This Edmond comic book store is offering sanctuary for fans and ministry for the faithful

EDMOND ― The teenager began doing the math as he watched his mother set fire to his Dungeons and Dragons game.

Nash Carey said he was unfazed by the fiery destruction and simply calculating how long it would take him to save up money to purchase another set of the fantasy role-playing game.

Carey, 48, shared the memory as he gave a tour of Sanctuary Comics & Games, 4 E Ayers in Edmond. He and his wife, Esther, opened the shop in August, hoping to build community around the intersection of faith and the realms of comic books and fantasy games.

It's an unconventional approach that Nash Carey believes he was destined to pursue.

"I feel like I'm designed for a very specific purpose, and this is its space," he said.

The store includes all of the elements one might expect to find in such a retail space: plenty of DC and Marvel comic books, along with comics from Indie publishers; shelves filled with Dungeons and Dragons game sets, Quirkle, Snow Time board games and classic games. Tables and chairs are stationed in a row where customers may sit and read a comic, while eating some of the available snacks.

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It's at those same table and chairs that Sanctuary, the comics store, is transformed into Sanctuary, the ministry, on Sunday afternoons. People gather around the tables as Carey, a graduate of St. Paul's Theological Seminary at Oklahoma City University, leads a Bible study at 2:30 p.m. Attendees end the time of fellowship by playing Dungeons and Dragons, which has been enjoying a resurgence in popularity thanks to the popular Netflix series "Stranger Things," Carey said.

Sanctuary a 'safe space' for those who are neurodivergent

Sanctuary isn't a church, but Carey has definite ideas about what it is.

"I'm always first to say that this is a ministry," he said.

It is obviously also a place where comic book enthusiasts may find items on their wish list, but Carey said there's more to it than DC Comics and Marvel Comics. He said he wanted Sanctuary to be a place where individuals who are neurodivergent feel comfortable. Neurodivergent generally describes individuals who have a type of brain that is often considered as different from what is usual. Carey, a veteran, said he considers himself neurodivergent because he was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder after serving in the military, and during testing it was discovered that he is on the autism spectrum.

"I wanted to create a safe space that was going to be safe for neurodivergent, along with the LGBT community, people who just feel like they can't find sanctuary in the more traditional of ways," he said. "They might have some difficulty being in a more conventional church setting."

There also are people, like Carey, who grew up with parents or caretakers who saw fantasy role-playing games like Dungeons and Dragons as instruments that help sever young people's connections to God. By contrast, Carey said he thinks such games and books fit well with spirituality. He said his mother burned his game in the belief that it was part of the occult and kept him distanced from his Christian faith, but he sees ways that such games and faith may coexist.

He said he understands the parental aspect of rejecting fantasy role-playing games like Dungeons and Dragons because they are ultimately trying to do what they feel is the right thing for their children's "soul salvation," but he also understand how the child fan of such games feels, as well.

"This is the place where they're finding their security, their safety. You know, this is a place where the world makes a little more sense in the mathematics of Dungeons and Dragons, and whatever thing," Carey said. "And furthermore, imagination is the fabric to our spiritual connection with God."

The ministry leader said he's seen communities form around comics and games, but many didn't mention God. He wants people who visit Sanctuary seeking community, particularly those who might have been hurt in a traditional church setting, to know that it is a place "that kind of helps remind them that God does love them."

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One customer searching through comics on a recent weekday said he had hoped for a place like Sanctuary, and it exceeded his expectations.

Jeremy Cartwright, of Guthrie, said he was driving around Edmond and grew excited when he noticed that the comic book store was opening. Cartwright, who is also a veteran, said he began visiting Sanctuary and discovered that he could trust Carey, and he liked the entrepreneur's idea to offer ministry while building a sense of community at his store.

"Here, you know, it's not just 'Are you going to buy that?'" Cartwright said. "I was looking for places that would make a good comic shop, and I guess I was looking for a place where I could trust. It was like God was reading my thoughts."

Sanctuary also offers Bible study

Meanwhile, Carey said about a dozen people have been showing up to the store for Bible study on Sunday afternoons. He and his wife offer pizza and soft drinks while the group gets to know one another and explore faith in an untraditional setting.

"It's a small community, but that's how it starts," he said.

Carey considers himself a minister but not in a traditional sense. He said he considers himself more of a friend to those who might need one.

Comics, he said, were his natural go-to all through life, but he knew that God was ever-present.

He looks to the comic book hero the Green Lantern to explain his hopes for Sanctuary as a kind of "spiritual rehabilitation center."

"I always had this dream that a Green Lantern ring will find me, kind of in an unjust world, that justice might find you," he said.

Meanwhile, the Rev. Mitch Miller, senior pastor of Edmond's Santa Fe Presbyterian Church, 1603 Santa Fe Ave., said the church has partnered with Carey to help make the Sanctuary comics store and ministry a success. He said Carey was a member of Santa Fe Presbyterian, and they had been talking about Carey offering a different kind of ministry, particularly for people who might feel overwhelmed or intimidated by traditional church settings.

"The reality is, there are people who don't always flourish well in a normal church setting or they've been hurt in previous church settings and they're trying to find their way — they remain spiritual people, but might be afraid of church or have concerns about church," the minister said.

"We're just trying to find a way to be able to create a space for those people on their spiritual journey. We have a hope that this is a chance that they can walk in and become a part of the ministry that's serving the community service and the kinds of things that Nash has planned."

Miller said individuals, groups and other churches may help support the special ministry effort by giving donations through the special partnership that Santa Fe Presbyterian set up with Sanctuary called Oasis ministry. He said people may funnel donations to the Oasis ministry until Sanctuary obtains 501(c)(3) status.

"We're excited about the possibilities — we want this to succeed," Miller said.

To learn more

For more information about Sanctuary Comics & Games, contact Nash Carey at nashcarey@gmail.com or Sanctuary's Facebook page. For more information about the Oasis ministry partnership between Sanctuary and Santa Fe Presbyterian Church, contact Rev. Mitch Miller at 405-341-1890. 

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Sanctuary Comics & Games a 'safe space' outside the church setting