The Rev. Gary Dull has never tasted a drop of beer in his life. But he has seen its effects on people, their family and their jobs.

That's why, when he found out last month that the Sheetz convenience store chain has filed an application to sell beer at a new combination store/restaurant under construction in Altoona, he rallied church members people from across the state to stop it.

In all, he and his supporters collected more than 6,700 signatures to send to the state Liquor Control Board opposing a license for the store, which is expected to open in early June.

"We feel there are enough places around Altoona -- if people want to buy beer, they can," said Dull, who leads the Faith Baptist Church there.

By selling it at the new store, he said, beer would be more readily available to teenagers and it would be a more attractive product to them.

"The accessibility will show young people that it's OK to drink it," Dull said.

But more than that, he worries giving Sheetz a license there will open the floodgates for other convenience and grocery stores across the state.

"What this new store is, is a test store," Dull said. "If this goes well, you might see them in Pittsburgh or Philadelphia or anywhere else across the state."

Currently, Sheetz Inc. operates 296 stores in six states, including 182 in Pennsylvania. Alcohol is sold in 86 Sheetz stores in West Virginia, Ohio, Maryland and Virginia.

In those stores, alcohol accounts for 5 to 8 percent of total inside sales, said company Chairman Steve Sheetz.

He said his company has talked to customers about what they want from his stores, and the new 10,000 square-foot construction in Altoona reflects that.

The building will be a combination convenience store and restaurant.

At twice the size of a typical Sheetz, the restaurant side will seat up to 54 people inside and 40 outside. It will feature a drive-up window and sell pizza, gelato, sandwiches, and, maybe, beer.

"Our food business has really grown, but our facility has never really reflected that," Sheetz said.

The beer would be sold as take-out only and would not be allowed to be consumed on the premises -- either in the restaurant or anywhere else.

"People would like to be able to get their meal and take a six-pack home with them at the same time," said Sheetz, who has talked with Dull on the issue.

Under state liquor control laws, to get a beer license an establishment must serve food and have seating for 30 people, said Bill Epstein, a spokesman with the PLCB. There must also be some kind of physical separation between the area that the alcohol is sold and the area where other, more typical convenience items are purchased, Epstein said.

In this case, because of the number of people who have opposed the Sheetz license, the PLCB will hold a public hearing on the matter -- likely in May in the Altoona area.

"This application doesn't come as a great surprise to us," Epstein said. "A lot of people in the industry have been expecting this."

But Dull, the 52-year-old pastor, believes alcohol sales should be more restricted, not less. That would not be the case if beer could be sold at a Sheetz convenience store, he contends.

He sent out letters to some 300 churches across the state asking for their support. In a little more than a month, 7,000 people responded -- either by signing petitions or by downloading a letter of opposition from the Faith Baptist Church Web site.

The sample letter claims that selling beer at Sheetz will ruin its role as a family convenience store.

Another concern raised by Dull is the potential for alcohol sales to minors or to people who already may be intoxicated.

But Steve Sheetz said that would not occur and that employees would be properly trained at the Altoona store just like they are in current Sheetz locations that do sell alcohol.

"We are very vigilant in terms of how we sell it," Sheetz said. "It's a legal product, and we'll continue to sell it responsibly."

Dull, who considers this to be nothing more than a friendly disagreement, estimates that he's spoken with 100 people who drink beer but don't think it should be sold at convenience stores.

But Steve Sheetz isn't moved by that argument.

"In the end, it's the decision of the PLCB that counts," he said. "It doesn't matter to me how many signatures he gets. It's not a popularity contest.

"If we get it, great. If we don't, we move on."