On Wednesday mornings, my car still smells like pizza

Once a month, on a Wednesday morning, my car still smells like pizza.

That’s because on Sunday or Monday, I place an on-line order for pizzas.

Then on Tuesday afternoon, I drive over to Sparrow’s Pizza to pick them up. Sparrow’s Pizza is about the size of a matchbox.

Mr. Sparrow greets me as I walk in the door, and the pizzas are always ready. One of his friendly employees, usually a student from Virginia Commonwealth University, will carry the six boxes of pizza out to my car.

Once a month at WayGone Brewery, our church offers Pub Theology. The pizzas are a part of that gathering.

In 2016, we started this beyond the walls of the church offering at Ardent Craft Ales in Scotts Addition in Richmond.

At some point, COVID shut us down.

When COVID retreated, we brought Pub Theology back.

This time we met at Kindred Spirit Brewery in Goochland County. We met there for a year.

And when we learned that WayGone was going to open on Patterson Avenue in Henrico County, we reached out to the owners to see if they might be willing to let Pub Theology meet there. Fortunately for us, the owners were willing.

The idea for Pub Theology was stolen.

My family and I were in Snow Camp, North Carolina for Easter. We were staying at the home of my sister and her husband. On Friday and Saturday, we had been prepping for our traditional Pike family lunch gathering on Easter Sunday.

That Sunday morning, some of us were able to attend worship services at Haw River United Methodist Church.

In their packed sanctuary, the church’s minister welcomed everyone. She quickly talked about upcoming activities at the church. One program caught my ears. She invited the congregation to join her for Pints With The Pastor.

Pints With The Pastor took place at the Eddy Pub just across the Haw River from the church. The pastor billed the gathering as an opportunity to talk.

Intrigued, I brought the idea back to our church. Our senior pastor at the time, Larry Lenow, did his homework. He discovered that a pastor from the Midwest had authored a book, Pub Theology. The book was an accounting of conversations he had with people in assorted watering holes over the years.

When we launched Pub Theology at Ardent Craft Ales, our game plan was simple. Even today, we use the same template: the program is open to our congregation and anyone curious at the brewery, we offer pizza, ask for a five dollar donation toward offsetting the cost of the pizza, attendees are responsible for their beverage purchase, we eat and converse, and at the appropriate time, a staff member presents a topic for discussion.

In working with the brewery, they reserve us a meeting spot in the taproom. We always aim for Tuesday evenings. Tuesdays are usually a lighter day at craft breweries. Additionally, the brewery charges us no fee for the reserved space, and we promise not to strong-arm anyone about our church.

Because people have packed calendars, our attendance is a roller coaster. Some Tuesdays, we are below ten in attendance. Other times, we run out of pizza.

In our post-COVID revival of Pub Theology, our programs have been diverse. We’ve screened an episode of the Andy Griffith Show, discussed Bible verses with today’s headlines, pondered the lyrics of popular songs, discussed books, and interviewed special guests from our community.

Back on August 13, we had a special guest for our Community Conversation interview at Pub Theology. Our Bishop for the Virginia Conference of the United Methodist Church, Sue Haupert Johnson, joined us.

Over thirty people from our church attended. Bishop Sue was delightful. She even allowed me to buy her a beer. Who knows that might become a good working title for a country song— “Hey Preacher Let Me Buy You A Beer.”

One of the key pieces of our Pub Theology program has been the hospitality of the personnel at the brewery. No matter where we have met, the staff of each brewery has been outstanding. They have been accommodating and flexible.

And, I can say the same for our regulars who attend Pub Theology. If we’ve had some curious onlookers join us, our regulars have been quick to make them feel welcome.

I don’t know how much longer we will continue to offer Pub Theology.

And in truth, I’m not real clear on what keeps people coming back—maybe, its the scrumptious Sparrow’s pizza.

Perhaps, it is our program content. We work hard to present something different each month.

And yet, the more I ponder Pub Theology, I keep coming back to a couple of observations.

I sense people are drawn to the setting. At a craft brewery, they aren’t confined by the formality of church walls.

That informality allows our pub theologers to more deeply share in the conversations and discussions we have during the evening.

Ultimately, that sharing gives our hearts the opportunity to grow and learn.

And on those Wednesday mornings when the aroma of pizza lingers in my car, I travel back to Tuesday evening.

I think to myself— that was fun.

I probe further—why was it enjoyable?

Well, my takeaway is grounded in this: our shared fellowship, opens our hearts a bit, and when our hearts open, we learn about ourselves, but more importantly, our hearts learn from each other.

Those moments when our hearts share and learn are priceless in the chaos of today’s world.