Octoberfest? More like Octoberblessed!
How St Matthew’s, Carver Street, reached its local community by putting on a beer festival
Sheffielders drinking pints of beer is a regular occurrence in the city centre, so there’s nothing surprising about that - but how about if it’s in a church building?
St Matthew’s, Carver Street, recently had the joy of hosting its very own beer festival - dubbed ‘Octoberblessed’ - which was the first of its kind held in a Sheffield church.
The event, which was publicised online using social media and via local real ale groups, attracted over 100 beer enthusiasts on the day, who had the opportunity to sample beers from a variety of Sheffield-based breweries and experience the beauty of the church building.
Breweries offering beers to punters included religiously-themed brewer Emmanuales, with its cask of ‘England’s Green and Pleasant Land’; Abbeydale brewery with its beer ‘Absolution’; and other popular tipples from Loxley and Triple Point. The selection of drinks was varied, and included stouts, pale ales and bitters, all served up in pint glasses to visitors.
The festival was held in the nave of the church and commenced with a recital of the Octoberfest blessing, which is used at the Bavarian festival in Germany every year - so faith was key to the proceedings from the beginning.
Father Grant Naylor, parish priest at St Matthews, said: “We blessed the beer as a sign that God blesses the abundance of creation, as we wanted to bring God into what looked like a secular event. It was open to all - but we wanted to name God because He’s the source of our joy.”
Visitors to St Matthew’s, Carver Street, were also able to enjoy hot dogs and listen to live music from a folk band, ‘Big Skies’, who played songs that were perfect to sing along to after you’d had your third pint.
The event started off as a fundraiser, explains church development worker Ian Burgess, but quickly became an evangelistic project where unchurched local people were able to have a positive experience of Christian community.
Said Ian: “It was, in effect, an excuse to throw a party. We wanted to extend a kind invitation to people who wouldn’t ordinarily walk through the doors of a church, and wouldn’t think to.
“What we got to do was give those people dignity and say, ‘You matter - you matter here.’ And that’s an important part of our witness: showing others they’re loved by God.”
Some Christians might feel a little uneasy about a church associating itself with serving alcohol, but the team at St Matthew’s have a very thoughtful approach to beer and teach good theology on the subject.
Father Naylor said: “I suppose it goes back to Peter’s vision in scripture - that nothing is forbidden. And that’s an important principle for us as Christians. I think we need to be sensitive to the detrimental impact that alcohol can have on people’s lives. But that said, there are many things that can have a detrimental impact on people’s lives if we abuse them.
“We can abuse relationships, sex, other people, chocolate, money. Or we can use them in the right way. In the Catholic tradition we believe that all of creation is made by God and is there to be used in a right relationship within God’s grace.”
“Also,” he added, “We believe that there’s no prohibition against alcohol in scripture. In fact, Jesus turned a lot of water into a lot of wine at a wedding party and obviously enjoyed life to the full with his people.”
One of Father Naylor’s favourite quotations about evangelism is the words of Pope Francis when he says that, “Christians should not be a people initially seeking to impose new obligations on people, but a people who wish to share their joy.”
He elaborated: “I think that when we become a people who wish to share their joy, that is absolutely infectious because there are a lot of people who are very dissatisfied with their lives, and if they see that in the life of a Christian there is a deep joy, then that is tremendously attractive.”
Secular contexts can also become a Christian mission-field, Father Naylor says, and he personally shares his faith regularly in bars and pubs over a pint of the good stuff.
He told Arise:
“I think that people open up in different situations. I find that if I go to a bar or a pub and I stand at the bar, often people who stereotypically haven’t gone to church, like young men, will often come and stand next to you because they can talk to you there.”
“They won’t arrange a meeting to come and see you face-to-face but they will come and stand next to you at the bar and tell you, oh, my marriage is going wrong, or work is very stressful and I’ve reached rock bottom. They will talk to you in those contexts and I believe the church needs to be where the people are.”
Father Naylor is also keen to point out that beer brewing is a tradition which has a historical precedent in Christian communities around the world.
He said: “Brewing beer is actually a major activity of many religious houses. Monks brew beer. One of the nearest monasteries is Mount St Bernard in Leicestershire and they brew a fantastic Cistercian beer which is on sale at Beer Central in Sheffield’s Moor Market.”
“They also sell Trappist beers from across Europe which are considered the best in their class.”
The beer festival at St Matthew’s was evidently a roaring success on several levels. According to the event’s Facebook group many visitors had a wonderful time, and they went online to express their gratitude for an entertaining day out.
Richard Tattersall said: “I had a great time - loved the vibe of the place and met some lovely people.”
Paul Sellers said: “It was a lovely day and a fabulous event. I can’t wait for the next one.”
Father Naylor can confirm that the ‘Octoberblessed’ festival is going to happen again later this year - and all are welcome to come along.
He concluded: “I saw it as A) a really fun day; B) an opportunity for evangelism; and C) an occasion I really enjoyed. So I think it's going to become an annual fixture here at St Matthew’s.”
Cheers to that.
Sidebar:
Emmanuales
Faith, Hops, and Charity
Emmanuales have been brewing beers of biblical proportions since 2014 A.D, spreading the good news one beer at a time.
Starting life as a homebrewer, it wasn’t long before friends were asking for my divinely inspired ales such as Jonah and the Pale, Oh Hoppy Day and Ryejoice. Having obtained the necessary licenses to sell my beers, shops such as Beer Central, Walkley Beer Co and the Industry Tap started stocking them and they became increasingly sought after.
I worked for a church at the time; when I started interacting with people ‘out there’, I quickly discovered that while people are open to God, even Jesus, they don’t want religion forcing down their throats - just beer!
I left the megachurch to start a microbrewery in 2016 after an opportunity arose with The Sheffield Brewery Company, who were looking for a Head Brewer. I struck a deal with them that would allow me to develop Emmanuales, while managing their brewery. The next few years were a steep learning curve into the world of commercial brewing, with many positive moments.
Emmanuales was featured on Songs of Praise with Aled Jones, we poured beers at the Big Church Day Out, ran popular Beers & Carols events, and had our beers go as far as London and Belfast. However, it took its toll on me running two brands and I put Emmanuales on sabbatical until 2019.
During lockdown, I invested in equipment and re-set it up as a nano-brewery, which now operates from my cellar. We were asked to supply a cask for the Carver Street Beer Festival after meeting Fr Grant upon attending mass there one Sunday. Catholicism seems to have a positive relationship with alcohol, so it was a real joy to share my beer there.
Sidebar Author: Nick Law
Founder of the uniquely faith-based microbrewery, ‘Emmanuales’.
About the Author
Phillip Dolby is a freelance journalist, editor and PR consultant based in Sheffield. His specialist subjects include: local and national news, politics, the arts, religion and international development. He loves the adventure of working in the media industry and wants to use his voice to speak up for the poor and disenfranchised.
Website: phillipdolby.com
Twitter: @PhillipDolby
