Churches using beer to attract new members

In an attempt to combat dwindling attendance levels and add new members to their shrinking congregations, some churches in the U.S. are starting to think outside the box -- by embracing the bottle.

Church-in-a-pub is a Forth Worth, Texas congregation that enjoys craft beer with Sunday evening services. The meetings are described as "salvation and everlasting life with really good beer."

Church-in-a-pub is unique, but not alone in its quest to combine spirituality with suds.

Beer-serving, religion-focused events now exist in New York, Atlanta, Boston and New York thanks to a group called Theology-on-Tap, and in Allendale, Michigan, members of Valley Church's What Would Jesus Brew? group brew craft beer together.

NPR reports that the Lutheran service attracts 30-40 parishoners each week at a local brew pub, where they order pizza and pints of beer and then have church — communion included.

"I find the love, I find the support, I find the non-judgmental eyes when I come here," said 28-year-old church member Leah Stanfield to NPR. "And I find friends that love God, love craft beer."

Beer & Hymns is a monthly event hosted by First Christian Church in Portland, Ore. Each month, about 100 people -- many of them young -- arrive at the parish hall to enjoy, well, beer and hymns.

Senior pastor of First Christian Church Amy Piatt told NPR that her Beer & Hymns service exemplifies what it means to attend church in this postmodern age.

"It's probably, in the very near future, not going to be at 10 a.m. on Sunday morning wearing your best shoes and tie or dress," she said. "It's going to be something different. I mean, what that is, we are still finding out, we're still learning together. But it's still holy, God is still there, and that's what's most important."

While the participants appear joyous and comfortable combining beer and church in the video above, they do have some detractors.

"Freedom in Christ is not a contest in how wacky we can be," wrote Josh_J in a comment under the video on YouTube. "It's how we are free from condemnation because Christ took our sins and paid the penalties for them. This is not an example of freedom in Christ. It's people living in the flesh trying to learn how to push the envelope of conviction."

"I just have one question. Did you put this in prayer? The Bible tells us that we are not to conform to the ways of the world," wrote Jose Rios. "I pray God reveals his will on your life."

NPR writes that church leaders were initially skeptical as well, but some have changed their tunes.

The regional council of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America recently named Church-in-a-pub a Synodically Authorized Worshipping Community and next year, it will call a young pastor to expand the idea to other taverns around Dallas-Fort Worth.

The catholic church and beer an intertwined history by David Turley, 2013 The Catholic Church has a rich and tasty historical relationship with beer. Conversely, this fermented beverage has also influenced the Church's history. This should not come as a surprise to anyone studying history. Throughout the ages, in all parts of the world, beer has been a staple in the diet of many civilizations. Water was often contaminated and undrinkable; only by the process of making beer was it rendered safe to drink. Even in the nineteenth century, she was not a good wife who could not brew beer for her family. Of course, this critical liquid was typically low in alcohol and meant to be consumed by the entire family.

BREWING CATHOLICS

The association between Catholic monks and brewing is legendary. The beers brewed by these religious men, unlike the beers brewed for everyday drinking, are often richer and higher in alcohol content. Tradition says these rich, heavier beers were brewed in order to sustain the monks in leaner times and through their Lenten fasts.

The Trappists are the most renowned of the brewing monks. The term "Trappist" refers to monks of the Order of Reformed Cistercians, a Roman Catholic religious order that adheres to the Rule of St. Benedict. There are about 170 Trappist monasteries in the world. Following the rules of the order concerning manual labor, most Trappist monasteries produce goods to be sold to the public in order to support themselves and their good works. A few of the monasteries produce beer for this purpose.

Simply defined, a Trappist beer is a beer brewed by, or under control of, Trappist monks. Only these breweries are permitted to display the Authentic Trappist Product logo, a mark that indicates compliance to the rules set by the International Trappist Association. There are seven recognized Trappist breweries in the world; six are in Belgium and one is in the Netherlands.

The breweries and their monasteries are:

* Bieres de Chimay (Abbey of Our Lady of Scourmount)
* Brasserie d'Orval (Abbey of Our Lady of Orval)
* Brasserie de Rochefort (Abbey of Our Lady of Saint Remy)
* Brouwerij de Achelse Kluis (Monastery of Our Lady of Saint Benedict)
* Brouwerij de Koningshoeven (Abbey of Our Lady of Koningshoeven)
* Brouwerij Westmalle (Abbey of Our Lady of la Trappe of the Sacred Heart)
* Brouwerij Westvleteren (Abbey of Saint Sixtus of Westvleteren)

The beers from these breweries are much sought after by fans of fine beer. Until recently, all except Westvleteren were readily available in the US and Canada. The monks from the Abbey of Saint Sixtus have recently begun limited distribution in the United State and Canada in order to raise funds for the restoration of their abbey.

