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BlogHere are the thoughts and news of the people in our community. Leave a comment as you wish. If you want to join the blogging ask Mark.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007White With Two Sugars (please)
Coffee gives you a poem by Steve Turner others here Labels: cafe church, humour, random, reflective Posted by: Mark | 10:58 AM |
Wednesday, November 22, 2006Big Cup Little Cup
 I know, it has been a long time since I posted here. I have considered it many times, but never felt like i had the focus for putting anything meaningful ... i know - that has never stopped me before... Anyway noticing emma's comment on the last post has given me a kick - the big cup little cup picture. So there it is: sublime to the ridiculous. Simon with his espresso, or was it a ristretto, and Adam with his large extra value Hot Chocolate. I think I took the photo cos it was kinda cute, or somthing... Alpha in a cafe has been fantastic i reckon. I have loved the context and the atmosphere. It does seem natural to have a group there it seems to me. It was interesting last Sunday to not be doing the talk, Adrian did it this time. Gave me a different perspective ont he whole thing - and it jsut worked, even though it was pretty busy on Sunday. Definitely helped by the staff who have been very accommodating, if not the quickest coffee makers in the world! Anyway this Sunday is teh Alpha away day. Unfortunately we are only taking one of the Alpha courses away this weekend cos of a fefw sickness problems in that group delaying things. We are just praying God does his thing on Sunday. Labels: alpha, cafe church Posted by: Mark | 9:12 AM |
Thursday, October 12, 2006Faltering steps
 This week we have taken two faltering stepes towards the start of two new alphas. Hopefully by next Sunday in Costa and next Monday at Tammy's we will see things take off. I am so looking forward to it. It is so exciting to stand at the start of a journey not knowing what the end will bring. I have been pondering deeply on this verse both for myself and those seeking: "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened." Above is a picture of the now legendary "alpha pie". A work of art by the alpha hostess with the mostess, Tammy!! Labels: alpha, cafe church Posted by: Mark | 6:00 PM |
Monday, October 02, 2006A busy weekendWell it has felt like a busy weekend to me. Good but busy. It was great to be able to put on a "marriage vow renewal service for Mark and Dione, and their girls Eleanor and Bethany. It was a really special occasion i reckon. And didn't rain at the wrong time!! thanks to all those who helped. We also went up to an emcf celebration in Derby on Sunday. It was a fun event and great to go out for a meal afterwards together. We [the norridges] then took the opportunity to visit a good friends Adam and Karina. They are planting a church amongst the asylum seekers & refugees of Derby, as well as the ethnic minorities, called International Community Church. They do an amazing work, with incredible amounts of different types of people in, around and through [and living in] their home. It seems they have a significant group of Fasi speaking Iranians. It all blows my brian!! They also run the Beat Cafe in Derby's Arboretum Park. While on the subject of Cafe's, we are getting set up for our very own Cafe Alpha. We are plannning to have a 'welcome' event next sunday at 4pm, and then kick off for real the week after that [at 4pm upstairs in the cafe in the centre of town that isn't nero's!]. We're pretty excited by this ;o). More planning/training tonight at my place!   Labels: alpha, cafe church, mission Posted by: Mark | 2:02 PM |
Saturday, April 01, 2006The Kubik Cafe
  Along with my general habit of noting cafe churches, here is another: The Kubik Cafe. Seems like they have been running church that way, but not yet open to the public. Apparently Moot like the idea too. Labels: cafe church Posted by: Mark | 11:26 AM |
Wednesday, January 18, 2006Cafe Church - FRWY.ca
 In keeping with my general tradition of posting about examples of cafe church that I find, here is another. By the look of the website this looks to be a great example. FRWY.ca café is an innovative, non-profit coffee house and community commons that was started by a progressive, urban, artistic, missional church community called The Freeway Their selling points are great!: great coffee | art space | live music | dj showcases This is a really interesting outline of the idea of Third Place. For example: There are essential ingredients to a well-functioning third place. They must be free or inexpensive to enter and purchase food and drink within. They must be highly accessible to neighbourhoods so that people find it easy to make the place a regular part of their routine -- in other words, a lot of people should be able to comfortably walk to the place from their home. They should be a place where a number of people regularly go on a daily basis. It should be a place where the person feels welcome and comfortable, and where it is easy to enter into conversation. And a person who goes there should be able to expect to find both old and new friends each time she or he goes. Do places like this really still exist? Clearly the good old English pub is the prime example - but things are changing on that front aren't they? Anyway, to appreciate it all you also need to see their church blog, the colloquy. Enjoy! The only downer of the whole endeavour is that they haven't got a good grgaphic that I can put on this post!! Labels: cafe church, mission Posted by: Mark | 1:20 PM |
