Love to have a beer with Jesus?

St Augustine’s, Neutral Bay made the evening news last month with Pub Church, a four-week outreach in which Sunday night church ‘services’ were held at The Oaks Hotel, a local pub.

Rector the Rev Craig Roberts says a member of the evening congregation came up with the idea while discussing the café-style church service St Augustine’s started last year.

“It was a logical continuation of our commitment to making the truth of the Bible and the claims of Jesus relevant and accessible to all in our culture,” says Mr Roberts.

The ‘services’ included a talk, testimony and a ‘mythbusters’ segment addressing common misunderstandings of Christianity.

St Augustine’s printed coasters featuring a Pub Church logo and created a special website. In the week following the TV appearances, Mr Roberts said daily hits increased from 100 to 736.

“Our parishioners have had greater success in inviting people because of the location,” he says. “But in no way are we seeking to condone the excess consumption of alcohol – we’re not talking four beers in one night,” he says, of the ‘four drinks with Jesus’ slogan.

“It’s just a way of making the gospel accessible.”

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