the coffee hangout experience

As a staff, we've been talking about having a third worship alternative for a long time. Each time we do, there is always talk around it being in a coffee shop. Why? Because it's something that everyone knows about....

So here's a few random observations...

-people think they are talking privately. In the hour I've been sitting here, I've heard people talking about relationship/marital issues, work issues and just general comments about themselves that I'm SURE they would never say elsewhere. I'm not trying to eavesdrop either. I could be across the room and deaf and still hear what they are saying. What does that tell me? 1) Coffee shops are the place that people experience care and community. 2) I need to talk quieter.

-Coffee is expensive here but everyone buys it. I had a square and a medium coffee. $5. (I always tip because as Christians, I think we need to be known for being generous not stingy but that's another blog topic) Some people come here every day. So in a month, that's a $100 coffee budget IF it's only once a day. Why do people pay what they could pay for a whole pound of coffee at the store? Because they pay for the atmosphere. It's the daytime equivalent of going to a pub. Or the adult equivalent of 7-11 or the arcade when I was a teen. I pay $5 and I can stay here and people watch all day if I want. $5 for a cup of coffee and a square is a rip off but $5 for an activity is dirt cheap. What does that tell me? Content is important but how the content is packaged and presented is even more important these days.

-There's no dress code or 'way you need to be' to come here. There's two guys in the corner wearing suits. In the booth over, two guys wearing jeans and hats are playing chess. Two moms wearing sweatpants with kids are here as well. And then there's scruffy me with my holiday beard (yes that's what the 'dirt' is on my chin - I'm Asian - give me a break.). But there's no heirarchy or pecking order here. We're all treated the same and more importantly, we all 'feel' the same. That's an important part of the coffee culture because every place has a different feel and the feeling you belong is important. The teaching here for me? Coffee shops do naturally what churches work at forever trying to achieve.

We're doing our java worship experience in mid January. We'll see whether we can have a redemptive coffee experience. Actually, that's not stated right. We'll see whether the coffee shop can redeem many of our church experiences.