Lia Scholl

In 2001, as I was graduating from seminary, I was perplexed about my calling. Determined that I would like to work with women and justice issues, I investigated working with incarcerated women. As I visited a prison, the chaplain said to me, “The only difference between me and the women I work with is that they got caught.” It was for me a statement that resonated—but not with incarcerated women.

I was asked to go visit a strip club with the idea of acculturating a ministry called Christian Women’s Job Corps with women in the adult entertainment industry. As I sat in the club, I realized, “the only difference between me and these women is that they got caught.”

It was a calling.

I started Star Light in early 2001, as a local ministry in Birmingham, Alabama. We visited the strip clubs, provided educational and spiritual opportunities for the dancers. From 2001 to 2003, we had about 20 volunteers, met hundreds of women who were exotic dancers, and built deep abiding relationships with at least 30 dancers.

I left Star Light for congregational ministry in 2003, convinced that Star Light would continue without me. The teams we had created continued to thrive, visiting the clubs on a regular basis, building relationships in the clubs.

In 2005, I became convinced that Star Light could be a national ministry. The model for ministry, based on the Care Team Model created by The Support Team Network, worked. In fact, we had volunteers who were active for more than 5 years, still serving in clubs, still building relationships, and still enjoying the ministry.

I returned to Star Light, convinced that it is time to build a national community of women ministering to exotic dancers, it is time to advocate on behalf of dancers, it is time to promote justice and human rights to this population.

~Lia Scholl, Founder