Spring Coffee House

A BIG Hit!!

On Saturday, April 28^th, the Bethel Memorial Baptist Church held their second annual Coffee House event in our downstairs multipurpose room.  I am very pleased to say that it was an awesome night and was attended by 150 people!  It far exceeded the amount we had at our initial event in October and I am very happy and thankful for a great night for the church.

As head of the coffee house committee, I am in charge of or have to be a part of just about everything.  But, I welcome the opportunity and am happy with how well everything turned out.  The night featured a diverse line up of entertainment from sacred to secular and even a little rhythm and blues.  Featuring members of our church as well as a few guests, the audience was Blessed with such wonderful talent. I had the privilege of directing the Victory Voices once again as we sang Instrument of Peace and Stand By Me.  Both went well and I am so thankful to the men for giving of their time and talent. We also had a few acts where the musicians took the time to talk about a funny story in their life or to speak about the love of their spouse.  Crooner Joe DeMaio, dedicated the song “Longer”  by Dan Fogelberg to his wife.  However, she was unaware that he was going to sing this as well as walk towards her as he was singing ending with the lyric “I’m so in love, with you” followed by a kiss! How romantic!! Then we had Sam Bodder who grew up with his grandfather singing the very funny song “Pretty Little Dear “ from 1927, which spoke of a gentlemen’s girlfriend who had a very healthy appetite! Considering it was humor of the 20’s, the way he told the story was classic and well loved by the audience.

The highlight of the night was how we ended it.  Advertising in the program as “guests from Chicago” we featured Jeff Barrows and Jerry Crivellaro teaming up to be Jake and Elwood Blues of the Blues Brothers to sing Soul Man. Of course, the lyrics were changed a bit to reflect the term Soul Man and to tie-it in with our church. Since no one had any idea this was going to happen, it was a surprise and by far the best moment of the evening. To see two husky guys over 6ft tall moving and dancing around like their fellow mentors was hilarious and awesome.  The fact that this was so unexpected is what really made their act. Yes, they sang well, but, here you have two Board of Trustee Members in a role that you would not expect.  It was priceless.

Similar to our first event, we had plenty of food for everyone. From hoagies and chicken sandwiches to hot pretzels and desserts, there was something for everyone and plenty to go around.  What we did have this year which was really neat was a red carpet style photo booth in our lobby.  Anyone who came in could have their picture taken in front of a classy screen well lit by photography lighting.  We also had plenty of props, both serious and fun, if you wanted to pick up a fake mustache or a pair of funny glasses. Many photos were taken ranging from nice family pics to humorous outtakes.  It was really a nice addition to our event and everyone seemed generally happy to oblige.

It was always my vision to offer an event for the church that can bring people in and create a sense of togetherness, outreach and community all while keeping the focus on the Lord.  I really feel this event accomplished that.  I have seen where some groups will focus solely on witnessing for the Lord to guests before they have even made a connection with them.  For some, this method may work. However, my desire is to bring everyone in to have a fun night and allow them to feel comfortable and at home in our church.  I don’t want anyone to feel like we only wanted them there because we thought we could get them to become members. Not the case at all. If we don’t make personal connections and relationships first, none of that can really happen anyway.  With the entertainment, food, photo booth and general enjoyment of the night, our church is experiencing two things. We are seeing great attendance at our newly discovered social events as well as inviting others and sharing our building, family and fellowship with others.  Since the church never had anything like this, both events have proven that people will come out to socialize with their friends all while realizing we are in church and it is because of the Lord that we are all there!

Hopefully we can keep this moving forward and maybe we can see you at the next one!

I have seen the success of “Coffee House” events and strongly believed that if we held our first, it would be a great success. So, I began to spread the word about hosting one and looked for those interested in serving on a committee.  Through word of mouth and prayer, the vision was established and we had a group interested in organizing it so it was now time to approach the leadership for approval.  I was very pleased to receive an email from our pastor telling me that the idea was approved and to begin planning an event.

Our event is upon us and is going to be held on Saturday, October 28 at 6:00pm in the multi-purpose room downstairs in the church.  The vision of this is to create a cozy atmosphere within the church where people can come without having the stress of having to bring something.  I wanted a night out that would be social and rewarding yet still deliver a good Christian message. We can be with friends and church members sharing good food and music.  I noticed that after each of the three events at the Pilgrim Church, there was a noticeable surge of enthusiasm and energy within the church.  Each of the events was held on a Saturday so the next day in church there was a great feeling of camaraderie.  It is a great recipe of success for the church.  Whenever a church can bring people together socially and they have a great time, it is a great thing. But, when you add into that a strong Christian message it will actually draw people closer to the church and ultimately God.  Two great things to happen any church and anyone!

