Coffee lounge helps church build relationships
Coffee lounge helps church build relationships
Walking along his usual route to class, a college student in downtown Milwaukee spots a sign that wasn’t there before—Grace Place Coffee Lounge. Through the large windows he can see a group playing cards at a table and a couple others behind laptops on the comfy loveseats. This new coffee lounge is off the lobby of the Grace Center, a building that Grace Lutheran Church in Milwaukee dedicated in March 2007.
If the church doors are the front entrance to the gospel, the Grace Center is a side door. The Grace Center forms connections between church and community as individuals and organizations use its Great Hall for events.
During the planning stage of the Grace Center, congregation members also expressed that they wanted “a way to evangelize in a ‘soft’ non-threatening way and a place to welcome un-churched visitors that would not be intimidating,” Jeanne Carbon, Grace’s church administrator, says. “Members also wanted a place for fellowship on a daily basis.”
And so, Grace Place Coffee Lounge was incorporated into the Grace Center . . . but not without some challenges. Codes, occupancy rules, and Health Department regulations had to be met. Then a broken plumbing valve leading to a flood and a new floor delayed the opening. Grace Place finally welcomed the public in November 2007.
As a non-profit organization, Grace Place relies on volunteer baristi and coffee sales to cover its expenses. Manager Bob Zastrow oversees the day-to-day operation of the coffee lounge and also trains and coordinates schedules of more than 50 volunteer staff. The current goal is to be open on Sundays from 7 A.M. to 1 P.M. and Mondays from 5:30 P.M. to 9 P.M.
Grace Place’s mission is “to help build Christian relationships with the people in our community and congregation by means of outreach, programs and events, and congregational fellowship.” The college ministry at Grace has already used the lounge for game nights and study nights. (Free wireless Internet and great coffee drinks have been big draws.) The lounge is also open for wedding receptions and other events held in the upstairs Great Hall.
“We are looking to attract college students and young adults who live in the area, the increasing number of residents (young and old alike) in the numerous condominium complexes going up around downtown, as well as the downtown workers who walk past on their way to work each day,” Carbon shares.
The church’s vision for Grace Place in 2010 is that it will be open daily, well-publicized, and self-sufficient. Daron Lindemann, pastor at Grace, sums it all up when he says, “It will offer Christian truth daily through subtle expressions and friendly conversations, as well as through scheduled Bible studies.”
If the church doors are the front entrance to the gospel, the Grace Center is a side door. The Grace Center forms connections between church and community as individuals and organizations use its Great Hall for events.
During the planning stage of the Grace Center, congregation members also expressed that they wanted “a way to evangelize in a ‘soft’ non-threatening way and a place to welcome un-churched visitors that would not be intimidating,” Jeanne Carbon, Grace’s church administrator, says. “Members also wanted a place for fellowship on a daily basis.”
And so, Grace Place Coffee Lounge was incorporated into the Grace Center . . . but not without some challenges. Codes, occupancy rules, and Health Department regulations had to be met. Then a broken plumbing valve leading to a flood and a new floor delayed the opening. Grace Place finally welcomed the public in November 2007.
As a non-profit organization, Grace Place relies on volunteer baristi and coffee sales to cover its expenses. Manager Bob Zastrow oversees the day-to-day operation of the coffee lounge and also trains and coordinates schedules of more than 50 volunteer staff. The current goal is to be open on Sundays from 7 A.M. to 1 P.M. and Mondays from 5:30 P.M. to 9 P.M.
Grace Place’s mission is “to help build Christian relationships with the people in our community and congregation by means of outreach, programs and events, and congregational fellowship.” The college ministry at Grace has already used the lounge for game nights and study nights. (Free wireless Internet and great coffee drinks have been big draws.) The lounge is also open for wedding receptions and other events held in the upstairs Great Hall.
“We are looking to attract college students and young adults who live in the area, the increasing number of residents (young and old alike) in the numerous condominium complexes going up around downtown, as well as the downtown workers who walk past on their way to work each day,” Carbon shares.
The church’s vision for Grace Place in 2010 is that it will be open daily, well-publicized, and self-sufficient. Daron Lindemann, pastor at Grace, sums it all up when he says, “It will offer Christian truth daily through subtle expressions and friendly conversations, as well as through scheduled Bible studies.”
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