Living Church Fridays already rock!
Living Church is incredibly thankful for the way in which our Friday program has been supported and attended by our Living Church family.
Living Church Fridays have been established as a key opportunity to invite non-Christian friends and family to a non-threatening and relaxed environment, often after a long week at work. It could be their first introduction to a church environment and a way to begin building friendships and understand what it is to meet Jesus.
Culturally, the concept of friends meeting at the end of a work week for a couple of alcoholic drinks is well-established and relevant. This is therefore something Living Church has decided to explore. In our exploration, we have also carefully considered the Biblical principles of doing so and what this might mean for our community.
We looked at Biblical principles regarding alcohol
We have looked carefully at what the Bible says about alcohol.
- Alcohol is not prohibited and is rather seen as a normal part of meals, including Jesus’ (Luke 7:33-34) and celebrations.
- The scriptures are clear that drunkenness is condemned (Ephesians 5:18). There will be protocols established to ensure that drunkenness is not promoted or encouraged in any way.
- In seeking to connect with others to share the gospel, we are explicitly encouraged to minimise cultural gaps with those to whom we are reaching out—becoming ‘all things to all people, in order to win some’ (1 Corinthians 9:19–23).
- There may be those who might have alcoholic tendences or may develop them among the Living Church family for whom we have an obligation to care (1 Corinthians 8:9-13). That’s why alcohol will only be served at one event, giving anyone who is sensitive many alcohol-free options.
What are the protocols around the service of alcohol?
In considering the Biblical principles and other factors, we have developed the following protocols for the safety and wellbeing of all those involved:
- We will serve adults (18+) a maximum of two (2) alcoholic drinks each in an evening, between 5:00pm and 5:50pm.
- Alcoholic drinks will not be sold to people ministering to minors.
- There will always be food, soft drinks and plenty of water on offer.
- We have developed a plan for what to do if something goes wrong.
- We will offer beer, white and red wine and cider only and will not serve spirits/pre-mixed drinks.
- We will not allow BYO.
What are the next steps?
We plan to commence this change to Living Church Fridays on 13 October 2023.
- Once the program is established, we will review the provision of alcohol each quarter to discuss emerging risks or issues, ensure all regulatory requirements are being met and consider any adjustments as the seasons change.
- Over time, we will be asking for volunteers to serve drinks at Living Church Fridays and to be part of the support team who will step up if something goes wrong.
- We will continue to update our Living Church family on our progress.
I have questions!
If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out. We’re here to talk this through.
You can contact: Andrea Pryde or James Snare via office@livingchurch.org.au or 3398 4333
