SOUTHAMPTON, Va. (WWBT/CNN) — This is a congregation that often worships the same way god brought them into the world, unadorned — and unashamedly naked.
This however, is February, so on this Sunday morning, parishioners are in various states of undress. Some nude, some fully clothed, others topless.
But it’s not about the clothes or lack there of.
Pastor Allen Parker is here to bare his soul to Christ — and lead his flock down that path of righteousness, no matter what they have on.
Every Sunday in the front few rows of White Tail Chapel, you’ll find Katie and Robert church. Katie wasn’t a nudist when they first met but quickly fell in love with both Robert and this resort — they married here. Now have their own weekend get-away, on premises.
This church has given them a sense of Christian community, and they say — with none of the pretense of a traditional church.
If you think anyone here finds church attendance titillating — you’d be wrong. They’re here to find inner peace, and Pastor Parker believes that starts with accepting themselves.
“There’s not a feeling that you have to be better than one another, physically,” Parker said. “We’re humans, we have scars, we have what we have. It’s learning to Love and accept that.”
This church sits on the grounds of the White Tail Nudist Resort.