For those of us who start our morning worshiping at St. Arbucks (that’s StarbucksTM, for those of you who don’t take your coffee as seriously as I do), coffee is our first step to facing the world each morning; it provides an opportunity to stop and think about the day ahead; it is a vehicle for conversation and fellowship. I could write a few chapters drawing parallels between coffee and our life as a worshiping community!
For now, I’d like to talk about fellowship and the opportunities we have at Lord of Life. So how does coffee affect our lives in fellowship with each other?
An unnamed contributor on beliefnet.com writes,
[Coffee] does what Christian fellowship is supposed to do. It's uplifting; the drink itself is warm and inviting. Coffee hour offers a "level-playing field," notes [Rev. Maryetta] Anschutz. "It's not the yacht club. Anyone can come and mingle freely. Even if you don't discuss your faith, something in a sermon may draw you into a meaningful discussion about God and life." And those who indulge regularly find that abstaining from either church or coffee produces anxiety and irritability.
Recently we’ve installed new coffee machines to replace the percolators that used to provide our Sunday morning java. The new systems make it easier and quicker to produce a quality pot of coffee. Combined with last year’s remodel, we have a renewed opportunity to take advantage of fellowship time after church and throughout the week.
I know what you’re thinking ... coffee is such an important sacrament that maybe we should have to go through classes like we do for Baptism and Confirmation. This is way easier than that! In fact, in the 16th Century, Pope Clement VIII baptized coffee so that it could be considered a sacred drink without any extra effort from us.
Here are some helpful hints as you consider partaking in coffee fellowship:
- Before or after church, pour yourself a cup of coffee. I drink mine black, but you can put cream and sugar in it if you’d like.
- You know that person who sits on the other side of the church but you’ve never talked to before because they aren’t within the “passing the peace” zone? Say “hi!”
- Maybe you noticed someone new. Say something like “I haven’t seen you before. I’m “[your name here]”. (Pro tip: avoid saying “are you new?” ... they might usually go to another worship time or maybe they haven’t been at church in a while.) Find out a little bit about them – perhaps you could guide them toward a ministry they might be interested in.
- Learn to make coffee! Let us know that you’re interested – it is super easy and if we run out, it is nice to have a few people who know how to do it. It might come in handy at your next ministry gathering, too.
- Leave a tip in the donation jar! If you get coffee from a coffee shop, you know you’re paying not only for the coffee, but the convenience and the experience of having a well-trained barista make your special cup. For just a fraction of what you might pay, you can help us offset the cost of our coffee.
Our coffee fellowship has the potential to help us connect to one another and continue to build on the strength of our ministries together. I hope to see you soon in one of our gathering areas with a cup of coffee and some fellowship time!