Would you drink at church?
The Greater Purpose Community Church has held services for five years in Santa Cruz, but a new and interesting concept has gained them new followers.
“We decided to sell the building, because for us a church is a community and a movement,” said Pastor Chris VanHall. “It’s not brick and mortar.”
Sure enough, the church looked for a new place and landed at a food lounge. A community space, with plenty of beer taps.
“There’s nothing in the Bible that says you can’t drink alcohol in a responsible manner,” VanHall said.
Every Sunday, the parishoners join to pray, listen and drink beer.
“Why not serve beer when they’re reading Bible verses? I thought it was genius,” said food lounge owner Andrea Mollenauer.
VanHall said everyone drinks responsibly, having a glass of wine or beer in a comfortable atmosphere where “people cannot only listen to a progressive take on theology but can also engage in conversation.”
The space has always been a temporary site, a tasting ground of sorts for a grand plan.
“I thought to myself, wouldn’t it be great if a church could figure out a way to make a product where they split the profits with local community service organizations, we were like ‘hey, we love beer, we love making beer, why not do a brewery?'” said VanHall.
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SOURCE: Ian Cull
NBC Bay Area
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