Covenant News

Michigan Congregation Opens Coffee Shop Church

LANSING, MI (October 28, 2003) - Bretton Woods Covenant Church is using the lure of coffee and the study of biblical principles to engage area young adults into new life in Christ.

A handful of Bible studies in coffee shops have formed through Bretton Woods Covenant to allow people to connect with God "in a comfortable place at a comfortable pace." Bruce Umpstead then began considering the outreach idea after a young adults group began meeting at a local coffee shop in the fall of 2002, said pastor Michael Mirakian.

Umpstead was tired of "twenty somethings" drop out of the church after leaving high school. "They were not involved in our adult Sunday school and Bible study groups, and Sunday morning service provided very little in terms of connection," Umpstead wrote in a newsletter article on www.coffeeshopchurch.com. "National statistics indicate our church is not alone. According to a 2000 Barna research report, only 1-out-of-3 church-attending teens anticipate maintaining active involvement in church after they graduate high school."

During the past nine months, the church has tried to spread the word about its unique ministry. It has partnered with a local Christian radio station to advertise. A leadership team of nearly a dozen people has been developed. Groups of four to eight people meet on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday nights at different coffee shops around town, along with Sunday mornings. The ministry also sponsored a movie night at a local theater and had a discussion time afterward.

Umpstead works for a non-profit religious media organization called The Amy Foundation, which was started by Bretton Woods Covenant parishioner Jim Russell in honor of his daughter Amy. The group has used study materials from The Amy Foundation's book, "Overcoming Subtle Sin" and another Bible study booklet entitled "The Master's Plan For You." The group reads a chapter each week and answers the inductive questions given via the materials.

"The in-group reading (component) eliminated the need for group members to do anything but show up, and the provocative topic never left us short on discussion," said Umpstead, who prefers a tea drink called chai instead of coffee. "The challenge now is trying to fill up the groups we have available. But this is about God, it's about connecting, and people have felt welcome at the coffee shops and have been able to learn at a comfortable pace."

Bretton Woods Covenant Church has an average worship attendance of 75. A growing youth ministry has been an effective way to reach the community in recent years and the congregation celebrated its fiftieth anniversary last year. Mirakian believes The Coffee Shop Church is another way to build momentum for the congregation as it ministers to Lansing.

"If we're going to get the gospel out and people don't want to attend the traditional church, we can take the message to them," said Mirakian. "Already in the past few months, we've already seen some people come to know Christ and significantly change their lifestyles."

To learn more about Bretton Woods Covenant Church, call Mirakian at 517-323-3316. More about the Coffee Shop Church ministry can be found by calling Umpstead at 517-323-6233. More about The Amy Foundation can be found on www.amyfound.org.

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