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Community Corner

Get Your Praise (And Brewskies) On: This Is Not Your Grandmother's Church

Congregants all over Atlanta are flocking to the Old Fourth Ward's newest bar, Sister Louisa's Church of the Living Room and Ping Pong Emporium

It’s Saturday night, so throw on your Saturday best, a tiny dress or some ripped jeans and head over to church — Sister Louisa’s Church of the Living Room and Ping Pong Emporium, that is.

Sister Louisa's is a new hipster heaven, er, haven, on the corner of Edgewood and Boulevard.

“Church,” as the kids call it, is part religious esoteric, part alcohol, part fun, and mostly just awesome. The walls are adorned with messages from Sister Louisa, reminding us that even saints enjoy the occasional good time. The bar downstairs serves tall boy PBR’s for $3, has a full array of liquor, and often a large vat of sangria filled with fruit. The cups of sangria are served with a spoon making it part beverage and part alcoholic fruit meal.

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Owner Grant Henry — aka Sister Louisa — has created a bar that doubles as a gallery for the “religious” art of Sister Louisa. It’s hipster kitschy and fits in well in the Old Fourth Ward neighborhood and sandwiched in between the Sound Table and Noni’s.

Upstairs is where the real action is, though. Parishioners can sign up to play ping pong all night or lounge on any of the über-comfy living room chairs vetted next to angelic, light-up-choir-boy lawn ornaments. The ping pong action is intense. Winner runs the table and church pews on either side provide an up-close and personal view of the action.

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For $8, you can participate in the church picnic, which gets you a beverage, a hot dog – with you choice of three toppings, ranging from the standard mustard, ketchup and relish to jalapeno, cheese, and bacon – as well as a Captain Crunch Crispy Treat. Picnic blanket is not included. They also have potato salad, a veggie Sloppy Joe and several other church potluck type fares.

“This rice crispy thing is the bomb,” said Jennifer Coon, a recent convert to church. “The food is fun and cheap. And I forgot that the PBR is the 24-ounce version! This place is really fun if you just want to chill and have a good time.”

One of the best parts about church is that it is non-smoking, which should come as a no-brainer. There is a large patio area outside where the smokers can congregate and worship in their own way. As sister Louisa might say, to each his own, but if you’re smoking in church, there might be a problem.

The music is loud, but good. They have a great jukebox with a large selection of church favorites and non-church favorites. They also have pipe organ karaoke, a special treat for those who have a desire to raise their voice in song. With the plethora of activities, drinking and non-drinking, it’s quickly becoming a popular haunt in the Old Fourth Ward.

“You can play ping pong. At a bar,” said Mary Lewis, a church newcomer. “Yes, it's awesomeness and I am all about drinking and playing games. Ping pong aside, this has got to be the most Lower East Side-feeling bar in Atlanta. I felt like I was in the East Village between the laid-back atmosphere and the amazing diversity of the crowd.”

So as Sister Louisa would say, come one, come all, the doors of the church are always open. Well, at least between the hours of 3pm and 3am. If you haven’t checked it out, drop by the Old Fourth Ward. Sister Louisa will be there to greet you with open arms.

And a game of ping pong.

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