Coffee and Ministry

For many years my husband and I have gone out for coffee together on Saturday morning. Every couple needs time alone together for a strong marriage and this is the time that worked best for us.

A couple of years ago some of our members found out that we had a tradition of having coffee and decided it would be better as a group event. The idea was to use the Saturday morning coffee event as evangelism and outreach to new people. They had done it successfully in another area and we had read about having an off site, casual get together as a means of outreach. We started getting together as a ministry. (If it weren't a ministry I'd still be having coffee with just my sweetie. Marriages are important too. Fifty percent of them break up.).

We have continued because it is fulfilling it's purpose. We are doing ministry. There are people who would not be attending our church if they had not first come through the coffee fellowship. They wanted to talk to the pastor and some of the members informally first and see if this was the right group for them.

There have been other facets. This is another place for people to get to know one another better and get connected. People have learned that they have common interests and have started doing things together.

There are no unwritten rules to worry about violating in a coffee shop as opposed to a church building, especially for those who are new to the church or who have not been since they were a child. They can relax about those things. Sometimes people will ask us in this setting what is appropriate and what is not at church, such as are they welcome to take communion or are they expected to dress a certain way. People get very anxious about these things, particularly if they have been treated harshly elsewhere.

For some it has been an educational time. They have questions about theology or what the Bible says. They may want to know what our denomination believes about certain things. It is very normal to get questions on "where in the Bible do I find...." or "how does God feel about...". Those who attend know this is a good time and place to get the answers to the things they are pondering (or sweating). Sometimes the coffee is more like a Bible study. Every so often a group of people will get into a heavy theological discussion, an opportunity not available in other settings.

Often people come with ideas on things the church could do or things they would like to do. Many good ideas and programs have come out of the Saturday morning coffee. It is a chance for those who are interested to get feedback from several others, including the pastor and elders, to refine their ideas for presenting to session. The float trip as one example, which has been very successful as a ministry to both members and those outside of the church, came as a result of one of the discussions.

A correlary to this is things people feel God wants them to do but they don't know how to get started. As an example, one of our members felt the Lord was calling him to write a book. We helped him get started. If you go to the church, you know who that is.

Over half of the time there will be at least one person who is involved in a difficult life issue and is looking for someone to talk to. For these times it is a support group. Sometimes the need is just for someone to listen and care. Other times they are looking for advice or practical help. Rarely does a person with personal issues tell the whole group. They generally just talk to a few nearby. That is quite appropriate. Some things are better off not being announced. (Which means I could be really put on the spot if somebody wants me to tell a group what went on at coffee that week. They are going to get the answer, we talked and had fun.)

Another part of ministry that happens on Saturday morning coffee is the planning of details, especially involving food or church events. Mainly ladies sit and talk about what they are fixing for this or that and may spend an hour or more coordinating and refining. It may be decorations or one of the other ministries. A few times it has been weddings or showers. Sometimes the details the guys discuss with the women have to do with things that need fixing in the church or discussion of the things needed to make everything run more smoothly. Everything that is going on has probably been discussed and benefitted.

There is always the obvious reason for coming to coffee with friends, to enjoy their company. We live in a world of stress and pressures. It's nice to be able to go somewhere and be assured you will be greeted and welcomed and people will smile when they see you just because you are you. They do not expect a thing out of you. And that's a ministry too.