Pints and Psalms

Revd Mark Orrell, St Wilfrid’s Grappenhall

Good news, everyone — Jesus is alive, Amen! And because Jesus is alive, as good Christian people we believe that the Spirit is at work in the world — not just in our buildings, but out there in the ordinary places of life.

If we’re going to take seriously our call to be the people of Jesus all over the earth, then sometimes that means stepping outside the safety of our churches and going into unexpected places — even the local pub! So before you shoot me down for heresy, let me introduce you to Pints and Psalms.

For me, every good missional project begins with a story of discernment. The best ones come through prayer and careful listening — both to God and to our communities. When we listen actively, prayerfully, and discerningly, our communities will tell us what they need. And through the work of the Spirit, they will show us how God wants to bring healing and hope.

Mission, in that sense, isn’t complicated. It just takes practice and patience.

When I began in my role, one of the first questions we asked was about vision. After a time of discernment, we settled on this five-year vision for St Wilfrid’s: to build a community where faith and life connect.

That vision challenges us to get outside our building and be among people — to go where life is happening — so that faith and life can meet there.

The Birth of Pints and Psalms

Out of that desire came Pints and Psalms, born from a hunger to reach our village. Grappenhall, if you don’t know, is a small village — our church literally neighbours two pubs, a few cottages, a school, and a church hall. That’s the community I find myself called to serve.

The question was simple: how do we take the gospel beyond our front door so people who’d never set foot inside church can still hear it?

A few of us decided to start meeting in the pub for what’s really a Bible study with a pint. One of our four priorities as a parish is to deepen discipleship — to equip the saints for ministry, grow younger and more diverse, and engage with families. Pints and Psalms emerged naturally from that.

We started small — four of us meeting at 7:30 p.m. — and now there are around nine or ten. We’ll need a bigger table soon, which is a good problem to have!

What We Do

We begin with a bit of social time — catching up, talking about life, and sharing honestly. You know how it is on a Sunday morning: everyone’s “fine” and “busy” and “good.” But Pints and Psalms gives space for real conversation. We talk deeply about what’s going on in our lives, and often those stories shape our reflections.

Then we open a Psalm together. We started with Psalm 23 — a good hook, the one everyone knows — and then decided to work right through the book of Psalms from the beginning. Each week we read, reflect, and pray.

And as we’ve been consistent — meeting every week, reading scripture, praying, and simply being present — something has started to happen. People in the pub have noticed. When I go to the bar, locals often ask about the Psalm we’ve just read. Some have even joined us.

Linking to life

Not all our group attend church on Sunday’s. They prefer to meet God in different ways and enjoy meeting us for a chat and a pint. A few weeks back, we were looking at Psalm 4 and talking about waiting. One of our group, who’d been fairly quiet, suddenly said, “As a farmer, waiting and seasons are very important to me.”

That one comment brought such richness to the discussion — a perspective the rest of us would have missed entirely. It was a beautiful reminder that when everyone has a voice, the Spirit speaks through unexpected people.

What’s Happening

Our plan is to keep it simple: meet together, pray, read scripture, talk about life and faith, and invite others to join in. And it’s working. God seems to be blessing it.

We’re seeing people like Rob move closer to Jesus. He hasn’t made a full commitment yet, and he’s not at church on Sundays, but if you know the Engel Scale — that sense of gradual movement toward faith — Rob’s definitely moving up a few notches. His relationship with God is changing before our eyes.

The more time we spend in the pub, the more people know who we are and why we’re there. They know me — the bloke in the collar — and that’s opening doors for conversation.

And what’s remarkable is this: when we simply pray, read scripture, and proclaim the gospel, the Spirit shows up. Things happen.

It’s really not rocket science.

That’s Pints and Psalms — a small, simple, Spirit-filled experiment in taking faith where life already happens. And it’s been a joy to watch God at work.