SCL

this is fantastic. i love #4.

That coffee-Bible idea is straying dangerously close to my flask-Bible idea. Careful with the copyright infringements…

I kid, of course, that’s just where my mind went with your idea.

and aren’t you even going to point out that the readers of scl should join my coffee blog…?

http://www.seeyouatcoffee.ning.com

we extoll the greatness of SCL in discussions around the table every morning, and then when we meet at the starbucks venue that IS INSIDE OF OUR CHURCH!!!!! we know a thing or two about caffiene in big d!

you continue to astound me with your creativity

I pastor a small choice that feeds my addiction to coffee by buying me a coffee card. So it makes me feel like I have an OBLIGATION to bring my cup, and show them that my appreciation.

However, I do struggle with the Starbux thing. So many small coffee shops have gone out of business because they’ve come to the neighborhood. Plus, they don’t necessarily pay fair wages to their coffee growers, and even though they could, don’t encourage much of the organic coffee.

We brew at church, too. Only fair trade organic coffee. And it’s good. The cup I brought in gets refilled. My cup runneth over.

Haha, in the Mormon church it would be Sprite. Caffeine-free soft drinks FTW! XD Although basically the only liquid people bring into the sanctuary is juice for their kids.

I am guessing that hardly anyone would read this post would be as old/Lutheran/Scandavian as I am to know about egg coffee. A great tradition of coffee served in Lutheran Church basements. Here is a link to a recipe:
http://www.oldlutheran.com/kitchen/beverages/nec.shtml
There is a bit of division about the whole with shell/without shell issue.
Now, this is only made rarely for special ocassions. I suspect sometimes people aren’t even told.

Our night service has taken the coffee/church combination to a whole new level. The night begins with supper outside and a big lineup at the coffee/tea kiosk. Then, armed with our steaming mugs, we all proceed inside to our seats around little round tables (complete with tablecloths) – that’s right, they’ve done away with the traditional pew setup to enable people easier coffee/snack management. No need to worry about balancing your Bible, bulletin and hot cup of coffee while you’re crammed into a tiny row of seats! Take a table, spread your crap out.

After the service, the volunteers come around to all the tables with the leftover supper and try to force it on people.

This service is known as ‘Late Church’. My campaign to get the name changed to ‘Latte Church’ has so far been unsucessful. (And by campaign, I mean announcing the idea loudly to nobody in particular every four weeks or so.)

The Dav, please don’t forget that this gives “He-Brews” an entirely different meaning.

Thanks. I’m here all week

do people actually hold their coffee in their hand and drink it *while* standing for worship? that’s odd. i do have an occasional cup during church – i’m a college student, 10am is early!! – but i only drink it while everyone is seated for announcements and the sermon. and i allow a little time – or maybe a cup of water – before and after Communion to cleanse my palate.

We went to a church that sold coffee from their cart called, “HeBrews”. Crazy.

The Holly Fawder likes coffee, but prefers communion. The buzz is more substantial.

Wow, you Protestants are wacky.

I have a college classmate who is now in Texas at church with a coffee bar (although I wonder if they call it a bar or a shop? That may be taking things too far). As an usher who greets folks and makes them feel welcome, he calls himself the Minister of Java.

And Jehovah Java is indeed a Christian coffeehouse in Missouri

Oh oh. I’m one of those “bring in my coffee” kind of gals. HOWEVER, I set my cup down during the singing so that I’ll have my hands free for the clapping thing… not that we do that a whole lot in the CofC.

But hey, we’re getting trendy! Our church actually played a song with instruments! Either we’re broadening our view or else we’re going straight to hell. It depends on who you ask…

Kamina-if there is a petition for “Latte Church” sign me up. I think that’s hilarious and appropriate.

I think starbucks needs to get in on the action. There’s one on every street corner, so why not in every sanctuary?

But, ahh, the spiritual clarity that comes with a french press.

It’s weird reading the comments of the people who say they’ve NEVER seen coffee in church before. We not only have coffee drinkers in our church, but we have our own coffee barista upstairs that at coffee break you can go and order yourself a latte and it will be delivered right to you during the service. Our church is called “The Gate” and the coffee bar is called “Water Gate”…but I liked the suggestion of calling it “Jehova’s Java”

We have cup holders in every seat at our church. That way you have somewhere to put your coffee when it comes time to clap. We also have a coffee shop in the lobby that is busier than the local Tim Horton’s on a Sunday morning.

