Then it happened.
Apparently this particular professional considers himself not only a lawyer but also an evangelist for his church. That was all good until I outed myself as clergy. Then I got “that look.” My clergy sisters know what I’m talking about. It’s not quite a double take but neither is it a nonchalant glance. It’s a look of puzzled judgment. I could almost see the wheels turning. He believes women can’t be clergy – it isn’t right – and yet, I was sitting across from him.
When he realized he let the pause linger too long he filled the silence with a generic comment.
“ I think (name of nearby town) has a girl pastor. Do you know her?”
“Actually I do know the pastor of that church and he is a man.”
“Maybe it was (name of other town).”
“Yeah, there’s a woman there. I know of her but I don’t know her.”
“I imagined you get together will the other women pastors a lot.”
“Not really. There’s a group of clergy I meet with. They’re all men except for me.”
“That must be awkward.”
The other person present in this meeting room didn’t seem to notice the sound of my teeth grinding together and returned the conversation to the reason we were there.
Perhaps it just pushed my buttons but I was irked by this side conversation. I just have a suspicion that he was imagining the local woman clergy population gathering together for a slumber party like a group of Playboy bunnies for Jesus.
So- for my quirky way of processing this experience I give you the highlights of a:
Clergy Woman Slumber Party.
We will, of course, wear our preaching robes over our sexiest baby-doll nighties.
A game of Truth or Truth will be played with one person reading a parable and the rest of the women nodding our heads and agreeing that it should be taken literally.
SEXY PILLOW FIGHT! Knock the sin out of one another.
Once we settle down into our pink sleeping bags we chat for hours about who is the cutest boy in the Bible.
I’m done… what would you add to the party?