds began to overflow, Bertolini said. The congregation leased space until buying its current building last March on Bobo Street in Greer.

As his pastoral obligations grew, Bertolini and his wife, Dorothy, decided he would go from full time to part time in his day job as a computer systems engineer. Two years ago, they opened Trinity Tattoo Co. on North Town Drive in Spartanburg near Hearon Circle.
‘Flash' but no filth

Trinity Tattoo is not your typical tattoo shop. A door at the front entrance reads: “Please, no foul language, no drunks ... ”

Inside, the walls are covered in colorful illustrations of tattoos called “flash.” There are religious symbols along with art you would expect to see in any tattoo shop, everything from skulls to dragons with scales in kaleidoscopic colors, to vixens.

Skip Dorrell sits behind the counter. His flesh also has become the canvas of tattoo artists.

More than decoration, these tattoos carry a deeper meaning. There's a green ribbon tattooed on one arm with an angel at the center of the ribbon. It symbolizes Dorrell's liver transplant. The angel represents the woman whose organ donation saved his life.

In a nearby room, tattoo artist Mike Smith gives Kaleisha Bobo of Spartanburg a tattoo while Sade plays in the background. Bobo said she decided to get a tattoo that includes Bible references that, to her, emphasize strong women.

Smith hunches over his canvas and does his work with the intensity of a master artist.

Across the shop, Bryan “Buck” Buckner tattoos a tribal arm band on Jeff McSwain's left arm. The Piedmont man got his paycheck earlier that day and decided to get his first tattoo.

The son of a church deacon and church pianist, McSwain imagined his mom's reaction — she would roll her eyes and say “Ugh.” But, he added, his mom is “pretty cool.”

His grandmother, he said, wouldn't like it at all.

“We've tattooed pastors from the most Southern Baptist churches you could imagine,” Bertolini said.

Of course, not all Christians approve of body art, even if it's done in a Christian tattoo shop. Bertolini said four men from out of state confronted him once.

People who think tattoos are sinful sometimes point to Scripture found in the 19th chapter of Leviticus: “Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the Lord” (NIV).

Bertolini argues that “If you wear underwear or if you're a man and gotten your head cut or shaved, you're breaking the same exact set of Levitical laws that I'm breaking.”

At Trinity Tattoo, written material explores theological arguments about tattoos.

Bertolini said the shop won't do anything sexist, racist, demonic, gang-related or pornographic.

“The most risque thing that we would ever do is maybe do a pinup girl in a bikini or something ... ” Bertolini said.

He said they have refused to do tattoos that would have brought in $400 or $500 but that they don't consider moral.

One woman questioned Bertolini about a book with pinup girl tattoos.

“You can't look at all nudity as being offensive,” Bertolini said. “There's a difference between pornography and nudity.”

Bertolini's arms are covered in tattoos.

There's one of a Roman nail that appears to pierce his skin; “Jesus Freak” in one spot; a portrait of Jesus Christ.

Across the shop, Bryan “Buck” Buckner tattoos a tribal arm band on Jeff McSwain's left arm. The Piedmont man got his paycheck earlier that day and decided to get his first tattoo.

The son of a church deacon and church pianist, McSwain imagined his mom's reaction — she would roll her eyes and say “Ugh.” But, he added, his mom is “pretty cool.”

His grandmother, he said, wouldn't like it at all.

“We've tattooed pastors from the most Southern Baptist churches you could imagine,” Bertolini said.

Of course, not all Christians approve of body art, even if it's done in a Christian tattoo shop. Bertolini said four men from out of state confronted him once.

People who think tattoos are sinful sometimes point to Scripture found in the 19th chapter of Leviticus: “Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the Lord” (NIV).

Bertolini argues that “If you wear underwear or if you're a man and gotten your head cut or shaved, you're breaking the same exact set of Levitical laws that I'm breaking.”

At Trinity Tattoo, written material explores theological arguments about tattoos.

Bertolini said the shop won't do anything sexist, racist, demonic, gang-related or pornographic.

“The most risque thing that we would ever do is maybe do a pinup girl in a bikini or something ... ” Bertolini said.

He said they have refused to do tattoos that would have brought in $400 or $500 but that they don't consider moral.

One woman questioned Bertolini about a book with pinup girl tattoos.

“You can't look at all nudity as being offensive,” Bertolini said. “There's a difference between pornography and nudity.”

“I guess there's a certain part of you that likes the attention, you know, honestly. And I think if you're trying to get the attention of people and the message that you have is not about yourself but about Jesus, it's a good attention.” Bertolini said.
A chance to witness

He said he and Dorothy invested in a tattoo shop for different reasons. As the owner, he can get good deals on tattoos; he hopes they might one day make a living from the shop.

Bertolini said that hasn't happened yet. They “operated at a significant loss last year.” This year, they're closer to breaking even. Most importantly, Bertolini said they thought a Christian tattoo shop would provide “an unbelievable opportunity to witness to people — it would be (an) absolutely wonderful opportunity to share the love of Jesus Christ.”

He said he has gotten to meet people staying at a nearby hotel, in town to get cancer treatments. People have “rededicated” their lives to God, and two people have been saved at the shop, he said, including one of his tattoo artists.

Another was a girl who came in for a tattoo. She left with faith.

“This young lady wanted to put this tattoo on her neck, to say, ‘Hey, look at me, world, I'm somebody to take notice of,” Bertolini said. “I said, ‘You know, God loves you as much as he loves anybody, and whether you have that thing on your neck, he sees you very, very clearly.' ”