Mike
Saskatoon, Canada

Mike from Saskatoon… kudos for the Timmies nod. That is my favorite coffee hands down. We definitely need more franchises here in the US.

Heck, in our church, it is socially acceptable to get up in the middle of the SERMON, and get a refill from the gi-normous coffee urns, which are located off to the side. And then after church come the half-doughnuts!

John… Don’t make me bring up “Bob and the Donut”. Anyway, don’t you think the coffee we provide is kinda Folgers truck stop coffee? Nasty. We need a coffee cart or something with real baristas, at least someone who can grind and make coffee according to current societal expectations (LOL!).

I recently heard a new heresy, Donutism (no, not Donatism). DonAtism states that the a sacrament is only as effective as the morality of the priest administering it.

DonUtism states that a modern, progressive church is only as effective and relevant as the quality of its coffee and donuts in the foyer, and thus affects the Christian consumer’s choice in Church.

PJ,

Thank you so much for #3. I can’t stand coffee or even the wine cooler of coffee — cappuccino!. Why in the world would I pay $5 to look cool by forcing my taste buds to become calloused to that nastiness. It is as you say, “sucktacular”. I refuse to give in to the hipness!

Keith

Not only do we have coffee (purchased from a missionary organization in Oaxaca, Mexico – how’s that for holy joe?), but we also have bagels… WITH CREAM CHEESE.

Yeah, we’re cool like that… lol

I tried to read everything before I commented, in case I was repeating, but I just couldn’t make it through in the end! This is one popular blog (congrats, it’s worthy of it).

I suppose the issue with the coffee thing as I see it is that through a desire to be non-conformist in church anything can end up being given more glory than it ought to be. I.e. Any glory; it is all for God.

If we think coffee and cake will encourage people to see past stereotypes and give an opportunity to minister love, cool; if we allow it to be a part of our ritual and joke about the need for it (approaching idolatry and that), not cool and not a witness at all.

If God is glorified then there are loads of things that don’t really matter either way as long as they are kept in perspective. Plus getting pleasure from things is His gift. It should be remarked though that showing love to neighbours and brothers in Christ comes above asserting our right to worship holistically.

Also, not causing another to sin by encouraging things that may be an issue for them though not for you (like addiction) needs to be considered.

We are not trapped by our faith but free in it. Love is the only measure you need to make God honouring choices. Sometimes small things are big and big things small. Always it depends on your heart.

We can help you get coffee into church. Maybe that’s bad…but I don’t think so…no hollowed out Bible coffee cups, but…you won’t get caught sleeping in church either…

I’m a worship leader and let me tell you that the 9:00 service used to be a real snoozer, no matter what we did. I suggested MAKING everyone drink Coffee or Mountain Dew and eat a KK doughnut at the door to liven them up but we just serve coffee instead. It does seem to liven up the crowd!

We once had an elderly female first-timer almost turn around and walk back out again because she thought the shelves of syrups behind our cafe in the foyer were bottles of alcohol.

The cafe is open and the “free stuff” in urns are available before the service. And we take a coffee break mid-service for refills.

And we have transcended the coffee/clapping issue by utilizing the… “coffee clap”. This may be the congregational equivalent of the coolness of a metro worship leader.

Starting standing with coffee in right hand…

Slapping thigh with left hand in time with clapping: +2

Raising left hand in worship: +3

Taking a sip while left hand still raised in worship: +5

Eyes closed during all of the above: Bonus +1

We used to have coffee before Bible Class in the basement but there is a sign on the doors to the sanctuary “No Food and Beverages”. I am sure it is there because of the upholstery on the pews and the carpeting on the floor. After the evening service we often go down to the basement for caffeinated coffee, non-alcholic punch, sandwiches, squares and cookies.
Personally – my doctor says I am not supposed to have caffeine so I take a specially designed water bottle, that does not leak chemicals into your water, and put treated, purified espring.com water in it with a 1 gram bag of O2 Berry proformance Hydration in it for a healthy beverage that raises pH levels, increases athletic performance, raises oxygen levels and is sugarless, caffeineless, non-carbonated, non-colored with a delightfully slightly berry flavor.

Honestly, anything can become an addiction, and caffeine, when it gets to that point, is a minor (easily remedied) one… just ask anyone who’s had to quit while pregnant. And, anyone who has had to quit knows that coffee is everywhere, all the time. So having as a “temptation” at a church service is not really much of an additional burden.

That said, we shouldn’t really be surprised that everyday food and drink can be included in church. Church is, in it’s purest form, a gathering of believers to encourage each other in their faith, worship together and gain wisdom and direction from their teachers/pastors.