BEERY SAINTS

There are a number of saints commonly associated with beer and brewing. December 6 is the Feast day of St. Nicholas, one of the patron saints of brewing. St. Nicholas, Bishop of Myra, was a wealthy and generous man. His generosity towards others led to him being the inspiration for the tradition of Santa Claus and gift giving. It is not entirely clear why Nicholas was chosen as a patron saint of brewing. One tradition states that Nicholas was having a beer at an inn where the innkeeper had murdered three boys and packed their bodies in a barrel of brine. Nicholas was offered some salted meat with his beer. But due to a local shortage of food, Nicholas became suspicious of the source of the meat, found the bodies, and brought the boys back to life. He died on 6 December 345 A.D. or 352 A.D.

Samichlaus Bier is brewed in recognition of Nicholas' feast day. Samichlaus is a 14% ABV Doppelbock that, at one time, was billed as the world's strongest beer. The name means "Santa Claus" in the Swiss-German dialect of Zurich. Brewed only on 6 December each year, the beer is aged for almost twelve months and released in time for the following year's feast day. First brewed in 1980, Samichlaus was originally produced in Switzerland by Brauerei Hurlimann, and later by Feldschlosschen Brewery. The beer is currently produced by Schloss Eggenberg of Austria.

St. Wenceslas is another well-known saint who is also recognized as a patron of brewers, particularly Czech brewers. The king, whose Feast Day is 28 September, is also the inspiration for the Christmas carol "Good King Wenceslas." Young Wenceslas was raised by his pagan mother, but taught the Faith by his grandmother St. Ludmilla. Crowned at eighteen, he was known as a good ruler and did much to advance Christianity in Bohemia (now the Czech Republic). Bohemian hops, a key ingredient in the making of beer in the region, were highly valued. King Wenceslas ordered the death penalty for anyone caught exporting the hops. By this protective act, he endeared himself to local brewers.

To most people in the west, the saint most associated with Ireland is St. Patrick. But during a recent pilgrimage to the Emerald Isle, I was struck by how dear St. Brigid is to the Irish. We saw numerous statues and roadside memorials devoted to her. Even at the great Marian shrine at Knock, a large statue of St. Brigid is a prominent feature.

St. Brigid was born around the year 450 A.D. Like so many saints from the early Church, she grew up in a mixed-faith home; her father was a pagan and her mother was a Christian. Influenced by the teaching of St. Patrick, she converted to Christianity when she was about eighteen.

Brigid was a great advocate for the poor all her life. As a young woman, she frequently gave away her family's possessions to help those in need, until she was eventually granted her wish to enter the religious life. Around 470 A.D. she founded Ireland's first convent, which became one of the most prestigious monasteries in the country. As with many early saints, the historical facts surrounding St. Brigid's life are few because numerous accounts of her life include many miracles and anecdotes deeply intertwined with pagan Irish folklore. Nonetheless, she is an important figure in Celtic history and her feast day is celebrated on 1 February.

This revered saint has a most interesting association with beer. According to tradition, Brigid was working in a leper colony when they ran out of beer. Since beer was an important source of safe liquid refreshment and nourishment, this was indeed a serious issue. Brigid is said to have changed her bath water into beer to nourish the lepers and visiting clerics. In another miracle attributed to St. Brigid, she provided beer to eighteen churches for an entire Easter season, all from a single barrel of beer in her convent.

A prayer attributed to St. Brigid begins, "I'd like a great lake of beer for the King of kings. I would like to be watching heaven's family drinking it through all eternity." A worthy wish indeed.

Perhaps in return for the honour she paid beer, St. Brigid has also been honoured with a beer named for her. The Great Divide brewery in Denver, Colorado offers St. Bridget's Porter, which was initially released as St. Brigid's Porter. Due to confusion with the spelling (the saint's name is frequently, though incorrectly, written as "Bridget"), marketing needs eventually prevailed, and the name of the beer was changed to match the common misspelling.

During February we will raise a toast to St. Brigid and pray that we do indeed get to see that "great lake" someday.

BEER BLESSING

It may come as a surprise that there is even a blessing for beer. The Roman Ritual of the Roman Catholic rite provides the following.

BLESSING OF BEER

P: Our help is in the name of the Lord.

All: Who made heaven and earth.

P: The Lord be with you.

All: May He also be with you.

P: Let us pray.

Lord, bless this creature, beer, which by your kindness and power has been produced from kernels of grain, and let it be a healthful drink for mankind. Grant that whoever drinks it with thanksgiving to your holy name may find it a help in body and in soul; through Christ our Lord.

All: Amen.

The beer is then sprinkled with holy water.

IN THANKS FOR GOD'S CREATION

The Church's history is the history of mankind. While beer today is considered a beverage to be enjoyed for pleasure, throughout history it has been a critical source of nutrition and hydration. It should come as no surprise that the history of this beverage is entwined with the history of the Church. The next time you are sipping a flavourful beer, take a moment to give thanks to our Heavenly Father and His Church, which has so influenced the story of beer.

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