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Ohio Cigar Shop Hosts Regular Bible Study

A smoke shop in Rock River, Ohio regularly welcomes cigar enthusiasts with an interest in the Bible for a somewhat unorthodox study group. Local Lutheran pastor Eric Van Scyoc hosts a Bible study twice a month in a back room in the store, where listeners enjoy a smoke, learn about the Word and fellowship together. It’s even referred to as the “Smokin’ Bible Study” by Van Scyoc’s congregation.

According to The Sandusky Register, Van Scyoc has been pastoring St. Thomas Lutheran Church in Rocky River since 1994. Shop owner George Karitakis approached him about three years ago with the idea of conducting a study in his store, about which Van Scyoc had reservations at first. But no one in his congregation objected to it, so he went ahead with it.

Attendee Larry Gilbert calls it “an opportunity to get out of the cold, have a cigar and learn some Bible,” and Van Scyoc calls it “an opportunity to bring the Bible out from the walls of the church.”