JAVA JOE'S

IMAGINE . . .

• The re-emergence of church interiors as public spaces.
• Your local church as an open-door hangout.
• A church with great coffee and good food.
• A place to work, rest, and pray.

Matthew’s Table is re-imagining our church life in a Third Place context by owning and operating Java Joe's as a unique place that is the hub for the life of our community of faith and centre for the expressive arts.

‘Third Places’ are neither home nor workplace, but somewhere in between. They are places to meet, socialize, relax, hang out, and work away from the office. They are places to eat and drink without pressure to consume and move on. The ‘third place’ is characterized by the modern coffee house.

Third places then are hubs of community life and facilitate and foster broader, more creative interaction. All societies already have informal meeting places; what is new in our day is the intentionality of seeking them out as vital to our current societal and spiritual needs.

Ray Oldenburg, an urban sociologist from Florida, coined the term and suggests these hallmarks of a true “third place”:

• Relatively inexpensive food and drink is available.
• Must be highly accessible: proximate for many.
• Must involve regulars - those who habitually congregate there.
• Must be welcoming and comfortable.

Church as a third place isn’t about a cafe attached to a church, it’s about the transformation of whatever place is available. No longer is a private, “sacred” place used only for services but is itself offered as a service to the whole community. Nor is a public place off-limits in the exploration of faith, worship and life. When church is a third place, the services take place in a public environment among the sofas and tables - which is a challenge to what usually happens in worship. And if worship is adapted to this environment, could it happen elsewhere, in any place?

For some people is will be about engaging with the Christian faith in a new way – for some it will be about taking their faith and exploring it in new ways, for others it will be about asking questions about the Christian faith in a new environment, for all it is about finding our role in God’s story.

Java Joe’s is not a substitute or alternative to Church but is distinct in:

WHERE IT MEETS – Not in church or at home but in an accessible open community space where people would naturally meet.

WHO COMES – This is not a members only organization but one where anyone will feel at home with their questions and doubts.

WHAT IT DOES – People exploring and sharing in an open and honest way how we live our lives in the light of the Gospel.