Partnerships

So I’m sitting in a new coffee shop in west Ames. Café Milo (Mee low). Great space. Lot’s of windows. Fireplace in the center. Clusters of seating. Provides a welcoming feeling that is too often missing in the church.

What I can’t help thinking is: why don’t we develop some joint ventures with coffee shops? What we hear most often is the church can’t afford to do something new. What if a partnership with a coffee shop were to occur? They provide the machines & know-how, the church provides the space and some volunteers. Fair-trade coffee could be used or a local roaster used and the churches own label be developed. Profits that go to the church could be used for new missions, new ministry development, homeless/food ministries… “etc. etc. etc.” (quote from Yul Brenner, The King and I).

At First UMC in Ames we are in discussions with a local coffee roaster to develop our own label. The owner has a direct relationship with some coffee growers in South America and is paying them similar to Fair Trade Coffee. The working name for our coffee shop is: Grounds for Faith. It is in our Spiritual Development Center, an old Fareway building just south of the church. Here is what we have in the “SDC”:

Coffee Shop

Drop-in Center for homeless, as well as anyone else.

Good Neighbor Emergency Assistance

Free Medical Clinic

Contemplative Prayer Room

Computer Lab

Handicap Accessible bathrooms

Rooms for small group development

Space for a member of the church who owns a web development company

Youth Center.

Stop by sometime and check the Spiritual Development Center out. Maybe it will trigger some ministry outreach possibilities for you.

Join the Blogosphere

Hello all you Academy types! I am suggesting that we use this blog to share ministry ideas, keep up with current classes and teaching churches, and generally let this be a tool to grow the ministry we have been called to.

Have prayer concerns? Start a thread. A question about a way to move forward in ministry? Start a thread. A most excellent book or resource? Start a thread and we can add it to a resource list.

You get the idea. Let's have fun with this and gain support from each other.

Academy VIII and IX to meet April 19 & 20

We will be experiencing the ministry at Waukee UMC where Tom Shinkle, a graduate of the Academy, is pastor.

There are confirmed reservations for Academies VIII & IX at the Sleep Inn Urbandale, 11211 Hickman Road (located next to Living History Farms off of I-35/80) for the night of April 19, 2007.

Amenities include a free continental breakfast, hi-speed internet, indoor pool and whirlpool/hot tub. Room rates are $82.88 for all reserved non smoking rooms.

Current classes please contact Barb Mann barb.mann@iaumc.org to discuss needed changes or let her know if you cannot attend so we may provide correct/current information to the hotel. For those of you desiring private rooms, the hotel will allow you to pay half the room rate ($41.44) at time of check out and they will direct bill the Conference Center for the remaining portion.