Guinness and God has continued its momentum in Canberra, with its third instalment for the year bringing 50 young adults together for a night of trivia, friendly competition and plenty of pretzels!
The latest event, Guinness and God Social: Oktoberfest Edition, took a slightly different approach to the usual G&G format, trading talks and big questions for a lively social evening. Tables went head-to-head in trivia, competitions brought out some spirited rivalry, and there were plenty of opportunities to win a bunch of pretzels along the way.
But while the evening was all about having a good time, there was a bigger purpose behind it.
Guinness and God seeks to be a wide net for Canberra’s young adults aged 18–30, with a particular focus on reaching university-aged young people (18–22). While this Catholic event warmly invites Catholics from across the Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn, it is equally intentional about creating an environment where people of any faith, or no faith at all, are invited and feel welcome. Our aim is to create a room where around half of those attending might not identify as Catholic.
Social evenings are an important part of making this possible. They create natural opportunities for walk-ins, first-time attendees and those who might not otherwise consider coming along to a Church event. Sometimes, the first step towards a conversation about faith is simply having a good time with good people.
That was certainly the case this time around. Two young men, aged 21 and 22, were catching up at the venue when they noticed what was happening and decided to join in. They stayed right through to the end of the evening, eventually sharing their questions about reconnecting with the Church and expressing a genuine openness and desire to attend future Guinness and God events. There were other stories like this on the night. It’s a wonderful reminder of what can happen when we create spaces that people can simply walk into.
Guinness and God is an active partnership between the Catholic Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn and the Australian Catholic University (ACU), supported by a growing team of 12 young adults drawn from these communities and beyond.
Together, the team is working to build something that reaches beyond the usual circles of Church life: an opportunity for young adults to encounter friendship, explore life’s bigger questions and discover that there is a place for them in the Church.
Sometimes it starts with a pint, a trivia question and a pretzel. And sometimes, it opens the door to something much bigger.