MOVILLE, Iowa | As worship services have become increasingly more relaxed and informal, the dress of some participants has had churchgoers complaining that casual dress has gone too far, that mini-skirts and dirty jeans have no place in God’s house. But until recently, the latest fashion hasn’t physically damaged the church.
That has changed with the advent of rhinestone jeans.
In last Sunday’s church bulletin at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Moville, Iowa, the following announcement appeared: “HELP SAVE OUR PEWS: The latest jean fashion of rhinestone/bling stones on the pockets act like rough sandpaper and razors on the pews. Please refrain from wearing these as our pews have already received damage from these stones.”
“It’s just a recent problem that we’re seeing,” said Alicia Jenness, administrative assistant for the West Fork Catholic Community which encompasses Immaculate Conception in Moville and St. Michael Church in Kingsley, Iowa. “At the Kingsley church, there’s a lot of gashes and stuff like that from people sitting on them with the rhinestone jeans. And at the church here in Moville, we’ve got cloth (seats) and some of the cloth is starting to snag because it’s like a razor cutting the thin material.That’s causing us some issues.”