THE UPPER ROOM CHRISTIAN CAFE

S T O R Y

BY NATHAN BROWN BOUT SIX HEARS AGO COLETTE Muth spent a year working as a volunteer with the South Queensland Conference Youth Department in Australia. She became involved with cafés at camp meetings in the South Queensland and North New South Wales conferences. "It was such an amazing experience to see how it reached young adults," Colette says. "I came back here, and we had nothing like this in America." So, together with her brother Aaron, Colette used café ministry at a number of temporary locations, including in conjunction with the General Conference 2000 in Toronto. "It was incredible," reports Colette, "and went so well we felt God was leading both of us to do this in a permanent location." "That's when we saw the potential in the one-on-one situation," Aaron adds. "Not just giving sermons, but the one-on-one interaction in the café, talking to people, getting to know them, hearing their stories, hearing the trials or hurts, and sitting down praying with them. And I think that means so much to them, to build up that rapport, that friendship before we start preaching to them. "That's the essence of the Upper Room-it's been one great story after another," continues Aaron. "We were looking for a building in Loma Linda, and if you saw the building we found there, you would laugh at the comparison with what God's given us here. Finally we met this really godly real estate man. He brought us here to the basement and we sat there, knowing this was not going to work. But the Holy Spirit prompted me to ask the landlord, 'Hey, I'd like your restaurant'-this was a fully functional restaurant when we got it. He said, 'I just decided to sell it three days ago. We'll make you a deal on it.'" Aaron and Colette were able to arrange a loan to purchase the restaurant and all the equipment needed to operate. They then wondered what the Upper Room Café should look like. "We prayed about it," Aaron recalls, "and God led Colette to Second Chronicles, where she read about Solomon's Temple-gold walls, the carpet, the dark wood, the royal colors of the dark blues, purples, and deep reds. So I said, 'That's what we're doing-we're going to make it look like God's house.'" On August 3, 2002, 500 young people packed the Upper Room Christian Café, Redlands, California, for a Michelle Tumes concert celebrating the grand opening of this new business/ministry. In the first month of operation the café has attracted more than 2,000 customers per week, served by a staff of 14 part-time employees. But the business takes second place to the ministry. Aaron sees their café as meeting a need for simply a place to be and a place to be Christian. "A few months ago I was taken to a local bar by friends and found a number of Adventist kids there," he relates. "Now that we've opened, they're over here studying. These kids aren't bad; they're just looking for a place to hang out, a place where Christianity is cool. We have even had members of the community come in here and comment that Christians often do things so shoddy that they don't want to be a part of it. But one of the local magazine owners came to see us and said,' I would actually want to come in here.' And I think that's why God had us make it the way it is." On Friday nights the business shuts down, and the usual food and drinks are provided free. Aaron remembers the first Friday night worship service as the highlight of the journey so far. "It was so worshipful," he recalls. "The way I had always imagined. We just told the young people, 'We care so much about God and glorifying Him that we don't want any distractions'-and they respect that and love it." As well as Friday night services, the café hosts nightly worships, Bible study groups, prayer groups, regular live Christian music, and there are plans to provide service opportunities. However, the Upper Room Café has also found unexpected ministries. "We've developed a homeless ministry we didn't know anything about," says Aaron with a smile. "They come in on Friday nights and get a free meal. Such sad stories-there was one family with eight kids, and they were all living in a van. You can't turn away people like that." "God's called us to feed those people spiritually and physically," Colette adds. "And just to see how this is affecting people already-there have been a couple of people feeling suicidal, and God sent them over here. One person was actually on his way to the railroad tracks. He came over here and found God again and now wants to have Bible studies. It's so encouraging and so powerful to actually see the ministry in these one-on-one relationships. There's a kind of evangelism of just being there and talking to people and just praying with them." The response from local churches and the wider community has been overwhelmingly supportive. Local media have taken notice and KTLA-a Los Angeles television station-is interested in a story. Colette and Aaron have received inquiries from other places across the United States about the possibility of franchising their café. "But we've got to stay grounded," Aaron is quick to add. "Instead of looking ahead to more, let's get the ministry right." "It's huge to think we just opened the place and we have a congregation of 2,000 people," Aaron reflects. "I think a lot of people see it as a cute little coffee shop and don't see the ministry potential. Most of these kids would never walk into an Adventist church, but they're here. God put a burden on our heart to preach it-it's just a different kind of house of worship here." _________________________ Nathan Brown is a graduate student and freelance writer in Townsville, Queensland, Australia. © 2002, Adventist Review.

Source: http://www.adventistreview.org/2002-1549/story3.html

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