By JEFFERSON WEAVER

Elizabeth Settlemeyer will never forget seeing scantily clad women as she arrived for Vacation Bible School at Faith Baptist Church at Delco.

The women were dancers at Magic Moments, an erotic dance club shut down last week by law enforcement. Magic Moments is directly across U.S. 74-76 from Faith Baptist.

Another club, Whispers, is located near Delco Pentecostal Holiness Church.

“That’s not what we’re about,” Settlemeyer said. “We teach Christian values.”

She is also director of Faith Baptist Academy, a church-based school for ages 3 through twelfth grade. The academy has around 35 students.

Settlemeyer said she called the sheriff because the dancers, wearing thongs and bikini tops, were outside the gates of Magic Moments, waving to passersby. While they never again came outside the gate, the presence of the club and another in Delco has drawn unwanted attention to the community.

Columbus County Sheriff’s deputies raided the clubs last week, arresting six women on a variety of drug and sex-related charges. The clubs remained closed through the weekend, although in a court hearing Thursday a judge ruled Whispers could stay open.

Sheriff Chris Batten told the media last week he would continue to hit the clubs every day that they were open, citing a county ordinance prohibiting strip clubs and adult businesses within 1,000 feet of schools, churches and homes. The clubs have been the target of numerous complaints by neighbors.

The Rev. Don Lawing is pastor of Faith Baptist, and said the location of Magic Moments is an embarrassment to the church.

“When you’re trying to tell someone how to get to your church,” he said, “many people automatically know it’s right across from that place.”

Lawing said he doesn’t like to even mention the name of the business.

“It doesn’t help the community in any way,” he said. “Even the building is an eyesore, not to mention that sign out front.”

The pastor said law officers told him most of the customers of the two clubs are from out of town.

“I doubt many local people, if any, go there,” he said.

Settlemeyer said she understood most of the customers are truck drivers and other travelers.

“I doubt we have anybody local that goes there,” she said. “People who are going to do that kind of thing don’t do it in their hometown.”

While no official community protests are planned, Lawing said, he is urging residents to contact the county commissioners, and to attend the next meeting and press for more local regulation of adult businesses.

“Nobody wants something like that in their neighborhood,” he said.

Settlemeyer said the clubs needed to be closed down.

“They don’t reflect our community,” she said. “This is the Bible belt. We’re mainly a Christian community, even though we know not everyone is a Christian.

“We tried to stop them from opening,” she said, “and we’re going to keep trying to shut them down. They have no business here.”