Church groups
have long used coffee and the occasional stale donut as a way to
bring together parishioners to talk about faith. Now, some churches
are trying to attract new members through craft beer.
NRPReport..Zio
Carlo brewpub in Fort Worth, Tex. is home to Church-in-a-Pub, where
members of the Calvary Lutheran Church meet and drink good
beer.
Leah Stanfield, 28, told NPR she has been going to Church-in-a-Pub
for a year now.
"I find the love, I find the support, I find the non-judgmental
eyes when I come here," she says. "And I find friends that love
God, love craft beer."
Not surprisingly, some Sunday night drinkers are a bit taken aback
to find a church service in their local bar. “I tell ‘em, it’s a
church service, and they’re, like, ‘In a pub?’ And I’m, like, yeah.
Some of ‘em stick around for trivia, some of ‘em take off, some of
‘em will hang out and have another pint or two,” bartender Les
Bennett told NPR.
Pastor Philip Heinze says he’s got no problem using beer to help
with his missionary work or to help boost the declining number of
church members. “I’m not interested, frankly, in making more church
members,” he says. “I’m interested in having people have
significant relationships around Jesus. And if it turns out to be
craft beer, fine.”
This group isn’t alone. Once a month, the old First Christian
Church in Portland, Ore. opens its parish hall for Beer and
Hymns.
So, will church-in-a-pub become a regular sight?