Pints and Prayers: The Church That’s Brewing Faith In A Pub
You wouldn’t usually think of going to a pub for a church service — especially for a baptism — but this is all in a day’s work for the Rev. Ben Woodfield.
He has been holding services at The Mosley Arms for three years when parishioner Mike McGarry asked to reaffirm the promises made at his childhood baptism. The reverand simply arranged a time and date and brought along a portable baptistery.
“It is simply a big pool. It requires a bit of work but we have used it elsewhere, for example, in Oldham High Street,” Woodfield said. “One of our churches meets in a Costa Coffee shop so we did a baptism outside on the high street. S people were baptized. It was a public affirmation, lots of people watched and we got people coming to talk to us.”
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Woodfield’s ministry, by his own admission, is an unusual one.
“I was licensed in November 2018 by the Bishop of Manchester to set up a network, planting new Anglican churches with a focus on council estates and other hard-to-reach locations in urban communities and inner cities,” he recalled.
The diocese had recognized that many people lacked the confidence and faith to walk into a conventional church — so it felt that it would be a good idea to take the church to wherever people were. Known as the Antioch Network, after the churches set up by St. Paul in Antioch, it forms part of the Church of England’s outreach ministry.
The Lancashire watering hole, owned by the Joseph Holt brewery, now doubles as a place of worship and holds weekly services.
“We seek a neutral space to worship,” Woodfield added. “It has to be as accessible as possible and could be a library, a community building, coffee shop, or a space where people have experienced rites of passage like birthdays, wakes, celebrations.”
The pub is one such location and is the only one in the United Kingdom where church services and baptisms take place. The Mosley Arms is part of a family-owned pub chain that has been a part of the Manchester community for over 170 years. The Antioch Network began using a function room in the pub over three years ago, after the building’s owner Bernadette Bates was asked by a friend if they could use one of the function rooms as a worship space.
At the time, Bates thought it was a wonderful idea, commenting that although she was a member of the Church of England, she was aware that some people might be reluctant to go into a traditional church.
“Our pub provides an informal alternative to a traditional church yet we are still in the heart of the community,” she said.
Woodfield agreed, saying, “For us as Christians, Jesus went to where people gathered. Pubs are where people experience life’s big moments, so holding services and baptisms here is a perfect fit. It’s informal, people feel relaxed, they sing and pray. To have a church here is just beautiful. We only meet when the pub is closed.”
Since the Antioch Network was founded in 2018, it has seen steady growth. Ten churches have been planted within local urban communities, all of which are overseen by Woodfield and his colleague Rev. John Brett. The latest church to be planted was established this past January in Oldham, working in partnership with St. Philip’s Church.
Each one of these launches are supported by other churches in the area, which come to help and provide support as needed by sharing resources and the overall mission. Launches are always in places where there is a recognized need — a community that cannot be reached in any other way and consisting of people who would not be comfortable entering a traditional church.
“Teams are central to what we do. We train and support them,” Woodfield said. “They help bring a new church to life, they build a vision and run with the responsibility. We use local buildings and place high value in hospitality, people, and outreach. We have no more than 60 people per church and may take a group from one church to set up another. If it is too large, then it is harder to build community and togetherness.”
The Antioch Network’s outreach activities have been well received by the communities they serve. It is not uncommon for people to simply turn up at services after hearing about them from friends, neighbors and colleagues.
“Anything new is often received with suspicion,” Woodfield said, “but because we are part of the Anglican church it is much more acceptable.”
Angela Youngman is a freelance journalist who has written for a wide range of British and international publications.