Church incorporates culture and cross
Friday, November 25, 2005 at 10:10AM An article in ChristianWeek written about FRWY.ca:
HAMILTON, ON—An emerging church community of the Salvation Army opened its new building in downtown Hamilton on October 30. But it is not your average church space.FRWY.ca (pronounced “freeway”) Café is a 7,000-square-foot converted bank building. The non-profit café is designed to offer coffee, culture and community.
“When we planted a church, the original idea was to start by building a community and then develop a café,” explains Pernell Goodyear, pastor and ethos-shaper. “We wanted to create a place that is neutral ground, public space. We asked what it would take to create a place that is normal, that would reach people in our culture.”
I don't know, it really seems that whoever wrote that story has a good eye for news, or at least good taste in friends.
I love what they're doing. FRWY.ca gets a mention in The Great Giveaway, which I'm currently reading, and it also sounds like it's possibly in line with Organic Church, which I'm trying to get. Exciting to see some churches trying to create a third place, avoiding the problem of ever getting stuck behind the church building's walls.
Reader Comments (3)
Darryl, it mentions, coffee, culture and community. Where does the proclamation of the Gospel fit in to that?
Hi George: I think they've got it right. It takes place not only in their church gatherings, but relationally, life on life.
Hey Darryl, That article is really exciting! It leads me to wonder if that's how they did church before the Romans made it an institution. (Which I think would be really exciting for the church at the time. What better way to proclaim the Gospel, then making it a government edict). I think I'm going to come to the Resonate event just to check it out. Rob