If you look up St John’s North Vancouver website under their ‘Worship Services” you will see a brand new offering. St John’s is trying out an innovative and alternative kind of service on the first Saturday of every month at 4pm.
The description on the website states:
“You are invited to Cafe Church on the first Saturday of the month at 4pm in the St. John's lounge. We'll have tea, coffee and goodies, and a special Guest Speaker who will introduce us to their unique, engaging topic. There will be interactive conversation, music, and a time for prayer and reflection. All are welcome. Please drop in. Café Church is for people who live, work, and play in the central Lonsdale area. We want to explore the spirituality of the Christian faith in a relaxed, safe and informal discussion based atmosphere. Café Church is Tea and Coffee with a conscience. It is also a place for community. We are excited about our faith. We are excited about community. We are excited about free and open discussion. We are passionate about tea and coffee”.
The idea is to turn the Church lounge into a local café with quality coffee, tea and goodies to eat. They call the outline of the liturgy the ‘menu’ and the core of the service is an invited outside speaker who will share their ideas about a broad philosophical concept. (See Speakers and Topics below). It is a church service in that there is prayer, scripture is read and a hymn is sung, and they are all related to the topic of the day. St John’s hopes it is a creative and accessible way for those who are seeking a Christian spiritual connection, but are not willing or able to commit to a full Sunday service. The first two events were very well attended. St John’s is excited about how this new service might grow.
St John's is located at 220 West 8th Street in North Vancouver. Click the link to access the website for more info.
Images
A few photos of the first Café Church held October 1, 2016 with the Reverend Dr. Don Grayston speaking about "The Meaning of Life"
Schedule
- November 5: Mayor Darrell Mussatto, A Healthy Community
- December 3: Bishop Melissa Skelton, Friendship
- February 4, Alison & Juanita, Meditation in A Busy World
- March 4: The Rev. Elizabeth Mathers, Creators In God's Image
- April 1, Dean Peter Elliott, Is There Humour In The Bible?
- May 6, Dr. Jack Blaney, Everyday Generosity
- June 3, Dr. Marilyn Chotem, Many Religions, One God