Commerce centers and coffee shops are the “temple courts” of the American culture. They are the everyday place where community and culture collide. What if discovering Jesus was as natural as going to your favorite café? What if a mother taking her child to a play date could gain wisdom and support from Godly mentors? What if teenagers looking for entertainment happened upon a safe place to explore their deepest questions? What if a man working on his laptop in a café curiously overheard a Bible study? What if a struggling teen or couple knew of a safe place where they could ask friends or pastors to pray for them?

If our churches would operate in our community’s territory rather than inviting them into our own, we believe the unchurched would be more at ease and open to hearing about Jesus. Our vision is to provide a daily environment where ordinary people encounter an extraordinary God. George Barna suggests, “What you provide may well have to be a multifaceted value product: part spiritual, part relational, part practical and part entertainment.” The Source 5.9 model naturally fuses the living Church with American culture and her ever growing number of unchurched, untouched Americans.  

Our idea is to locate in a commerce center, operating as a coffee shop/café, engaging with people during their daily course of life. We desire to be in a high traffic storefront where average people will stop in as naturally as they would stop for a cup of coffee at their local Starbucks.  Meeting the practical needs of food, drink and a space to relax, Source 5.9 will become a hub for community connections. We intend to develop partnerships with churches and ministries such as Teen Challenge and Crisis Pregnancy Centers. Through these partnerships, we plan to offer life changing services in an easily-accessible and non-threatening environment.

We see our cafe’ as a place that merges community life with the best aspects of the typical coffee-shop experience, and the safety of a Christian environment. By day, we are a place for lunch or coffee meetings, play dates, homeschool groups, personal study or relaxation. By night we will convert to a scene for teens and young adults looking to safely hang out with friends for night life entertainment. Source 5.9 will provide a variety of nonalcoholic drinks, live music, clean comedy and other special events, becoming the go-to alternative to ordinary nightlife.

At Source 5.9, each relationship is an avenue for sharing Christ with unbelievers or growing together in Christ with believers. Our casual community environment, regularly scheduled entertainment, along with many relationship-building activities, will make Source 5.9 the new “Temple Courts” for our corner of the East Valley. The setup of our space, the menu offerings and every detail of our ministry model will work to make relationships our top priority. Our greatest goal is connecting people into a growing relationship with God.

A café customer is generally in a relaxed state of mind, conducive to meaningful conversations and ultimately, spiritual transformation. Visitors will encounter staff, pastors, volunteers and other customers who are genuinely interested in their life story, praying for them and introducing them to Jesus. Source 5.9 will be allied with a number of partner churches to help new believers connect into a loving community. On Sunday, we will hold a casual time of prayer, worship and Biblical teaching for those who may not feel comfortable in a traditional church setting.