Interesting....

Well, they have done it. I know of this happening in other places, Portland to be specific, but this article was a very interesting read for me. It's a combination of church and "Cheers" rolled into one. I'm all for this "out of the box" way to meet people's needs. Your thoughts?

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Billings brew pub hosts church


By LAURA TODE - Billings Gazette - 06/07/09


Billilngs Gazette photo by Paul Ruhter
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- This May 24 photo shows a woman drinking a beer while attending a Theology on Tap gathering at the Yellowstone Valley Brewing Company in Billings. BILLINGS (AP)
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— For all Christians who have done time on hard wooden pews in scratchy suits and ties, who have searched through musty hymnals and used church programs as fans while listening to sermons on the horrors of hell — relief has come. At The Well, shorts and flip-flop sandals are accepted attire, barstools provide ample seating and hymnals are not required. A cold beer can provide relief from the heat — fire, brimstone and otherwise. It doesn’t look like church, but that’s because The Well is a church for people who don’t believe in church. “Don’t read this the wrong way,” said Minister Ryan Tucker before the start of Sunday’s Theology on Tap gathering at the Yellowstone Valley Brewing Company. “There’s nothing wrong with church. I just sensed that there was more room at the table for people who aren’t into the conventional, traditional church.” Tucker and fellow minister Jon Hall started The Well last summer, and a core group of followers began meeting at the Yellowstone Valley Brewing Company taproom earlier this month. The church’s name is a nod to the water well where the people of a village would gather to discuss events of the day. Local bars and taverns have come to be known as watering holes for the same reason. They are also gathering places. Church attendance ranges between 20 and 40 people, and everyone agrees that a church that meets at a brewery is unusual. However, for most of the people who attend, the location isn’t as important as the acceptance they feel when they gather together. “For me, it’s incidental,” said Shawna Hawkins. “The location really has nothing to do with the message of community and living like Jesus did.” Shawna and her husband Tim Hawkins have been coming to Theology on Tap since it started. “I’ve been searching for what The Well offers us,” Tim Hawkins said. “I always struggled to understand denominational churches. I just couldn’t fathom how there were so many godly churches that were so quick to point to other churches and say, ‘We’re right and you’re wrong.’ ” The decision to hold church services at the brewery was not made to attract a beer-drinking crowd or to repel Christians with a strict churchgoing background. “We want to be there for people who wouldn’t ordinarily come to church — for whatever their reason,” Tucker said. From the start, Tucker and Hall decided they wanted worshippers at The Well to meet in common or public spaces. They believe that by not having a building more resources can be returned to the community. At least half of all the money collected during the service is given to support local charities, including the Montana Rescue Mission and Habitat for Humanity. Members also volunteer together for local causes. “For the old model of church, a building was certainly needed, but our culture is shifting, so it’s not as necessary anymore,” Tucker said. That The Well doesn’t have a building appealed to 21-year-old Libby Samson, who came to Sunday’s Theology on Tap for the first time with her father Mike Samson. She met Tucker and Hall on the campus of Montana State University-Billings when they invited her to “come to church and have a beer.” Sunday, most of the people in attendance drank a beer during the service, but bottled water and root beer were also available. Tucker sipped a beer while he delivered his sermon. George Moncure, of the Yellowstone Valley Brewing Company, said he was open to the idea of having church services at the Garage Pub because of The Well’s focus on community. The tap room at the brewery isn’t typically busy on Sundays, he said, and customers who are not interested in the sermon can drink their beer at the bar. Tucker, a graduate of Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond, was a student minister for 11 years in churches in the Southeast U.S. before moving west to Billings. Hall previously worked as a student minister for five years before joining Tucker to start The Well. The Well is not affiliated with any denomination. The term Hall uses to describe The Well is “post-denominational,” meaning that it has moved beyond division based on doctrinal differences. Discussion and questions are welcomed during the sermon, and Tucker solicits interaction. His message is designed so that if discussion leads in a new direction, he is ready. Tucker strives for what he calls “profound simplicity” in both an understanding of God and in fulfilling the church’s mission, “to live community and serve others.” Although it’s not a part of the practice now, Theology on Tap will eventually include communion and occasional baptism services, Hall said. “And if we find a group of musicians that jive with our beliefs and they want to play, then that would be great too.”