An Unconventional Idea

To Help Christ Church

Please save questions until the end!
In my normal manner of over-thinking things, we go over a lot of common questions through the course of this presentation.

As of late Christ Church has two major problems that many fellow congregations are facing:

1. Declining attendance.

2. A very tight budget.

So I asked: “What have churches traditionally done to help their bottom lines?”

• In olden times, brew ale. (Whitsuntide!)
• Find ways to increase membership.
• Fundraising drives of all sorts (bake sales, special requests, etc.)
• Daycare services. (The most popular.)
• Rental & catering services. (We already do rentals.)
• What *else* can we do?

A coffee house.

A coffee house is inherently Episcopalian.

 

An Old Episcopal Church Ad

Historical Church Coffee Politics

Historical Church Coffee Politics

Coffee Houses in the Episcopal Church

Coffee Houses in the Episcopal Church

Coffee Houses in the Episcopal Church

 (Inside Holy Grounds)

What are the advantages of a church coffee house?

• We see to the coffee needs of our parishioners. How many folks go to Starbucks right before or after church? Why should that money be spent outside of the congregation on something inferior to what we can offer?
• 

What are the advantages of a church coffee house?

• We see to the coffee needs of our parishioners. How many folks go to Starbucks right before or after church? Why should that money be spent outside of the congregation on something inferior to what we can offer?
• We will have a public space where folks outside of the congregation can mingle with those in the congregation and learn more about us. This is essential to grow membership. Full stop.
• To that end, it’s the perfect environment for Millennials to discover Christ Church.
• We will have a space for inviting in community events or augment events happening on-premises.
• It can help balance up the budget.
• It can offer employment.

Why mention the Millennial Generation?

They are the next generation that will be inheriting our church. We are an aging congregation. The median resident age of New Brunswick is 23 years old (mostly due to Rutgers).

Numerous surveys and studies (Pew, Barna, etc.) find that the Millennial Generation is interested in more traditional forms of worship such as the liturgy of the Episcopal Church and traditional sacred spaces such as our sanctuary, but at the same time they prefer their church’s ideology to be progressive and modern (like the Episcopal Church!).

The same studies show that Millennials socialize in fundamentally different ways. This coffee house project would be the perfect gateway for Millennials to discover Christ Church and vice-versa.

We don’t want to be these guys…

Where would be the best place to put it?

• The Auditorium?
  • An intact catering kitchen.
  • Too many stairs.
  • We rent it out.
• The Nicholas Room
  • Good frontage. Can be seen by foot traffic on both sides.
  • Has a patio.
  • Has plumbing and electricity hookups.
  • It is where we already hold every coffee hour.
  • This would be the best choice.
• We can do something like…

Mode of operation:

• Two Pronged Approach:
  1. Provide an “in-between” space for Christ Church to engage the greater New Brunswick community directly.
  2. Provide a financial net positive to the Christ Church budget.
• How do we do it?
  • During the week it’s a “normal” coffee house with a casual atmosphere that focuses upon inviting the community into learning more about Christ Church.
  • During set times on Sunday (i.e. coffee hours) the space is used as it normally was. The only difference being free drip coffee and the normal coffee hour fixings (likely augmented) set up in a specific spot.
  • Regular menu items (specialty drinks, etc.) can still be available for folks to purchase if they want something more substantial or are not taking part of coffee hour.

Other Ways to Strive Towards Both Goals

• Coffee Subscriptions
  Offer coffee “passes” that are renewed monthly or yearly like pledges at various tiers that allow a certain number of coffees over fixed amounts of time.
• Community Events
  Invite in local artists, artisans, and other groups. Gaming nights. Family nights. Etc. Invite folks like the Joyce Kilmer Society.
• Networking With Other Congregations
  The novelty of a Christian coffee house has serious “ecumenical potential” for getting to know other local faith organizations or fellow churches in the Diocese.
• Programs for the Food Pantry & Homeless
  Old things like caffe sospeso or “suspended coffee.” Donations can also be solicited directly at the counter.
• Goofy Intrigue & Fun
  Is this your first time here? Coffee’s on the house. TEC welcomes you!
  You’re a regular? Ask for the Aramaic Menu.

What is needed to make this happen?

• A committee to oversee it. (Evangelism? A new Coffee Committee?)
• Remodeling & signage.
• Appliances, tools, & furniture.
• Licenses, inspections, & insurance.
• Consumables inventory; and
• People to run it.

