New South African church celebrates drinking alcohol

(21 Apr 2018) Dressed in a red robe and a gold-trimmed bishop's mitre, a clergyman pours alcohol into his cupped hand and anoints the forehead of the man sitting before him. "As a pope in the house of the lord, I declare you a new member in the house of the Lord, which is the tavern. A holy church of God," he says, passing  the chalice on. "Hallelujah!" shout the congregation members who erupt in singing and dancing, swigging from bottles of beer. In an unusual tradition in this self-proclaimed church in South Africa, alcohol flows freely for worshippers - after being blessed by a pastor. The Gabola Church celebrates the drinking of alcohol that some other religious figures frown upon. The South African church was started eight months ago and has found an enthusiastic following. Gabola simply means "drinking" in the Tswana language. The church's founder and self-declared pope, Tsietsi Makiti, says he encourages responsible drinking and he emphasises that alcohol will only be sold to and 'blessed' by pastors for those over 20, two years more than South Africa's legal drinking age. He says he started the church because of the views of many Christian churches that drinkers in taverns should be regarded as sinners. The Gabola church is not, however, a member of the mainstream South African Council of Churches or affiliated with any other denominations. Archbishop Modiri Patrick Shole, director of the South African Union Council of Independent Churches, calls the Gabola church a "disgrace". The condemnation by other Christian organisations did not bother the 30 worshippers attending a recent Gabola service, held in a bar in the sprawling Orange Farm township 40 kilometres (25 miles) south of Johannesburg. A pool table served as the altar, adorned with bottles of whiskey and beer. Six ministers at the altar solemnly blessed the chilled jumbo bottles of beer bought by most churchgoers. A few drank whiskey, brandy or other beverages, all of them similarly blessed. The congregation sang hymns praising the positive effects of drinking. About 80 percent of South Africa's 56 million people profess to be Christian. In addition to Catholic and Protestant denominations, there are small independent ones with unusual practices like handling snakes. Shole has said his organisation intends to see that authorities close Gabola for breaking municipal regulations that say churches should not be located near bars. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...