Coffee Shops & The Church                                      Posted 1-29-09 By Pastor Kene Panas

In case you have wondered, the coffee shop pictured above on this  blog is known as the Red Horse. This is one of my favorite spots in Corvallis because the people that work here make it a point to learn your name. There are times when I think I am entering the bar in the old TV sitcom Cheers. Instead of hearing "Norm" I am greeted with "Hi Kene" time and time again.  There is something pleasant about going to a local establishment in your community and they all seem to know you by name. As I write this I cannot help but ponder that is the way the church ought to be. Like the Cheers bar, it should be a place where everybody knows your name. They say the most pleasant sound to the human ear is when your hear someone call your name, especially for the first time.

Yet it strikes me that there are many new comers who have come to church and have wanted to connect, yet despite going week after week, they have come to the conclusion that people still do not know "my name." I have heard it said time and time again that the hardest thing to do at a church is to connect with the people. In some cases the churches are too big and one gets lost in the shuffle, or else they are small and appear to be "in-house" and steeped in their own tradition. So, what is it that the coffee shop is doing that we are not and how can we learn from them?

I think we can start where they begin. Each one of us should make it a point to go out of our way to learn a new comers name. Then we make it a point to commit it to memory and every time we see that person we greet them with the proverbial "Norm!" After this we can commit ourselves to remembering what they do. If we really want to be an inviting church we can take some time to learn about their occupation. One of the most influential presidents was Teddy Roosevelt. In his biography you come to discover that whenever he made an appointment with someone, whether a political leader or a servant in the White House, he researched their occupation so that he would be able to make them feel icomfortable by asking questions pertaining to what they do for a living. The reality is that many times we want to share "knowledge" so much that we neglect to learn and listen to others. But the most important thing is to get people to talk about themselves. That is what makes them feel important in an unfamiliar place.

Ultimately, making it a point, like committing someone's name to memory will open the doors for people not only to come back; but also to bring others. I am an example of this reality as I write this blog sitting at the table in the coffee shop where everybody knows my name. In the end, communication should never be fifty / fifty like some suggest. At the very least it should be sixty / forty so that we are proactive and the initiators. If it is up to me to start the conversation when I am new, then chances are I might not come back because it was hard enough just to walk in the door. The thought of being anonymous another week just adds to the anxiety all over again. We as Christians can't allow that to happen, so let's be diligent to pay attention to new folks. The hope of every guest who's looking for change and finally visits a church is that it will be their last stop. Let's do everything we can to make this a reality.