[Magdalen] National TEC policy on Alcohol in the Church

[Sally Davies]

Seems to me that this comes down -if we want to be helpful and constructive
- to two main challenges:

1. How should we go about challenging a culture of alcohol promotion in
those communities where it's a problem, without being prescriptive to those
who don't have a problem. One way might be to follow our 'nonconformist'
co-relligionists into the Demon Drink camp but that hasn't been the way of
the English speaking Anglicans, though it probably is for churches in other
cultures where alcohol is genuinely experienced as a ravaging force. This
is a form of 'speaking truth to power' because the alcohol industry is vast
and hell bent on convincing people that drinking is normal and will improve
your life. Keith and I have just experienced the absolute opposite - that
alcohol can damage your health even without any obvious 'drinking problem'.

That also speaks to the abuse issue. When loss of responsibility around
alochol is openly accepted and seen as something mildly amusing and
forgivable, it sets up and enables a culture where loss of
responsibility around sexual behaviour is similarly minimised and where
young people can be encouraged to drink making them vulnerable to grooming
and abuse.

2. How best to support and aid those whose individual or family lives
genuinely reflect alcohol as a ravaging force (I'm agnostic on whether it
should be called a "disease" and be squeezed into the whole medical-model
thing, but for some people there is real and significant danger being
around alcohol, no question about that, and if we are all God's children
that makes it my problem too).

If we go with Jim's "live and let live" approach - as I would pesonally
prefer - and the culture is to bring wine or beer to parish events - as it
is here in the white communities of South Africa - then what? Could a
parish community identify "sobriety buddies" who will be openly available
to support anyone who wants to be part of such occasions but hasn't yet
become comfortable around other people drinking? Can we make it clear that
people are responsible for themselves, that their preferences are respected
either way?

Maybe it's not a 'one rule fits all' situation in any case. There may be a
time to say "we don't need alcohol at this event so let's not go there' and
another time to say 'this event is open to whatever people want to bring'.
Or even 'this event specifically features alcohol but alternatives are
available' - mulled wine after a Nine Lessons service or rambling
carol-sing comes to mind, I have fond memories of that as a student in
England.

I can't see that there's ever a time to say "we are serving alcohol and if
you want an alternative bring your own". Many people don't like alcohol and
not just because it triggers behavioural problems for them.

Sally D

On Friday, 6 February 2015, Jim Guthrie <jguthrie at pipeline.com> wrote:

> Can't find any done in front of a parish congregation at coffee hour or
> some such.
>
> Again, I ask you to cite.
>
> (That's not to say lots of kids were abused out of sight of the
> congregation, but that's not what we're talking about).
>
> I suppose the next thing people will want to ban at church functions is
> sugar. After all, some members of the congregation might have diabetes and
> be tempted by its presence. And no one requires sugar in their coffee or
> tea.
>
> Jim
>
> -----Original Message----- From: ME Michaud
> Sent: Thursday, February 05, 2015 1:46 PM
> To: magdalen at herberthouse.org
> Subject: Re: [Magdalen] National TEC policy on Alcohol in the Church
>
> Hundreds and hundreds of reports. Easily searched. Those poor kids.
> -M
>
> On Thursday, February 5, 2015, Jim Guthrie <jguthrie at pipeline.com> wrote:
>
>>
>> I'm not familiar with that. Can you cite where/when that happened in a
>> church function, say in the parish hall, with lots of people around?
>>
>>
>