Pittsburgh, PA (AHN) -- Local officials in a town near Pittsburgh are accusing a reverend and his wife of running a swingers sex club in a house of worship.
John and Kim Ondrick of Huntingdon Township facilitate nature worship at the Church for Spiritual Humanism, located in a residential area.
The issue at hand, according to reports, is largely that the Ondricks charge a fee to get into the church, where services for those age 21 and up start at midnight Saturdays. According to the church's website, the cost is $75 for men, $50 for couples, and is free for single women. Township commissioner Richard Gray told Fox News that a fee constitutes a business, and it is against county ordinances to run a business in a residential area.
The Ondricks deny they are involved in any wrong doing, and the Pittsburgh post-gazette reported that Rev. John Ondrick claims that at his house of worship, the focus is on serving the people, and not God. The paper also reported that Ondrick got his title of reverend from a "deluxe ministerial kit" which he purchased for $90 online. Ondrick has no formal training as a religious leader, but he said his father was a minister.
According to Ondrick, people are "afraid" of his kind of worship and these accusations are an effort to shut him down. His attorney told reporters that the fees for entry aren't fees at all, but rather donations.
Now, the Ondricks must prove to local officials that their church is legitimate in order to keep it in operation. A ruling on the challenge will be announced on Oct. 14.
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