"Coffee & Cross" came from an idea I had to make “church” more inviting.
I felt a coffee shop would be less intimidating than venturing into a church to find out why people go. So I put an advert in the free press sections of the papers inviting them for a chat and a coffee. The Mail thought it was a newsworthy item so ran a feature on the launch, which generated a lot of interest.
Each time I walk to the café, I pray for the right words from God. I never know what to expect when I arrive. It has become less scary over time. When I first started there were a few who came to argue with me – to see me off, if you like, but that response is rare now. To my surprise, I seem to get mainly Christians who have had, and in some cases still are having, issues with church. I try to explain that church and God are not the same, for we in the church are only human – and therefore bound to fall short.
What I have found to be most powerful and rewarding is when people accept the offer to pray for and with them. Tears are not that unusual in these times.
I can’t go into detail as I consider the conversations I have to be private, and most are personal, but I'l give you a guarded summary of one event.
An acquaintance asked me if I would meet someone they knew who wanted to know God's view on the difficulty they were in. Both my acquaintance and his friend were from a different religion but, as we recognise the same God, they were willing to trust me. When he came to see me, it was obvious that he was under some stress. He was in a legal situation and being advised to say something that he considered untrue. The legal advice was sound, but his question was, "What would God think of me lying?"
It's a heavy responsibility, which brings that “What would Jesus do?” response into sharp and real focus.
I have had one or two come back and it's been encouraging when they say how helpful the time was for them. I now have a regular companion who tells me that our chats keep him from going mad. We have established a good friendship and he always insists that we end in prayer.
Going forward I would love to see more people turn up, as numbers have dwindled since Covid and having a couple of venue changes. I still believe in being seen outside of the church: witnessing, comforting, laughing and talking, but most of all praying.
Check out other articles in the
series below.
More articles in the
series are to come.
We have invited these writers to share their experiences, ideas and opinions in the hope that these will provoke thought, challenge you to go deeper and inspire you to put your faith into action. These articles should not be taken as the official view of the Nelson Diocese on any particular matter.
"Coffee & Cross" came from an idea I had to make “church” more inviting.
I felt a coffee shop would be less intimidating than venturing into a church to find out why people go. So I put an advert in the free press sections of the papers inviting them for a chat and a coffee. The Mail thought it was a newsworthy item so ran a feature on the launch, which generated a lot of interest.
Each time I walk to the café, I pray for the right words from God. I never know what to expect when I arrive. It has become less scary over time. When I first started there were a few who came to argue with me – to see me off, if you like, but that response is rare now. To my surprise, I seem to get mainly Christians who have had, and in some cases still are having, issues with church. I try to explain that church and God are not the same, for we in the church are only human – and therefore bound to fall short.
What I have found to be most powerful and rewarding is when people accept the offer to pray for and with them. Tears are not that unusual in these times.
I can’t go into detail as I consider the conversations I have to be private, and most are personal, but I'l give you a guarded summary of one event.
An acquaintance asked me if I would meet someone they knew who wanted to know God's view on the difficulty they were in. Both my acquaintance and his friend were from a different religion but, as we recognise the same God, they were willing to trust me. When he came to see me, it was obvious that he was under some stress. He was in a legal situation and being advised to say something that he considered untrue. The legal advice was sound, but his question was, "What would God think of me lying?"
It's a heavy responsibility, which brings that “What would Jesus do?” response into sharp and real focus.
I have had one or two come back and it's been encouraging when they say how helpful the time was for them. I now have a regular companion who tells me that our chats keep him from going mad. We have established a good friendship and he always insists that we end in prayer.
Going forward I would love to see more people turn up, as numbers have dwindled since Covid and having a couple of venue changes. I still believe in being seen outside of the church: witnessing, comforting, laughing and talking, but most of all praying.
Check out other articles in the
series below.
More articles in the
series are to come.
