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In an effort to reach the unchurched, Riverchase United Methodist Church plans to launch a new worship service at the Buffalo Wild Wings on John Hawkins Parkway in Hoover on Sunday, Dec. 14. (File)

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BIRMINGHAM, Alabama - Beer, hot wings and Jesus? Some people think it's a theological mix worth trying.

In an effort to reach the unchurched, Riverchase United Methodist Church plans to launch a new worship service at the Buffalo Wild Wings on John Hawkins Parkway in Hoover on Sunday, Dec. 14.

"We believe there's a population that would attend a service there that wouldn't go to a church," said the Rev. Wesley Savage, minister of young adults for Riverchase United Methodist Church. "We hope it's going to be a more inviting atmosphere."

The service will be called The Stream.

Since waiters and bartenders will be preparing to open for business, the atmosphere may not be conducive to church praise music, Savage said. "We're not going to have a band initially," he said.

That will help keep the service short. "It will be about 45 minutes," he said. "We want it to be a dialogue, questions and discussion about a topic: Why God? Why the church? Why the Bible? Why should I care about these things?"

The service will start at 9:45 a.m. and conclude around 10:30 a.m. "We're going to be meeting before Buffalo Wild Wings officially opens for business," Savage said. "It will be a time of prayer and devotion."

No beer will be served as part of the service. "I've had that question come up," Savage said. "We're going to encourage people to stay for lunch, stay for sports. This is part of the partnership. We'll help them with their business because they're helping us."

The church has already been promoting the service with radio ads and a video distributed on social media. There's been a lot of interest expressed, Savage said. "Most of the people are already patrons of Buffalo Wild Wings," he said.