This archive report was first published on 4 July 2020.
South Africa's easing of its coronavirus lockdown in May allowed religious gatherings of up to 50 people, but banned social drinking. This poses a challenge for the Gabola church, whose name, meaning 'drinking' in Tswana, reflects its unique worship style.
Founded just two years ago, the church has been holding its services in local bars, called shebeens, where worshippers praise God while drinking whisky. However, this has led to the church's leader, Tsietsi Makiti, 55, and his followers being arrested.
'They can arrest us until Jesus comes back,' Makiti said, wearing a bishop's mitre with a miniature bottle of spirits hanging off it.
Despite the ban on alcohol, the Gabola church has found ways to adapt. On Sunday, worshippers met in a field in Evaton, south of Johannesburg, where they blessed beer bottles in prayer.
'At Gabola church, you bring the liquor of your choice, and the pastor will bless the liquor so that it will not be poisonous to your body,' Makiti said.
The church's services are a far cry from traditional Christian worship, but Makiti believes they are making a difference. 'We are a church that will remake the world,' he proclaimed.
While some Protestant sects teach that alcohol is sinful, most mainstream Christian churches are not opposed to moderate drinking, citing Biblical stories like Jesus turning water into wine at a wedding feast.
