By: Las Vegas Now Staff
Here's another instance of something you can find only in Las Vegas. To know Arthur Nelson is to listen, laugh and learn — to learn about the intersection of faith and fortune in Las Vegas.
“I'm not in a religious order. I'm a plain civilian,” he said.
He has spent nearly 40 years breathing life into the organ at the Guardian Angel Catholic Church, just off the Las Vegas Strip.
His feet aren't as fast, and his hands are slower by the day, “but the thing is, church should be happy,” he said.
And that's where Arthur's other job comes in. The 77-year-old has a name for that sacred calling - The Chip Monk.
Arthur has combed through thousands of collection plates and found faith in a different form, all thanks to those out-of-towners who leave casino chips as offerings.
“What's the sense of taking it home? toss it in the offering,” he said.
So Arthur collects, sorts and returns the chips to casinos, with all proceeds going back to the church, “In the first place, I'm single, so I have all this time.”
But this is church, though. Arthur put aside any qualms about gambling when one day a priest told him a special prayer to whisper for video poker, “Squeeze me Jesus. Put your arms around me and give me four aces!”
And there's another lesson — how to find salvation among the sinners.
“Where would Christ want to preach? Where the people are. And the people are here,” he said.
This monk's ministry is winding down, yet the man with no chip on his shoulder continues to count and sort, even if his final day could be tomorrow.
“If it is, it is. We have to flow with history,” he said.
And maybe that's the best lesson from Arthur Nelson, learning from God where mass and money come together, but letting life fall where it may.
Arthur says his latest batch of chips might be worth nearly $2,000 and his favorite chip is the black $100 chip from the Mirage.
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