Here’s the real kicker: This was all accomplished by the early church over… are you ready? …MEALS (aka: food and drink… and by drink, I mean wine). One third of that generation learned about Christ and grew in their faith with a *gasp* roll in one hand, and a drink in the other.

All the carpet issues, questions of reverance, etc. are the result of man adding law to the gospel we’ve been given. Those rules just became so common that it had been assumed that it had something to do with holiness.

So, if your relationship with Christ is open and honest, and your conscience is clear from concerns of addiction, then by all means, feel free to drink coffee. If your leadership is free from the manmade rules, then drink up in service as well!

Ok, so we would have coffee at my last church, and get this, we’d even go to the pub after church. There was even one starbucks in particular that you would certainly see a dozen or so of us in before service. It was the local hangout. Luckily church was in the evening, so going to the pub (with the pastor) wasn’t that big of a deal.

i saw a church sign today and it said “Church perks: great coffeee, eternal life.” I laughed pretty hard.

High school students are just as bad. And I didn’t even taste coffee until I was in college. Now I can’t seem to live without it.

We have two choices of caffeine intake in-house. One is the regular Church coffee in the big Stainless Urn. It’s parked right next to the front entrance.

The second is the Starbucks alternative called Sacred Grounds.

All profits from that stand fund Youth activities. So you almost feel guilty walking in with Starbucks.

Although the custom brews are only available before Sunday School and after the Morning Service, we’ve never been discouraged from bringing drinks into the Worship Service.

I think having church in a multipurpose building that also serves as a fellowship room for meals and such kind of takes away the “Desecrating the Sanctuary” taboo.

Now if we’d just install cup holders on the backs of the chairs in front of us…

i pack my own java heat because, in my experience, church coffee is the worst brew on the planet. every church i’ve ever been to has confirmed this theory. i even prefer cowboy coffee, which you have to chew, to the weak, watery, bitter, stale, “hints of leftover urn cleaning chemicals”, ugly church coffee. and since i don’t have access to any mega churches with my own personal barista to deliver my custom latte mid-sermon, i guess i’ll just have to make due on my own.

I am a Christian and like coffee because it allows me to help children. I started a coffee company to help homeless children.
I thought it would be an easy sell to get churches to sale it – could i be more wrong. To get a church to sale the coffee you have to meet with 7 committees that all have thier own agenda and 6 months later you can’t even remember the point. And in the end they will find a reason TO NOT sale it – always worried about the polotical correct thing to do. i now rarely will meet with the church – I prep a church champion on the concept and let them do all the leg work . Amazing how frustrated they get.
Help a homeless child experience the love of God -
http://www.missiongrounds.com

Personally at one time I would not like the idea of drinking coffee during service. The church I grew up you would not see people doing this but I would think most Church now days having this going on.

Probably what bothers me more is in the Church I now attend they want everyone to serve in some way. (ok that isn’t the part I have a problem wiht) So everything is a ministry. There is the seating ministry…the sound ministry…the greeter ministry and of course the Coffee ministry. I kind of wonder what kind of Pastor degree one needs to lead the coffee ministry.

On top of all that I have talked to people about how there church is and I hear a lot of…man we got great worship music…we can dance right in the aisle…oh we can get coffee right in the church and take it into the service. I kind of wonder why do people go to Church anymore?? To be entertained or to learn Gods word?

Once again I don’t think anything is really wrong with. I just think if you take away the worship band…the coffee shop…and so on and just had powerful teaching of Gods word I believe you would not see as many people in that Church.

What would that tell you?

A couple of the elders of Hillsong Church in Sydney own Gloria Jean’s.. the largest coffee franchise in Australia (i’m pretty sure it’s bigger than Starbucks in Aussie) .. Needless to say there are coffee carts all over the place outside the church and in the foyer..

Danielle says:

I feel church leaders are prostituting the church body and by whom better, than Satan himself working through people, deceiving so many, and with coffee in the sanctuary dishonoring God.

The churches are doing this in remembrance to Jesus faithfully, every service. What’s wrong with communion? What’s wrong, was the crucifixton not good enough? Coffee doesn’t replace communion, the strongholds of evil need broken.

They are literally lost and caught with their pants down, basically in a nut shell. Lost their belt of faithfulness, in a full piece suit of armor!

Wake up and smell the coffee, to grow up!

Job wept when the plant grew no more. Eusa wept over his lost inheritance. Don’t comprise your faith.