Although leading this charge has been a tremendous amount of work, lots of phone calls, meetings and decisions to make, I am Blessed to have a great committee to work with and a growing spirit for this event within the church.  We have a floor plan design to really transform our multi-purpose room into a quaint, yet classy restaurant feel with a stage.  We have 16 great performances lined up over two sets.  Plus, what has really been a big hit in our other events has been the trivia contest.  During the intermission, the audience gets to be a participant.  I created a trivia contest mainly of pop culture, TV and movie questions from yesteryear that definitely create a nostalgic feeling.  I also added an audio section so everyone gets to hear some great sounds of the past.  Again, this will be a great time for everyone.  In addition to the entertainment and trivia, we have a lot of great refreshment available. The best part of it all is, it is free and there is no admission to enter.  Anyone can come.  If you are reading this and will be around on the 28^th, please come over and check out this event. It will be fun.

I want people to feel like they can come to church for events other than just a Sunday service. To be able to know that there is so much more than just one hour a week! An opportunity to come to an event that does not have a sermon yet is still very spiritually rewarding. I really believe this event will do that. We have been working hard to advertise and share the word of this event.  If you are able, I would love to see you attend.

Here is our address:

Bethel Memorial Baptist Church
715 Chest Lane
Easton, Pa. 18045

If you need directions or have any questions, please feel free to call me (908) 619-4502.  I would be only too glad to assist you.

Blessings to you all!!

My sister Linda has embarked on two missions trips within the past 10 years to Kenya.  The trip was connected with our church, the Pilgrim Presbyterian Church of Phillipsburg and the Newton Presbytery.  The Presbytery of Newton, NJ has had a longtime partnership with a Presbytery in Nairobi , Kenya.  From that Kenyan partnership, Pilgrim adopted a sister church in Kahawa Station to fellowship across the world in sharing the love of Christ.  Over the years, Linda traveled with Doris Haring and Cathy Mannick to Kenya and visited our sister church.  In addition, we also donated our Choir robes to them when we purchased new ones, and we also have had prayer partners with members of the Kahawa Station congregation.  When Linda went to Kenya in 2006, she stayed with Geofrey and his wife, as he was the pastor of our sister church at the time. There she visited and assisted with many of the projects that Presbytery was sponsoring.  When she traveled the second time, she taught vacation bible school to kids in the Bahati Martyrs church in Kenya.

Pastor Geofrey, and his wife Nancy, arrived in January and have been staying with his brother John.  John came to the United States about 15 years ago to begin pastoring a church in Boston.  He has become accustomed to our culture as well as teaching about his.  Needless to say, coming to the USA from Africa can be quite a change.  Since Geofrey and Nancy came in January, they experienced something we all take for granted…Cold weather and snow… Apparently, African winters are what we would consider a mild day in early September.  We would love the summer to be that always, but, to those from routine 100+ degree-days in desert conditions, it is definitely chilly.   You can then only imagine the weather shock of a Boston winter with constant snow and freezing temperatures.  It certainly was a time of adjustment.  Since they had a lot to do as Pastor Geofrey is applying to churches all across the US to become a full-time pastor, trying to schedule a visit with them in New Jersey was not easy.

But, schedules finally aligned and they came down, albeit for only 2 short days, last weekend.  They came to our house and it was such a pleasure to meet them and experience their love for the Lord.  They have such positive and dynamic personalities and are so much fun to be around.  You can’t help but to feel uplifted in their presence.  From story telling to singing, they were never at a loss for words.  Although in many ways our cultures and daily routines are so different, we clearly had a connection with our Praise and Worship for the Lord. It doesn’t matter the race, color or culture of someone, praising the Lord has no barriers. For seeking Him is open to everyone.

On Sunday, September 10, Rev. Geofrey attended church with his wife Nancy and his brother.  It was great timing, as it happened to be the day of the annual church picnic.  They had a great time and were welcomed in by all.  I was blessed to have this opportunity with them and I cannot wait for another chance to visit with them again.