Wearing a charcoal T-shirt and striped shorts, Minister Kevin Wilcock breaks into a wide grin as he greets this newcomer at The Great Northern Hotel on a cloudy Sunday afternoon.
‘‘Can you drink on the job?’’ he asks, raising a beer. His eyes widen when he is told no and his reply is both sympathetic and cheeky.
‘‘Lucky for me this is part of today’s job.’’
About 40 people have gathered in the hotel’s Tiki Bar for Pub Church.
An initiative of church City Life, it’s a 90-minute or a ‘‘two beer – sometimes three’’ service open to everyone.
‘‘People say they couldn’t go into a church because the roof would fall in, but they will walk into a pub,’’ Wilcock says.
‘‘This is an accessible first step.’’
His wife Tracey agrees, offering a simple explanation for its success.
‘‘It’s not threatening, they’re not going to get the Bible pushed down their throat.’’
Wilcock says the aim of Pub Church is not to convert or recruit more members to City Life. Instead, it’s about planting a seed to stimulate questions and discussion about God and each person’s purpose. If this leads attendees to other churches, so be it.
‘‘What I hope is that they might be a little bit closer in their discovery of God,’’ he says.
‘‘There’s a growing silent majority looking for a deeper lifestyle expression of faith.’’
Singer and guitarist Daniel March is setting up on stage, before the lively room full of laughter. About one third of the attendees are from City Life and have been encouraged to bring along their friends, another third go to other churches and the remainder don’t attend any form of church.
There are young couples in singlets and thongs, families, middle-aged men with tattoos and quite often backpackers. Conversation bounces from favourite TV shows to the end of the weekend, mutual friends and future holidays. It’s a scene that would be replicated on Sunday afternoons at scores of other pubs around the world.
City Life youth leader Mel Campton, 28, has settled directly in front of March, who is moving through a series of original songs and covers, including Prince’s I Would Die For You. Campton waves her arm around the room when asked why she has come along after already attending a morning service.
‘‘Why wouldn’t you?’’ she asks with a hearty laugh. ‘‘This atmosphere is all about community. It’s about getting rid of the religiosity of church and loving people where they’re at.’’
Jim and Rhea Mackenzie have recently moved to the inner city and wanted to find a church to which they could contribute and where they could meet other people.
‘‘They’re laid-back, but their message is very grounded in the Bible,’’ Rhea says.
The couple have been to Pub Church once before but have brought along their son Nathan, 23, and nephews Andrew, 25, and Chris, 21, for their first time. The boys are sitting on a long table at the rear of the room, sharing a plate of potato wedges.
‘‘It’s an innovative idea,’’ Andrew says. ‘‘I go to another church every week but just wanted to check out this idea – they seem to be doing it pretty well.’’
Wilcock welcomes to the stage Chelsea Freeman, the co-ordinator of Drug Arm’s Street Outreach Service. The organisation has mobile patrols that provide support, referral and information to those experiencing harm associated with alcohol and drug use.
A few baseball caps are passed around and $200 is collected for Drug Arm.
After a few more songs from March it’s time for Wilcock’s 10-minute sermon, which combines references to popular culture, thought-provoking anecdotes and audience interaction. The message packs a punch.
As attendees walk outside into the crisp evening, slapping each other on the back and making plans to catch up next month, it becomes clear this church focuses not on the building it is in, but facilitating something even stronger: community and connection.
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