Ei Publican Partnerships, the tied, leased and tenanted division of Ei Group, has two pubs in north of England villages that are combining beer and hymns, pints and prayers - and attracting the interest of local bishops.
The New Inn, in the Yorkshire Dales, and County Durham's Spotted Dog, have both opened their doors to church congregations.
When the Clapham village church of St James closed for renovation work, New Inn publicans Ron and Lesley Benson invited the local vicar to use the pub for a Sunday fellowship meeting.
Rev Ian Greenhalgh took up the offer, and around 20 parishioners turned up at the Old Road pub. The meetings have since become a regular Sunday evening feature, and were given a boost when the Bishop of Leeds attended one of the early gatherings.
Now held every two months and lasting up to an hour-and-a-half, they attract around 50 churchgoers who listen to talks, sing hymns, and play music.
Greenhalgh said, 'It all started when the vicar told me he hadn't got a venue for a fellowship meeting. I offered him use of the pub.
'The numbers have doubled since the first meeting, helped by the appearance early on of the Bishop of Leeds. The meetings are held in the public bar, and any customers there at the time have to join in because it's so infectious.
'It's a novel idea that's caught on, and people have visited from across Yorkshire to see if they can replicate the idea in their own dioceses and parishes.'
Ei Publican Partnerships regional manager, Mark Price said, 'This is a wonderful example of one of our publicans putting their pub at the heart of the community they're in.
'The offer to host fellowship meetings was generous and inspired, and the fact that they have continued to be held there, even though renovation work at the church has been completed, is testament to the warm welcome provided at The New Inn.'
Meanwhile, at The Spotted Dog, on The Green, High Coniscliffe, near Darlington, beer and hymn evenings have attracted another bishop - the Bishop of Durham, the Rt Rev Paul Butler.
He heard about the pub hosting twice-yearly gatherings - at Easter and Christmas - which attract around 100 villagers and local churchgoers, who enjoy singing hymns over beers and food laid on by publican Steve Grabham. Bishop Butler dropped into the pub as part of a 'prayer walk' to High Coniscliffe, last year.
Grabham, who has been at The Spotted Dog for three years, got the idea for the beer and hymn nights after a Christmas carol event proved popular. He said, 'Members of the congregation at the village church, St Edwin's, join villagers with hymn sheets and sing along to piano accompaniment. They all have a great time, and it's an excellent way of attracting people to the pub who wouldn't normally come.'