At our church, Lamb of God, we have a very modern and relaxed service called Greater Grace that takes place at noon every Sunday. This is a service for people who are uncomfortable with the typical church service of standing and singing and praying. There is singing by our Gr8r Grace band. There is prayer. It is simply less rigid than even a contemporary church service.
During Greater Grace, we sit around and listen to whomever is teaching us the lesson for that day. Most days it is one of our wonderful pastors. On other days, a member of the congregation may have been asked to give us the lesson for that day. Then we are invited to discuss what we have just heard. Sometimes questions are asked and the answers are written down anonymously for everyone to discuss. It is a great way to learn about God and discuss what our beliefs are, and why.
However, because the service is still being held in the church sanctuary, we are not pulling in the people who would enjoy that type of service. Let's face it, some people are simply not comfortable entering a church, regardless of the format of the service or how welcoming we are. And this got us thinking about having this service somewhere outside of the church. Then my husband had an idea! And it is a great idea! More than that, it is a wondrous dream that deserves to be realized.
What about a coffee house where anyone and everyone can come and share their thoughts on God and the world around us, regardless of religious affiliation, or even lack of religious affiliation?
God has called us to open Grounds for Sharing. Once the idea was delivered to my husband, everything began to fall into place. The very next Sunday, my husband approached one of our pastors with the idea and she connected us with another woman who had a similar dream. We found a local coffee roaster who imports coffee beans from around the world. We have met people willing to help us in various ways on the road toward obtaining our coffee house.
As soon as the doors open, we invite you to come into our
coffee house any time you want delicious coffee and a place to feel
completely at home. You can have stimulating conversations or simply
sit back and listen. We all share this planet. We believe it is time to come together and learn about each other in an open and friendly environment.
We will have respectful debates and discussions.
We will learn about each other.
We will be a non-profit coffee house.
All of our profits will be distributed to any of a number of charities that give aid to people in need. The groups that will receive the money will be decided on by church leaders from several different religious backgrounds. We decided it would be best to bring in leaders from different religious affiliations to be certain the money was given out fairly between the many different charitable organizations.
How will Grounds for Sharing happen
Grounds for Sharing will happen with your help.
We are starting the funding for this wonderful establishment by selling our coffee on line and at various church and charity functions.
Help us realize our dream by placing an order today. The sooner we can open our doors, the sooner we can help our community.
