Bishop drinks alcohol as an example to his followers

Wonders shall never cease!

A church in Johannesburg, South Africa has become the talk of the town for the manner in which the Bishop conducts the Sunday service.

Gabola Church of International Ministries is one of the churches in the south that allows the congregation to drink and smoke during the service.

According to Oddy City Central, Gabola is one of many churches in South Africa that has employed unconventional and strange techniques to attract believers.

The church has perfectly accommodated alcohol into its agenda and the Bishop himself takes a hard ‘shot’ of whiskey before beginning any mass. According to him, he does this so that his congregation feels that he is leading by example.

What’s even more shocking is that in the same church, baptism is not done using water but alcohol – the brand usually being the preference of the congregation.

Bishop Tsietsi Makiti, the founder of the church, usually anoints the drinks before distributing it, saying that the reason why the church was formed was to welcome those who had been banned from traditional churches. He says his church provides a safe place for people to worship and drink at the same time.

This is where those labelled ‘drunkards’ by other churches are welcome, This is a space for people to come together in God’s name without being ashamed of being drinkers. We are only saying this is an environment where one can drink without being judged at all,” said Bishop Makiti.

The church has already received over 500 members since its start two months ago. Amazingly, over 200 people have been baptised.

 

“If you drink beer, you get baptized in beer. The same goes for those who drink cider and other alcoholic beverages, his church also prays for their drinks before they are served. With God in our taverns, we would see a crime being reduced and love and respect promoted,” added the Bishop.

All members of the church are male but Makiti says he will allow women to attend once the congregation is organized.

“Women are also not allowed because we have men who are drinking, and we cannot have instances where some of them start troubling these women. We will allow women at a later stage, once our congregants have been well prepared. Wherever we hold our services, we disallow children from buying alcohol, even if they are sent by their parents; we send them back, “responded Makiti after a question on inclusivity had been raised.

Tavern owner, Mr Freddy Matebula has praised Bishop Makiti saying that ever since he started offering alcohol to his congregation, the level of crime has reduced and more community members have joined.