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Evangelization though Community: Why Catholic Beer Club is Different

March 14, 2016


Like many great ideas, Catholic Beer Club was discovered by accident. One evening, a couple of friends simply decided to grab a beer. As they sat together discussing higher things and the beauty of relationships, they decided that this experience must be shared. A gathering of like-minded people, the absence of an agenda, a cold beer, and the underlying principles of the Catholic faith, built a foundation for a great community.

Thus, Catholic Beer Club (CBC) was born.

Since then, many successful events following these key elements have taken place in 16 cities with events in larger cities exceeding 100.  The discovery we have made in the analysis of our success in reaching these cities in 3 years is as follows:

The Church in the United States has identified three aspects of the New Evangelization: Faith, Worship, and Witness. Most programs fill the need for Worship and Faith. CBC hopes to fill the need for Witness.

To be a witness is perhaps the most demanding aspect of the New Evangelization. Catholic Beer Club promotes the witness of the faith through community events, strategically selected at popular locations such as bars or breweries.

At a minimum, the partakers of the event will interact with staff members and hopefully engage patrons as well. We seek to have our events function as an outlet where the zeal of faith and worship will naturally perpetuate in a strong Catholic community and spill over to those around us in the public square.

However, being a witness is no ordinary call nor does proficiency in this call happen overnight.

The life of faith is something that we all have to explore. Because this life of faith is a relationship with an infinite and eternal being, it can be difficult to understand as a finite being. Thus, God said it was not good for man to be alone. Humans are built to explore this call through personal relationships and in being a witness of our faith in community.

We are all created in the image and likeness of God. Therefore, God draws us closer to Him through those around us. As we meet people and grow through the exploration of new friendships, we learn how to encounter Christ in the same way. Learning how to encounter Christ through friendships with others is how we master the New Evangelization’s call of “witness”.

Catholic Beer Club is designed to place a higher focus on things we do everyday: meet people. Every time we meet someone new, we have the opportunity to impact his or her life. It is very likely that the lives and hearts changed will never be known, but this does not diminish the significance.

At the end of the day Catholic Beer Club is not about how many people show up to the events. It is about setting a concrete time and place to give individuals an opportunity to build friendships, relationships, and be a witness to their faith. If the contagious laughter of a CBC event brings joy to the waitress serving the groups, or an apprehensive newcomer finds a welcoming atmosphere to call home, the night was a success. Our hope is to impact the world in positive way through witness. Not for the sake of the righteous many who are rich in community, but for the one whom Christ’s heart longs for the most!

Interested in learning more about Catholic Beer Club? Visit their website at http://www.catholicbeerclub.com/

By: Derek Roush, Catholic Beer Club

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