Welcome to the Vineyard! Have a Cup of Coffee...
Sarah Jernigan |
September 28, 2016
We get it. Nine o’clock on a Sunday morning is early, and sometimes it’s even a struggle to arrive at the noon service on time. As you walk sleepily into the building, you wonder why you didn’t stop at Starbucks on the way to church.
However, upon walking in, you see people holding paper cups with steam coming out of a small opening at the top. You look ahead and what you see makes your heart skip a beat—a coffee bar!
You suddenly remember why you didn’t stop at a coffee shop this morning—because the Vineyard offers complimentary coffee and tea for every service. Your day just got instantly better.
According to our records, we consume 3,000 pounds of coffee a year between the Vineyard and Healing Center, pour in 3,750 creamer singles a week, sweeten with 3,000 packets of sugar per week, and go through about 3,200 cups and lids every week. That’s a lot of coffee!
For those of you like me that enjoy tea, we are in the minority, consuming an average of only 125 regular tea bags and 63 decaf bags every week.
Jenn Long, Ministry Coordinator of Hospitality, says we serve coffee at the Vineyard because it allows our guests to feel welcome just as if they were at home.
“We want to break down barriers and make people feel more comfortable,” she says. “If you invited someone to your home, you would offer them a cup of coffee, tea or water, so we want to have the same welcoming effect.”
On that note, Jenn adds for all of you who enjoy water at church—the fruit for the water is returning soon!
In honor of National Coffee Day, we want to say it’s an honor to serve you coffee each week. We believe it’s an essential part of making newcomers and regulars feel welcome and at home each weekend!