Jesus spoke about the parts of the body and whom, within the body is causing others to offend God, to sin through their deception, manipulation, lack of self control, maturity, poor guidance and direction, etc.

I think, repent sinner and sin no more. Say, No thank you. Walk on by, do without.

Ask the Lord to direct you to a place of worship. Be careful of the crowd. Be assertive, firm and gentle and smile. Sit down and mind your own business. They may soon shut down shops!

I am uncomfortable and upset with the church. Of all people, stealing from God and if I were a store owner, I’d be livid.

People should be greeted entering and exiting, introduced and encouraged to getting outside their box. Be involved. Go to a local coffee place or wherever and discuss, minister, reach out to others, etc. Jesus healed on the Sabbath.

The behavior, conduct, habits are beginning to get more aggravating; inappropriate, more unacceptable, more offensive.

There’s been lots of unwanted touching with approaches to shoulder massages and people are following, obeying.

I’m not comfortable.

It is infringement of rights, sexual assault, aggravated damages and vicarious liability of the employer being the church permitting this. The church needs to be confronted.

It is also loss of earnings, loss of potential earnings, court order interest rates (COI)to a store owner.

If I were a coffee store owner, a bookstore owner, one bearing treasures, I’d sue.

It may be the one thing, that re: balances the church to them getting their cross straight.

That would straighten them out, if they reject how you feel.

People need to focus on the Lord, get themselves right with God His way and not attack religious denominations. It is the same faith, Jesus Christ.

Salvation is based on obedience. Pray fervently, don’t blasphemy the Holy Spirit, for it is the only unforgivable sin. The behavior of what leads up to that, is what makes it is unforgivable.

Pray for your children, your families, your community, all nations.

I pray that you repent, stand true to God and pray fervently, having peace of mind.

God will deal with the church, and if need be, He’ll deal harshly. He is a just God, He is God. God will discipline, He will also destroy and there will be destruction, if need be.

God Bless

Danielle says:

Walk on by, the coffee….. it can wait

And those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength….

Tary, pray and seek the Lord, Focus on Him. He is a faithful God. Believe.

God Bless

Danielle says:

He’s says, I’M ANGRY!!!!

Yes, Lord!
God Bless

Danielle says:

The Lord is ANGRY!!! Vengeance is Mine.

Yes, Lord

Are people in trouble.

A little late, but thanks to the great list your wife compiled for all us SCL fans out here, I’m rereading just about everything (there goes giving internet up for lent..)

It seems so very American, drinking coffee in church. I’m Dutch, and coffee is very firmly reserved for after the service, when we all gather and talk and give points to the pastor based on his sermon, clothes, and altogether hipness that Sunday. The only people you see drinking something in church are those that are coughing and trying to keep it down by drinking water. I’ve often thought I could benefit from coffee in church, but I haven’t dared try it yet..

My church bought a Starbucks franchise for our coffee counter. The drinks are more reasonably priced (since minimal profit is sought) and our free coffee quality has increased tremendously.

Plus, we also have bare concrete floors, so spillage is not an issue.

i’m pretty sure no drinks are allowed in our sanctuary. but that didn’t stop my bff from bringing red gatorade to the service. and it was totally alright…until the lid wasn’t screwed on tight and he accidently knocked it over. We thought no one noticed the spill until someone in the first few rows of pews noticed a sea of red creeping toward the stage…

and i know it’s been mentioned in another post, but i know some people planning to open a ” HeBrews” coffee shop…

We have a coffee shop in our church…but we're not actually supposed to bring coffee into the sanctuary. This does not make sense to me.
I always do, though. You just sort of have to sneak it in (in your purse if you're a lady) or hold it down by your leg kind of hiding it from the ushers when you walk in. Most of the time they don't notice.

haha! I hate coffee, but I think reason #4 might be reason enough to start!

Coffee made its way into the church service when mainstream Christianity decided that the 4th Commandment could be revised to fit their whims. Buying and selling on the Sabbath? sure why not. Making the male and female servants at Starbucks work? I'm sure God never expected us to actually read the fine print.

Coffee is evidence that God is merciful.

That established, I would be horrified to see someone drinking coffee during mass. But every decent parish has coffee and donuts AFTER mass.

Ha ha I enjoyed this. Another thought is that Christians love coffee shops. I don't know what it is about it, but they seem to be a great place for spirtual discussion. There is a place in Athens, GA called 2 story coffee house. It's basically church in a coffee shop. On any given day (except Sunday – because they're closed) you can find open bibles and bible studies happening all around you. Love it.