At that point I wasn't pastoring, and when I interviewed for a pastor position in a church in Colorado, I don't think I told them right away that I pole danced.
The congregation voted me in, and I accepted the position, but many of the people who had voted against me weren't okay with my pole dancing. Those tended to be the loudest voices. I was at the second church for almost two years and I was questioning, perhaps because of the friction, whether I was really called into the ministry. In that state, I didn't really feel like I could serve the congregation well.
Routines in lower level classes tend to have us moving in more sensual ways, because that's what many students like to learn. They come for the same reason that I first did. They want to do something a little risque, and then they find out that there is so much more to pole dancing. During those years, I had also discovered the Metropolitan Community Churches . It is a progressive church founded on inclusivity and openly welcomes the LGBTQ population. I found that I kept going back to an MCC congregation in Colorado Springs to heal, between my other painful experiences, so I thought I should just make it official. I started the process of seeking ordination in that denomination as well, and last year I became an assistant pastor of that same congregation.
I think teaching pole dancing has made me more open-minded. I have had young women approach me for an introductory pole dancing class because they are going to audition at a nightclub. I know it's controversial to some, but I have agreed to teach them because they want to make a living. Some have small children at home and need a way to support their families. In Colorado, as in many places, there arethe dancers inappropriately, so there is some legal protection there.
Ok and
“Where do we find such pole dancers?”
Thank you for reminding everyone what's really important. It's not 566,000 dead Americans. It's not summary executions in the streets. It's not the Earth becoming more uninhabitable every day. Nope. It's definitely this. We just wish you'd stop misspelling your name. newsweak
1st time I've been interested in church in a long time.