Birmingham News reports that starting this Sunday, December 14, the Riverchase United Methodist Church will be hosting a new church service. While the content won’t be radically different, the location will — inside of the sports bar Buffalo Wild Wings in Hoover, Alabama.
The service — called The Stream — will be 45 minutes long and take place before the restaurant is open to the public. Rev. Wesley Savage, the church’s minister of young adults, told Birmingham News that he thinks the atmosphere will be more inviting.
As the bar and kitchen won’t be operating, there won’t be any beer served during the service. Also, because the staff will be preparing to open, it won’t be the ideal place for music, so for the time being the service won’t feature any kind of band.
Instead, according to Savage, it will be a streamlined discussion. “”We want it to be a dialogue, questions and discussion about a topic: Why God? Why the church? Why the Bible? Why should I care about these things?” Savage told Birmingham News.
As part of the partnership, the patrons will be encouraged to stay for lunch at BWW. Savage said that he’s already gotten a lot of interest in the idea, and that many of them already frequent Buffalo Wild Wings. The church has been advertising The Stream on the radio, as well as via social media.
This isn’t the first intersection and food. A movement called “McMass” is trying to get a McDonald’s built inside a church in an attempt to capture a modern audience. The movement launched an IndieGogo campaign with a $1 million goal. So far it’s just crossed the $500 mark with 39 days to go.
