While Jesus may have turned water into wine, two Aberdeen ministers will be performing their own miracle this weekend – by turning a traditional carol service into a jovial evening at the pub.
Rev Scott Rennie, of Queen’s Cross Parish Church, and Rev Robert Smith, who leads Rubislaw Parish Church, will host around 100 people at their Beer and Carols night at the Dutch Mill Hotel on Sunday.
The two ministers will sing along with revellers as they perform Christmas classics like Silent Night, Deck the Halls and Hark the Herald Angels Sing, as well as telling the story of how Jesus was born.
Rev Rennie said: “Robert and I are usually at the Dutcher on a Sunday night to watch football but decided it would be great to lead Christmas celebrations in the heart of the local community at their local on queen’s Road.
“We meet a lot of our neighbours there and we thought, why don’t we get out of our churches and meet people here?”
Rev Rennie said he and Rev Smith were “worried that he might think we’d gone mad” when he asked Richard Nicol, the manager of the hotel about their idea.
But Mr Nicoll loved the idea, and is now offering free mince pies on the occasion.
Rev Rennie added: “Robert and I are just glad to take the Christmas story out into our community to give people an excuse to come together and celebrate it.”
The Beer and Carols event will take place from 6.30pm on Sunday.