Arthur Blessitt

Blessitt was from in Greenville, Mississippi (born October 27, 1940) and grew up in northeast Louisiana, where his father managed a large cotton farm. At the age of seven, Blessitt became a Christian. He studied at Mississippi College and Golden Gate Baptist Seminary, but abandoned his studies to serve as a pastor in several Baptist churches across the US. In the late 1960s, Blessitt began preaching in Hollywood, California. There he became known as the "Minister of Sunset Strip". In March 1968, he opened a coffee house called "His Place" in a rented building next door to a topless go-go club. He now lives in Denver, Colorado.