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mission shaped church

cafe church

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This label is an attempt to group examples that seek to engage with cafe

culture and whose external characteristic is a deliberate change of

ambience and `feel' when people meet corporately. In short, gatherings 

are around small tables rather than in pews. Drinks and often nibbles are

routinely available at the start, rather than an option at the end. People

characteristically sit and talk, rather than stand or defend their personal

space. Interaction rather than spectating is encouraged. The venues are

often secular: community centres, youth clubs, cafes and pub rooms.

Examples of this expression of church are not yet common.

A story:

`Rubik's Cube' is the result of a vision for Bristol churches to

reach out to the unchurched within the emerging generation,

through meeting, music and making friends. Ruth Hiett, from

the `Rubik's Cube' project, says `Our  The Rubik's Cube  bar

night, every Monday, has continued to grow in both credibility

and relationship building. It was rated in a national DJ

magazine as being  on the cutting edge of the drum and bass

scene .' Further, `Rubik's Cafe' night was launched in May

2003 and runs on the first and third Saturday of each month.

Ruth describes the cafe as `like a magnet' and comments,

`people who have never been to church come regularly to the

cafe and, slowly, they are becoming our friends and becoming

interested in our faith'.

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A story: Open House, Brentford, West London, provided

by Virginia Luckett

The `Open House Project' is a community cafe based at St

Paul's centre and is part of the parish of Brentford's mission

and service to local people. As well as serving delicious food,

the project offers prayer ministry, discussion of the Bible and

pastoral support through `listeners'. The cafe's motto is `Food

for the Body, Food for the Soul' and has a holistic approach,

dealing with the whole person, recognizing both spiritual and

physical hunger. It provides good food and opportunity to talk,

listen, discuss the Bible and pray, so in this way we aim to

satisfy both forms of hunger.

Open House is based on the `community ministry' model

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involving Christians and non Christians working together, and

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