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| The Mission Cafe |
At Cool Spring we’ll start to raise funds in November to furnish the Mission Café with professional coffee and espresso equipment. Our goal is to raise $18,000.00 before Christmas. Once the funds are realized, we’ll start installation. The Mission Café is an excellent connecting space. The plan is to utilize the space throughout Sunday mornings for attenders to connect, socialize, and enjoy a hot beverage or baked good. Once finalized, the Mission Café will open every Sunday before the first service and remain open until after the last service. You can come early, stop in between services, or visit following a service. Think about it – no more late stops by Wawa or Starbucks on Sunday morning. You can make your way to the Mission Café and grab a premium coffee, latte, or espresso to enjoy and help you wake you up before the teaching time. Not only are we helping with the Sunday morning commute but, proceeds from every beverage or product purchased will go toward our monthly missions emphasis at the Mission Café. Grab a latte and help make a difference.
That all sounds Great! I like a good cup of coffee, esp. come cooler weather. I’ll give a donation towards the cafe.
Thanks Brenda!
I’d rather see the $18,000 go to Sandy relief or the poor.
Hey Anonymous, appreciate the comment. Personally, I think you can do both. I’m grateful to be a part of a church family which is ranked as one of the most generous congregations (missionally) in our state. We’re collecting goods as I reply for Sandy. Financially we’re helping families every week.
The coffe shop will aid Cool Spring in accomplishing part of her purpose. Cool Spring is all about living connected – connected to each other, connected to our community, and most importantly connected to Christ. We lack a common connecting space especially on Sunday mornings. With three services, two Bible Study hours, and space constraints – we need a space where people can socialize. Since the cafe is already in place, we’re simply adding equipment to create a connecting space on Sundays. We’re creating an opportunity to people to engage each other in conversation before, after, and maybe even during services.
It sounds like there is a balance of ministry to the church and outside of it. I think more open discussion will be healthy for the congregation, too. I do worry when there’s too much focus on being bigger, better, having more programs, being #1, etc. There’s a lot of need out there – just hoping some needs aren’t dismissed for a cup of coffee.
P.S. I am glad you said connected to Christ, because that doesn’t show up in the Strategic Plan trifold brochure – God is mentioned once, Christ not at all, Spirit once, but it’s not clear that it’s Holy Spirit.
Good observation on the trifold document. There are some critical assumptions here. Embedded in the narrative (explanation) Sunday evening were such terms as sharing the gospel, sharing Christ, living the gospel, making disciples, reaching our community for Christ, etc. The strategic plan is a directional piece uniquely influenced by our Vision (Cool Spring Baptist Church is to be biblically functioning community of Christian believers who glorify God by reflecting Jesus Christ as we strive to accomplish His will), Mission (To reach and develop all people into fully committed followers of Jesus Christ), our Principles of Ministry, and our brand (Cool Spring is all about living connected: connect to each other, connected to our community, but most importantly connected to Christ… we do this in three unique ways: we link, learn, and live). These statements, principles, and plan are all layers of our purpose – not necessarily standing alone but in concert.