November 10th, 2013

why cafe church?

Riverbank Café Church was, in many ways, a natural development within a community of people who had engaged with one another for many years.

They had enjoyed social events, arts and crafts, gala days, musical  evenings, formal church services and much more.

A group of these folk had met for some years as a house group as part of a cell church and this core of people were the nucleus of what was to become Café Church.

Riverbank Café Church started seven years ago and is attended by about thirty to forty people who have had either very much  

or very little previous connection with established church.

The focus has constantly been upon taking the opportunity to further develop relationships with one another within an easy going framework where God is the centre.

Journeys of faith are chatted about in a true café setting. Good quality tea, coffee and delicious pastries are available the whole time.

 It’s been tricky trying to discover ways in which faith can be expressed without defaulting to “let’s sing a hymn” or “let’s have some ‘proper’ prayers” It’s actually very spiritually energising to consider the Christian life without defaulting to the well worn clichés that died-in-the-wool-evangelicals like me can trot out with hardly any thought at all.

Maybe Riverbank is great for anyone who’s just jaded with standard church or else someone who is new to all this “God” stuff and wants to explore further….with coffee in one hand and a Danish Pastry in the other!!!!!

Ron