Rough Breakdown (1/3):

• Remodeling ($5,000-$10,000)
  • Countertop, new sinks, refrigerator & bakery displays, shelving, opening up the “behind the counter” area, a new behind-counter fridge etc.
• Signage ($100 for carved wood, $400 for backlit)
• Appliances & tools
  • Espresso machine ($1,500 new, $500 used)
  • Grinder ($1,000 new, $200 used)
  • Drip basket brewer ($500 new, $150 used)
  • Blender ($150 new, $50 used)
  • Steaming pitchers & French Press pots ($10 ea)
  • Thermometers ($8 ea)
  • Shot glasses ($1 ea)
  • Eating utensils (We have these)
  • Digital scale ($30 new $10 used)

Rough Breakdown (2/3):

• Appliances & tools (contd.)
  • Mugs, cups, & plates (We have some, $1/ea thrift store)
    • Disposables? Less cleanup.
  • Shelving and racks (Ikea or used, depends)
  • Misc. (aprons, timers, etc. ~$50)
  • Consider a panini press? (Hot sandwiches and toasted pastries.)
  • Cash register ($500; refurbished iPad and cash box $300)
• Furniture (some overlap cost with Remodeling)
  • Outdoor bistro tables ($50 ea) and chairs ($25 ea)
  • Indoor tables & chairs (similar costs, a bit more)
  • Old recycled pews? (Free)
  • Any of the neat old furniture that we have in the basement? (Free)

Rough Breakdown (3/3):

• Licenses
  • Hot food license & inspection. (We can use the Auditorium kitchen, too.)
  • Capacity certificate. (Like with the auditorium.)
• Insurance
  • Need to see if and how it would affect our insurance.
• Food inventory (~$500)
  • Coffee, tea, milk, bakery items, condiments, other food fixings, etc.
• Odds and ends

Rough Bottom Line:

• Adding everything up plus throwing in an additional ~10% just for good measure:

$10,000 to $22,000

• If this were a “from scratch” endeavor (brand new space, no existing infrastructure like The Abbey) we could have expected something in excess of $50,000 – $75,000. But we are at an advantage.

The Three Things Everyone Will Now Ask:

1. Where is the money coming from?
   The startup costs are relatively expensive. General budget? Kickstart it among the congregation? Unlike other efforts like repairs or outreach these funds will be spent in a way with the intention to be recouped. In the long run, we may not be able to afford not investing in this, or in other things like this and soon.
2. How will our taxes be affected?
   Depending on how this is set up and how we focus it, it may be subject to “Unrelated Business Taxable Income” (UBTI). If we focus it primarily as an outreach ministry and for the convenience of members, we should be exempt.
3. Who will run it?
   We will need to make full-time staff hire(s) to run this endeavor and keep it open and doing business at optimal hours. Pay will ideally be drawn from the operations of the coffee house. We’ll need a Capo (“Manager”) and a few Baristas. However…

(Here’s a small part of my coffee portfolio. 🙂 )

A Personal Note & Plea:

• To wax a bit theological, I have felt “pushed” towards this project in more than one way over the course of the past few months due to converging circumstances.
• If you’ve seen my Facebook page, you’ve seen my coffee work. It’s my wife’s fault.
• I have run my own business for about 10 years: Aramaic language translations to the public; not food service, but very heavy on customer service.
• I have good sales experience with Caruso Kith Kin & Co LLC (my family company).
• In the current economy there is waning interest in Aramaic. Tattoo fad is officially “over.” I’m moving into publications & education. (Still some interest.)
• This space, one that promotes casual Christian hospitality, would provide opportunities to both practice something I am good at (sales & coffee) as well as teach (on my own time, as a draw) in a place for people to feel at ease.
• If part of the initial staff, I am here full-time to make this happen.

Help From Others

There are other folks we can seek help from due to connections of various sorts:

• The Diocese may take an interest in this project.
• The George Street Co-op has a café in an even smaller space. The manager (an old friend of mine) would love to help navigate the requirements.
• The Better World Café in the Reformed Church of Highland Park.
• Our very own Karen Walsh has agreed to lend her wisdom; and,
• The Abbey and Holy Grounds (perhaps start an Episcopal Coffee House Consortium?)

Others Interested in Our Endeavor:

• Cathedral of All Saints (Albany) has been flirting with adding a café for some time.
• Lots of other Episcopalians…

“Episcopalians on Facebook” Group

Put it up ~24 hours ago.
100+ Likes. 50+ comments.
More coming in every hour.

Draft Business Plan

I’ve already drawn up a draft business plan with an outline of operations, mission, and market research. Copies are presently available online on my blog along with this presentation and hard copies an be printed upon request.

http://steve.rogueleaf.com/coffee/nicholas-room/

Questions? Comments?

My first question: Do we want to make this happen?

Fin.