Greater Purpose Church opening brewery at old Logos bookstore in Downtown Santa Cruz

Greater Purpose Community Church in Santa Cruz will be opening a restaurant and brewery that will double as a church in the old Logos Bookstore location.

Logos Bookstore on Pacific Avenue closed last year after falling victim to online book retailers, now the space will take on a new look.

Christopher Vanhall, a reverend at the Greater Purpose Community Church says their church is different from others, “Christianity has been in the front row wearing a we’re number one foam finger, on the wrong side of history. Jesus said everything about making peace, loving your enemy, taking care of the poor and loving your neighbor as your self and consequently the church looks nothing like that right now and that’s a problem, so that’s why we exist.”

For quite sometime they have been thinking of opening a space to serve the community where they can also worship.

After throwing ideas around, a restaurant and brewery stuck.

Vanhall says there has been some misconception about how these will all flow together, “when you come in as a customer Monday through Saturday you’re not going to be preached at all you’re not getting a church service, there’s not going to be biblical merchandise anywhere, nothing like that. It’s going to be a safe space for people of all faith or no faith, people of all sexual and gender identities, on Sunday’s we will have church in the bar but it’s going to be before we open to the public so it’s not like anyone is going to get duped into coming to church at any point.”

The restaurant, bar and a stage will all be located upstairs with the brewery equipment downstairs.

Vanhall says they plan to give 30% to 60% of their profit to local charities such as planned parenthood, the homeless garden project, the Diversity center for LGBTQ, Save Our Shores and many others.

They are still early on in the planning, permit and licensing stages.

Officials with the Economic Department says this new brewery should fit right in, “”there are so many unique euntrepanuers creating these exciting new food and alcohol and entertainment spaces, so to see this creative use coming downtown is an exciting thing to kind of compliment what is already happening,” says Rebecca Unitt.

Vanhall says the kitchen theme will be Southern Comfort food with vegan and vegetarian options.

There will be a drink limit to keep the space family friendly.

Greater Purpose Brewing Company is expected to be up and running by the end of 2019.