The Finger Lakes wine trail runs right through this part of New York, and some local believers with Methodist or Baptist roots feel that patronizing or working in wineries conflicts with Christian witness, while others see moderate enjoyment as entirely biblical. Where is the faithful line?
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Add your commentThe faithful line, since you asked, is exactly where Paul drew it in Romans 14. Don't cause your brother to stumble. If you can enjoy a glass of Riesling on a lake tour without it becoming a snare to you or to someone weaker in faith watching you, that's between you and God. If you can't, don't. What is NOT biblical is using your personal conviction as a hammer to beat other believers over the head. Wayne County Christians arguing about this online are doing more damage to witness than any winery.
Born and raised in Newark, baptized at First United Methodist on Mason Street. My grandmother marched in temperance rallies — I have the photographs. So yes, this hits close to home. But here's what I've wrestled with for years: the same Bible that Frances Willard quoted to argue against alcohol is the same Bible that records Jesus turning water into wine at a wedding. Not grape juice. Wine. Strong wine by ancient standards. I cannot pretend that away, and I've tried.
Can we please stop acting like supporting a winery tour means you're personally endorsing alcoholism? My family runs a farm stand near Sodus and we partner with two local wineries for fall tourism events. We're believers. We pray before every season. And we are not compromising our witness by existing in the same regional economy as people who sell wine. This either/or thinking drives people OUT of the church.
To the locals on this thread: can any of you name one Wayne County congregation that has developed an actual thoughtful written position on this? Not just a rule — a reasoned, scripturally grounded statement that engages the economic and historical realities of this specific community? Because I've attended three different churches in this area and not one of them has done that work. We outsource the hard questions to online arguments instead. Challenging us all, myself included.
Actually Welch developed his pasteurized grape juice in Vineland, New Jersey, not Wayne County. I see this claim floating around local Facebook groups all the time and it needs to stop. He did later move operations to the Chautauqua region of New York, but not here. Minor point maybe, but if we're going to make arguments from history let's get the history right.
nope. hard disagree with the whole framing. the question isnt whether wine tourism is legal or even whether drinking is a sin — its whether Christians should be actively PROMOTING an industry that causes documented harm in families across this county. i work at social services. i see what alcoholism does to Wayne County households every single week. that context matters.
My pastor at our Baptist church outside Lyons has been pretty clear that he won't attend any event held at a winery. I respect him deeply. But I also notice that same pastor has no problem eating at restaurants that serve alcohol. At some point the line you draw reveals more about cultural comfort zones than actual theological conviction. Just saying.
Fun fact that I think gets overlooked: the temperance movement in this region was also deeply tied to the abolitionist movement and women's suffrage. Susan B. Anthony connections, all of it overlapping. So when we honor that temperance heritage, we're honoring a whole constellation of justice commitments — not just teetotalism. I think modern Wayne County Christians should feel proud of ALL of that history, not just pick the parts that confirm whatever side they're already on.
I used to live in Geneva before moving south and I'll say this — the Finger Lakes wine culture has a smug quality to it sometimes that puts me off regardless of my theology. Like there's a certain type of wine tourist who acts like sipping Cayuga White makes them morally sophisticated. Christians in this region have every right to push back on THAT cultural attitude even if they're totally fine with moderate drinking in principle. The issue isn't always just alcohol.
The Finger Lakes wine trail is literally an economic lifeline for Wayne County. Tourism, jobs, property taxes that fund our schools. If local Christians want to boycott that, fine, but don't expect the rest of us to apologize for keeping this region alive economically. Stewardship is biblical too, last I checked.
The original Welch's grape juice was literally invented by Thomas Welch right here in this area specifically so communion could be taken without alcohol. That's how serious Christians once were about this. Now we're debating whether to staff the tasting rooms. Something got lost.
Someone needs to ask the actual wineries here — do they want our patronage or not? Some of these places cater entirely to the upscale Rochester/Syracuse weekend crowd and honestly could not care less whether local churchgoers show up. This debate might be more important to us than it is to them.
I moved here from Rochester about three years ago and honestly had no idea Wayne County had this deep temperance history until my neighbor mentioned it. That heritage is genuinely fascinating and I think it actually makes the conversation here richer than in other parts of the Finger Lakes. You all are wrestling with something real. Respect for that.
ive been going back and forth on this for months honestly. my daughter got a part time job at one of the lakeside wineries and my first instinct was to say no. then i sat with scripture. then i talked to our deacon. then i prayed. i still dont have a clean answer but i know judging her wasnt the right move either. parenting in wayne county in 2024 is complicated lol
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