· Alcohol should not be served prior to worship or business meetings.
· All beverages and food containing alcohol must be clearly and distinctly labeled. This guidelines is most often forgotten where food is concerned. It must be remembered that the flavor of liquor (in food where the alcohol has been cooked out) is something which many persons in recovery wish to avoid.
· Food must be available at all functions where alcohol is served.
· Equally attractive, non-alcoholic alternatives must be offered as conspicuously as alcoholic beverages. Persons who wish to abstain from alcohol must be able to do so comfortably. It is critical that alternatives to non-alcoholic beverages be of equal quality as those containing alcohol. It is inappropriate to serve a good bottle of wine in a crystal glass when the only alternative is a can of pop in the back of the refrigerator (or a pot of coffee on the stove) with nothing to drink from but a paper cup.
· The promotion of church functions must not use alcohol as an enticement to participation.
o No announcements, advertisements or promotional material should imply that drinking alcohol is a social requirement.
o Alcoholic beverages should not be a part of the identification of church events—e.g. “Bratwurst Festival” not “Beer and Bratwurst;” “Reception with Hors-d’oeuvres,” or “Reception with Light Refreshment,” not “Wine and Cheese Reception.”
o Alcohol should not be served in such a way as to teach children that growing up necessarily implies alcohol consumption. Thus, references to “kiddie cocktails,” and “Shirley Temples are to be avoided.
· All federal, state and local laws and ordinances must be observed. This includes regulations requiring licenses for the sale of alcohol, prohibiting the distribution of alcohol to minors, and serving alcohol to intoxicated persons. Serving alcoholic beverages entails incurring moral as well as potential legal and financial liability for those who become intoxicated. It is expected that responsibility will be taken for the safety of persons who become intoxicated at church functions (up to and including transportation for those whose driving might be impaired).
“But take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block…” 1 Corinthians 8:9