Thursday, June 23, 2005Malt Cross   [this reminded me of the matrix]  [amazing glass roof] On Tuesday it suddenly came off for us to finally visit the Malt Cross in Nottingham. So Maddy, Asher, Rhoda, Michelle and I went on a mission to find out what this place was like and what it was all about. For a small entrance, the building is very tardis-like, concealing an amazing interior - a place with real character and interest. It is a fairly unique setup in many ways, not least in that the building is owned by a trust, and the 'business' is run by a team on the ground, but under the auspices of an ecumenical setup involving many churches in Nottingham. I guess the heart of it and the interest factor from our point of view is it's raison d'etre. It is not a cafe-bar ofr a cafe-bars sake but rather, i think, a place, or better a "space", for life. They talk about creating a safe place to create: relational space, creative space, thinking space, sacred space. I guess the foudnation of this is the 'community' that is created within the cafe that people can be part of place in the midst of that the opportunity for creativity, thinking, and spirituality. Those relationships are built within the staff and the staff's relationships to the 'guests'. Creativity is explored through the bands and acts they have on their stage and the art gallery they have in a back room. Thinking is encouraged through the relationships, and, they said, discussions events. Finally they have a 'sacred space' prayer room out the back as well. It sounds early days in their journey, but there is much to be inspried by and learn from. Things that struck me: - one of the main guys prayed for 5 years around nottingham for a place like this, before the Malt Cross became a possibility. - the heart and vision of the guys running it to see disciples being formed in the context of the cafe community - crushed maltesers and coffee beans sprinkled on the mochas - the similar ideas to what are in my head - great building, but even so they felt constrained by it Anyone else? All of my photos are here [you may have to register to view them, but it is a great service anyway. I recommend clicking slideshow] Labels: cafe church, mission Posted by: Mark | 3:34 PM |
Wednesday, February 23, 2005Church at "St. Arbucks" By John Fischer [cheesy title, but obviously a topic i have to post here!] Okay, since coffee shops and specifically Starbucks have been coming up a lot in these devotionals (and in your responses), I feel compelled to tell you another story inspired by the caffeine bean. I recently heard about a group of guys who meet regularly at a Starbucks to study the Bible, pray and share their lives together. Since their experience is so much like church, they have come to rename their meeting place "St. Arbucks" instead of Starbucks. It's a very clever idea and something that might catch on, especially when you consider how important small group fellowship is in the life of a believer. from purposedrivenlife.com, thanks to Rhodes and her friend emma we couldn't believe by the way, quite how many starbucks and neros we saw in our wander around london - hundreds!! Labels: cafe church, mission Posted by: Mark | 8:45 AM |
Thursday, February 17, 2005what a cafe church invite thing might look like??????? [I liked it and so wanted to show it off!! Basically ignore the titles and dates ... well let me know which titles you like!]  Labels: cafe church Posted by: Mark | 8:58 AM |
Wednesday, November 24, 2004
  Malt Cross is One! The Malt Cross has just celebrated its first birthday. Happy Birthday!! For those of you who are not aware the Malt Cross is a collaberation of a number of christian groups in Nottingham, including the Church Army and Trent Vineyard. I am not sure exactly what the vision is other than the more I hear about it the more it sounds along similar lines to some of my Cafe Church thinking. They are building a community in the cafe and seeing it as a genuine interaction point for church. The Church Army are regarding it as a new expression of church, I understand, and through the Malt Cross are financing a 'pastor to pub/club culture'. Apparently even our very own Jade frequents the place! My brother is involved a fair bit [he did the website and graphic design stuff]. I am beginning to think that a trip up would be a good idea. Anyone fancy it?  Labels: cafe church Posted by: Mark | 1:46 PM |
Tuesday, June 22, 2004
 Pub ChurchI really like this: www.pubchurch.com. It is a great, well designed site, and has added to my thoughts on what church would look like in a cafe. What do you think? Of course you would also want to look here: cafe church and here: cafe church. Any more people have found? Labels: cafe church, church Posted by: Mark | 1:11 PM |
Wednesday, January 28, 2004I have been talking for a while about how to start a Home Church in a cafe. Rhoda is starting make friends with the Caffe Nero workers. This link could give us some clues: TallSkinnyKiwi: Cafe church. Come on, let's do it!! Labels: cafe church, church, mission Posted by: Mark | 4:22 PM |
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