Hi everyone!
I have a few quick updates this month. Sorry I’m a bit late getting this newsletter out. Our team is currently looking for a few new volunteers to help us reach people in the 20’s to 40’s age range. We could use your help with recommendations. The most important things are to find people who love people and believe in our mission and vision. We’re also hoping to find people who love the concept of a brewery church and want to see it grow into a place young people (and beyond) embrace.
The job description for these volunteers will literally be to befriend people. They’ll also help people connect with each other. It’s particularly hard to reach out to young adults who are so skeptical of church. In terms of reaching my own age group and younger, it’s been slow so far. My theory is that if young adults could see a pre-existing community of their own peers, we’ll be more effective at reaching them. They’ll also be much more likely to start exploring their faith with us. I am currently following a few leads but if anyone comes to mind who might be able to help, please contact me via e-mail.
Jason and I took a trip to Austin last week to see a drive-in concert. While we were there, we had a chance to visit Lazarus Brewing. I was interested in seeing their brewery because it was actually started by a pastor. His goal was to use the brewery as a way to build community. Before Covid, they hosted an event called Beer & Hymns. Many of their beer names are inspired by something from the Bible. It’s an interesting spin!
We are always interested in creative outreach ideas and decided to check the place out ourselves. It’s really quite an impressive place; they have a large outdoor seating area as well as indoor. It’s also one of the largest brewery properties I have seen in awhile. I’d recommend reading their story on their website. Click here if you’d like to read it!
You’ll notice one picture that wasn’t from Lazarus Brewing; it was Jason at the Stevie Ray Vaughn statue in downtown Austin! I wanted to share our visit to the brewery because it’s an example of a pastor getting creative to reach young people. I truly believe that’s the kind of thinking needed to help young people connect to a faith-based group in the future.
Our Monday night Church In A Brewery meeting continues. We’ve all been stretched in ways that are both good and challenging. Because we encounter many different views, we’ve all been motivated to go back and research questions that came up during our group discussion. It has driven all of us to learn more and is actually helping our team grow in our own faith.
Thanks again for your encouragement! If you think of any young(ish) people in Wichita who we might be able to talk to about volunteering, give us a shout!
Sincerely,
Nathan
Brewery Ministries
John 15:13: “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”