Shamekia McNeil Gales considers her line dancing group #GetFitWithMeeks a ministry—its members her congregation Justin Timberlake leading her opening hymn.
And in the half-mile loop of Raleigh’s Spring Forest Road Park where Gales hosts her free classes, anyone who is there at half past six on a Monday, Tuesday, or Thursday evening feels a part of her service. Timberlake’s “Can’t Stop the Feeling” echoes across the park from Gales’ speaker as she leads warm-up stretches, the sounds of members bickering like siblings or laughing like old friends filling the air. This camaraderie isn’t a foreign feeling for Gales.
In the seven years since hosting her first class in 2019, #GetFitWithMeeks has garnered over 900 members on Gales’ Facebook group…